In many respects, we’re lucky the Land Rover Discovery is still around. In 1989, the British motor industry was excited by the prospect of a new model from Land Rover that would bridge the gap between the iconic Defender model and the Range Rover, which had become ever more plush in the 1980s. Tipped to be called Highlander (a name which Volvo owned in Europe, and Toyota in some other countries), the vehicle would capture the SUV boom but have the Land Rover pedigree.
   While an attractive vehicle, the Discovery was hardly reliable in its first incarnation, suffering from quite a few bugs. It took BMW to begin putting things right after the Rover Group was sold to the München-based car maker, and under Ford ownership, Land Rover kept improving its quality. Now, with the Discovery 4, things are looking better than ever, though as with the situation 20 years ago, the vehicle has grown far plusher, which perhaps leaves room for the Freelander to grow. Discovery has retained a sort of fashion-item status—something which qualifies it for our pages.
   Ford sold Land Rover to Tata last year, which means it’s now on to its fourth owner over the last two decades. Tata realizes it has a real asset in the brand, and isn’t tampering much; instead, it has found ways to keep the company going on its original path with some of the best four-by-fours in the world.
   To commemorate the 20th anniversary, we have two videos: one showing clips from TV commercials from the last two decades, and another looking at the early R&D days through to the release of the Discovery 4. (We’ve had to host these at YouTube for technical reasons.)

Brisbane fashion designer Juli Grbac (left), winner of Project Runway Australia 2008, has been invited by trade fair organizers to show an Indian-inspired collection at Brand India.
   Brand India is organized by the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (TEXPROCIL) and sponsored by the Government of India. It aims to bring together established Indian companies with new talent who offer cutting-edge design.
   Grbac, meanwhile, says that her recent trip to Delhi uncovered India’s superior manufacturing and craftsmanship. ‘As a designer, it was like discovering gold. I saw some of the most beautiful beadwork and fabrics I had ever seen,’ she says.
   ‘The French seams and double-roll hems are of the highest quality … This is what Australia needs to see.’

We’ve heard of many labels using the eco-fashion tag—after all, Lucire was the first fashion magazine to bring sustainable style into the mainstream, from 2003. Miksani, meanwhile, has gone one further with a Carbon Neutral clothing range for spring–summer 2010, launching at the Pure London Fashion Show.
   Miksani says its products have a minimal environmental impact, with hand-woven cotton from India, banana-fibre jumpers and coconut buttons. Miksani’s creator and owner Katie Weightman says, ‘I hope this encourages other clothing companies to take similar steps.’ The company says it already has Fair Trade and organic practices.
   Miksani’s range has been offset by Piqqo, through a reforestation project in México. Piqqo uses carbon labelling, with each label carrying a unique serial number that allows customers to trace the offset back to the project.

For those wondering what it was like to see the new Jaguar XJ and hang out with supermodel Elle Macpherson and Bond girl Rosamund Pike (and even the Hoff), we have party pics from last night’s launch at the Saatchi Gallery. Don’t forget our videos at Lucire TV showing everything from the Jaguar XJ driving on the road and interviews with key people such as design director Ian Callum, selected images of the new car, and Lucire’s world exclusive from yesterday revealing the first official photograph of the new car.

Images of the new Jaguar XJ are surfacing—below is the first official, non-embargoed photograph of the highly anticipated new model, exclusively revealed here at Lucire. The launch is in London tonight at 8.30 p.m. BST, hosted by Jay Leno and Jaguar boss Mike O’Driscoll.

   Jaguar has been issuing teasers of the new XJ for months. The car, styled under acclaimed Jaguar design boss Ian Callum, is a huge departure from the previous model, which continued a look started by the original XJ6 launched in 1968.
   With an aluminium frame and panels, the new XJ is similar to the outgoing car under the skin, but has a far more modern and dramatic look.
   Callum had been keen to return Jaguar to a more forward-looking design theme after years of both stagnation and retro design.
   From the front, there is a passing resemblance to the Jaguar XF, but a six-light glasshouse and a rising waistline give a greater impression of length for the range’s flagship.
   It is at the rear where the new Jaguar XJ has surprised observers, with thin taillights that have a hint of Bentley Continental to them. However, they continue