Tag: prince

The German writers reworking Hitler

“Every German is obliged to ensure that the Holocaust is not forgotten” a pokerfaced Uwe Boll said, around the same time he was crowned The World’s Worst Filmmaker in the wake of his 2011 film, “Auschwitz”. His own contribution to the collective memory of the Shoah was memorable for all the wrong reasons; an upshot of the fact that Boll had already made a name for himself as the mastermind behind such video game film adaptations as, BloodRayne, House of the Dead (HoTD) and Alone in the Dark.

But subtler minds than Boll have shared his sentiment about speaking the unspeakable through art. This month, on a romp through the European lit scene, I happened upon two.

German writer, Timur Vermes, is a professional ghostwriter who has harnessed his ventriloquistic skills in his first novel to tackle one of the most brutal subjects imaginable –Adolf Hitler. The title– He’s Back – says something about the novel’s jocular tone, and something, too, about how the passing of time loosens tongues on even “unmentionable” topics. It’s 2011, and Hitler’s woken up with a raw headache having spent the night in the bunker with Eva Braun. He stumbles through Berlin, scratching his heavy head over where all the Russian soldiers went, like someone crawling home at 6am who swore they took their denim jacket to the party. Hitler paranoid as hell; he’s sure people are staring and laughing at him. They are, of course, because they think he’s a regular guy doing a Prince Harry – only funny. Hitler turns into a YouTube phenomenon. He’s filmed on a visit to the headquarters of a German fascist party, where he’s appalled by the lack of commitment to the cause that he sees amongst the young neo-Nazis. When they realise Hitler’s won a prestigious journalism award for exposing them, they jump him. Yes, Hitler gets jumped by Neo-Nazis. It’s Ali G meets Heil Honey I'm Home meetsFawlty Towers. (Or, in fact, just Fawlty Towers.)

The other German tackling the subject of Nazi Germany is graphic novelist, Reinhard Kleist. Since the publication of Cash and Castro, Kleist’s been steadily building a name for himself as the fore figure of a new wave of German author-illustrators. He has a studio with three other artists in Prenzlauer Berg. Der Boxer tells the life story of Hertzko Haft, who survives the Holocaust through a combination of physical resilience and devotion his sweetheart, Leah. Having been introduced to boxing for the amusement of the Nazi officers, after he escapes Hertzko decides to fight for a living in America, where he hopes he might also track down his girl. Kleist’s novel is a modern-day Maus in the most obvious sense. Kleist pays deference to the game-changing novel, but also explains his own deviations from Spiegleman’s Pulitzer prize-winner. As he explained over email: “Maus is still a very important book... I am not a fan of his idea to use animals as persons in the story. But this is part of the thinking process he did at that time … dealing with the thought “Can I do this?” Now we are able to deal with the subject more openly, which is not always good. I hate books (or movies) where the victims of the Holocaust are just sad looking puppets. They are human beings and … sometimes they are not good ones. That is something I want to provoke in the reader: Do I still identify with Hertzko after he … knowingly beat people to death?” Kleist cuts to the chase in that his characters are humans –pain is pain in this novel and some of the boxing scenes are beyond graphic; they’re brutal. Offsetting this are the text-less pages where images cross the frontier that language, according to Kleist, can’t. “My favourite scene from Der Boxer is when Hertzko has to work in a factory and comes home. There are no words, nothing much happens, but for him a whole world collapses.”

For me, the text never destroys the impact of Kleist’s drawings; he has a gift as deft as a fine short-story writer for delivering a line like a slap in the face (see, “I have no fear” and you’ll know what I mean). Luckily for the non-German readers, you can still relish the still movie that is Der Boxer. But this graphic novel is crying out for an English translation. For Boll’s sake, at least, somebody translate these silences.

Cover Image: Roger Wollstadt

2013 is all about coming backs…

What is happening with the music industry? Was last year the end of a cycle and this year the beginning of a new one? In any case, 2013 is already marked by...

The Latest Investments: Aston Martin, Fabergé & Christopher Kane

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Orient Express turns down a $1.8 billion takeover bid from Indian Hotels Group, as mining company Gemfields seeks to acquire fine jeweller Faberg for $142 million

Acquired: Faberg, Gemfields

Gemfields, pending minority investor approval, is to buy luxury jeweler Faberge from one of the colored gem miner’s own shareholders, in a deal valuing the fine jeweller at $142 million. The all-share deal will create an integrated company that mines colored stones and uses the Faberge brand to promote their use in jewelery.

Source: Reuters

Speculation: Sale, Aston Martin

Investment Dar Co., owner of Aston Martin, is said to be in “advanced” talks to sell new shares to investors to boost funding for future development. The Kuwaiti based investment group has received competing bids from Investindustrial and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (MM) for 50% of voting rights and a 40% equity stake.

Source: Bloomberg

Rejected: Takeover Bid, Orient-Express

Orient-Express has rejected an unsolicited $1.2 billion takeover offer from Tata Group’s Indian Hotels Co Ltd and a fund controlled by Italy’s Montezemolo & Partners. The unsolicited bid was 43% higher than Orient-Express’s 20-day average price, a record premium for the industry, and valued the company at the highest earnings multiple in six years for a hotel takeover.

Source: Reuters, WSJ

Acquired: Investcorp, Georg Jensen

Bahrain-based alternative asset manager, Investcorp, has purchased Danish luxury retailer Georg Jensen for $140 million. Hazem Ben-Gacem, Investcorp’s European private equity head, will co-chair Georg Jensen, as saying Investcorp planned to expand the Danish brand in Asia, particularly China.

Source: Reuters

Speculation: PPR, Christopher Kane

PPR, helmed by Francois-Henri Pinault, is said to be in discussions with Christopher Kane, to invest in his eponymous brand. The company is believed to have held discussions with Christopher Kane in which financial backing has been offered. Nothing has yet been confirmed and representatives for PPR and Kane were unavailable for comment.

Source: Vogue UK

Acquired: Vionnet, Goga Ashkenazi

Kazakh oil billionaire Goga Ashkenazi has acquired all outstanding shares in Vionnet to become its sole owner. Ms. Ashkenazi bought into Vionnet in May 2012, but has since purchased all remaining shares from past owners Matteo Marzotto and Marni CEO Gianni Castiglioni.

Source: Elle UK

Boughtback: Derek Lam, Labelux

In a bid to refocus on luxury leather goods and shoes, Labelux has sold Derek Lam back to its founders, Lam and CEO Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann. “We have taken a strategic decision to refocus our activity on luxury leather goods and shoes,” explained CEO Reinhard Mieck said. “We wish Derek and Jan well as we return the leadership into their capable hands.”

Source: Fashionista

Invested: Damiani, India

Damiani is the first foreign investor to get the government approval to invest in the jewellery monobrand retail in India, after working with the Indian government to acquire 51% of Damiani India Pvt Ltd, the company managing the Damiani store in New Delhi at the Oberoi Hotel. Damiani will then agree to establish a joint venture with Indian partners.

Source: Damiani

Confirmed: Karl Lagerfeld, Inter Parfums

Karl Lagerfeld has signed a 20 year worldwide license agreement with Inter Parfums, to create and distribute perfumes under the German fashion designer’s namesake brand. Karl Lagerfeld has since ended its deal with fragrance and cosmetics company Coty BV.

Source: Reuters

Sold: Plaza Hotel, Subrata Roy

Indian billionaire Subrata Roy has purchased a 75% stake in New York’s iconic Plaza Hotel for $575m from US-Israeli retailer El Ad. The remaining 25% of the hotel is being retained by its current owner, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, via his Kingdom Holding group.

Source: BBC

Rejected: Four Seasons Hotel NYC, Asian Buyer

Four Seasons Hotel New York owner H. Ty Warner has decided not to sell the Manhattan property after receiving an unsolicited bid of about $900 million. “Due to the continued strength in the New York real estate market and impending fiscal cliff, he does not feel that this is an advantageous time to sell this iconic property,” explained Donna Snopek, chief financial officer of Ty Warner Hotels and Resorts LLC.

Source: Bloomberg

Invested: DiamondCorp, Laurelton Diamonds

Laurelton Diamonds Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Tiffany & Co., has issued a $6 million term loan to DiamondCorp plc, a South African diamond development and exploration company listed on London’s AIM stock exchange. As part of the loan agreement, Laurelton Diamonds will have the right to purchase production from DiamondCorp’s Lace Mine in South Africa.

Source: WWD

Stake: Luxottica, Salmoiraghi & Vigan

Salmoiraghi & Vigan, a leading Italian company in the eyewear retail sector, has received approximately €45 million from eyewear manufacturer Luxottica. Luxottica will subscribe for newly issued shares of Salmoiraghi & Vigan resulting in a 36% equity stake in the Italian optical retailer, which will retain control of company operations.

Source: 4Traders

Acquired: Four Seasons Toronto, Saudi Prince Walid

Billionaire Saudi Prince Walid bin Talal’s Kingdom Holding investment group has purchased the luxury hotel Four Seasons Toronto, Canada for $200 million. “The transaction was funded by a $130 million mortgage loan while $70 million came from (the company’s) own resources,” Hazem al-Dosari, a Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) spokesman, told AFP.

Source: Al Arabiya

Sold: Ekati Diamond Mine, BHP

Diamond company Harry Winston agreed to purchase BHP Billiton’s Ekati mine in Canada and its marketing operations for the precious stones for $500 million. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of next year, according to BHP.

Source: The Israeli Diamond Industry

Invested: Aeffe, Emanuel Ungaro

Aeffe has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with Emanuel Ungaro for the production and worldwide distribution of women’s clothing and accessories, as well as the option to acquire a significant minority share of Ungaro’s capital stock on achieving shared goals. The license will be active for a period of 7 years, with the option to renew.

Source: Aeffe


For more in the series of The Latest Investments, please see our most recent editions as follows:

- The Latest Investments: Chanel, Marcolin & Orient Express
- The Latest Investments: Anya Hindmarch, Berluti & Harry Winston
- The Latest Investments: Coty, Porsche & Valentino

Valentino AW13

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli's Valentino show was such an alluring conflation of elements it was difficult not to be spirited away and totally enchanted by it. That's when fashion is exciting, when you're so drawn into a vision that your head changes entirely for 10 minutes.

The designers took "stereotypical garments, part of the collective culture," intervened and improved them to perfection, with a nod to 60s British style and Carnaby Street on their strong, youthful casting.

We were taken to a divine world, one where models including #dazedmodelarmy's Alexander Beck stalked their inherited mansion to a noirish soundtrack. Through the Htel Salomon de Rothschild's grand salons, with their ornate painted ceilings, chandeliers and parquet floors, the boys wore transparent soled Chelsea boots, ponyskin trenches, military furs, capes and experimental thermoform tailoring (which moulds a suit to the body), realised in Prince of Wales checks and Black Watch tartans.

Fashion Roundup: Kate Middleton’s Wardrobe Costs Revealed, Spice Girls Reunite and 90’s Supermodel Shalom Harlow is Back!

Fashion Roundup: Kate Middleton’s Wardrobe Costs Revealed, Spice Girls Reunite and 90's Supermodel Shalom Harlow is Back!

So tell me what you want, what you really, really want? FashionTV can tell you what we want--a Spice Girls reunion! Fortunately for us, we got just that and so did the rest of the world when Ginger, Baby, Sporty, Scary, and Posh Spice appeared at the St. Pancras Renaissance London Hotel to promote the new Spice Girls jukebox musical Viva Forever, featuring many of the girl group’s greatest hits. While the five fashionistas won’t star in the production starting December 11, we’re hoping that at least Geri Halliwell’s British flag bodysuit and Victoria Beckham’s leather dress getup will make an appearance. (Huffington Post)

The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton may be known for recycling Alexander McQueen dresses and LK Bennett pumps, but she isn’t known for spending a whole lot of money on her wardrobe. Still, just exactly how much is she spending? The details will be found out in a few days when Prince Charles’ financial statements are officially revealed to the public. Her clothes have been said to cost in the $54,000 and up range, thanks to designs from Jenny Packham, Roland Mouret, and more for high-end functions. (The Cut)

She’s baaacck! Shalom Harlow was popular in the 90's, modeling for big brands like Valentino and Thierry Mugler. Since then, she hasn’t stopped modeling, but she hasn’t had the fame of model counterparts Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, even with an MTV reality show. This may all change with her newest campaign to date---Shalom is the face of the Jason Wu fall campaign where she poses as a Chinese warrior in the style of Wu’s most recent Fall 2012 collection. (Fashionista)

Kate Moss is a top model and after her stylish wedding to Jamie Hince, there was talk of her little sister Lottie taking the modeling reigns from her big sis. Now there’s another Moss hoping to step in and she may do it sooner than you think--if god sister Iris Law has anything to say about it. Law, the daughter of Sadie Frost and Jude Law, told Amuse magazine that she has been setting up photoshoots with Lila because it’s fashion. Let’s just hope that when Lila Moss finally makes her runway debut, she won’t be into the anti-model heroin chic look like mother Kate. (Telegraph)

The word is out on Margherita Missoni’s big wedding to race car driver Eugenio Amos and while it turns out that Giambattista Valli did not actually make her wedding dress, he was available for consultation on the couture elements. In an update, Grazia says Margherita Missoni herself created the gypsy stunner, using tailors in Sumirago to piece together the Missoni silk and organza in a setup she designed. (Grazia)

You may know him as sneaky rich kid with a good heart Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl, but now Ed Westwick can also add fashion model to his already full resume. Westwick strut his stuff down the catwalk at the Philipp Plein show during Milan Men’s Fashion Week. He also appears in the Swiss brand’s Fall/Winter ad campaign shot by photographer Terry Richardson. (WWD)

Fashion Roundup: Rihanna’s Nude Campaign and Brad Pitt Tease for Chanel

First look at Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel pictures from the set of Hitchcock. The two will perform opposite Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren in the upcoming film, showcasing great looks from classic Hollywood glamour era. (Hollywire)

After infamous scandals this year, Prince Harry turns up on top as he's labeled ‘Man of the Year’ by Tatler and appears on the magazine's cover. The royal gone bad is referred to as ‘Dirty Harry’ by the glossie, appearing in his finest military gear. (Huffington Post)

Rihanna’s new campaign for her Nude fragrance is not so nude after all. After previously leaked photos from the same shoot, it seems that the final version of the ad is a bit more toned down than expected. (MTV Style)

Yves Saint Laurent is missing over 400 personal drawings. The designer’s long-term partner Pierre Berge, claims the journal was allegedly taken for the Paris apartment that they used to share. The item includes approximately 300 sketches, many of which were erotic. (Vogue UK)

Nicole Kidman covers Harper’s Bazaar US’s November issue, posing in front of Terry Richardson’s camera in an amazing golden Emilio Pucci dress. Inside, Kidman returns to speaking on Tom Cruise and sexuality. (Refinery 29)

Why? Where? What’s the Mystery?

Closing our list of weekly highlights, three teasers have sprung out this week on Chanel’s YouTube Channel for the highly anticipated Brad Pitt $7 million appearance for the Chanel No.5 campaign. The answers to all of these questions will be revealed October 15, when the full commercial is set to launch. Take a look:

Prince Charles opens London menswear week

Prince Charles

'Clothes have to combine style with sustainability,' writes Prince Charles in GQ magazine. Photograph: Getty Images

He may not be monarch for a while yet, but for the next four days he is undisputed king of the front row. With the first ever week of men's catwalk shows in London falling hot on the heels of the jubilee, Prince Charles is the man charged with leading the British menswear industry into battle with the titans of France and Italy.

Tonight Prince Charles will host several hundred representatives from the fashion industry at a reception at St James's Palace, in celebration of the menswear shows that begin tomorrow.

Whether the prince will adopt Anna Wintour's trademark sunglasses for the duration is not known; what is certain is that the lure of a gold-embossed palace invitation is a significant coup for the British Fashion Council as they strive to fill the London front rows with the world's most powerful buyers and editors.

Despite stiff competition from parties hosted by Tinie Tempah (featuring crazy golf on the roof of Selfridges) and retailer Mr Porter (with DJ Alexa Chung), the St James's Palace invite the week's hot ticket. Menswear by Margaret Howell and Claire Malcolm of Hardy Amies on display during the reception, alongside designs by Christopher Raeburn, the winner of the emerging talent in menswear award at the most recent British Fashion Awards.

But the prominence of Prince Charles signifies more than simply a wish to capitalise on jubilee fever. The rich Savile Row tradition of British tailoring and a drive to promote quality British craftsmanship are a key part of the message of this fashion week. Those steering the event are keen to move the image of British designer menswear on from the creative-but-crazy label and into more commercial territory.

This is a shift which has been successfully made in womenswear, where the London collections are now a slick and respected element of the global industry rather than the eccentric afterthought they once were.

Writing in Vogue two years ago, Prince Charles demurred from being labelled "fashionable", but acknowledged that "there have been those generous enough to call me 'well dressed'". The Prince is a longtime customer of the shirtmakers Turnbull & Asser, whose shirts are made in a small factory in Gloucestershire, and the distinguished Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard.

"Clothes have to combine style with sustainability," writes the prince in the current issue of GQ magazine, "and I find British-made tailoring more than meets that challenge – much to the amusement of my staff, who are sometimes surprised to find that what I am wearing turns out to be as old as or even older than they are".

This week's showcase for British designer menswear hopes to capitalise on new findings which show that while women are cutting back on luxury fashion and spending more on high street purchases, men are prioritising luxury purchases.

Research by American Express shows that in 2011, men's year-on-year spending on luxury fashion grew slightly by 1%, while spending on mainstream fashion fell by 1.2%. In contrast, women cut back slightly (0.7%) on luxury fashion spending, while increasing spending on mainstream fashion by 5.2%.

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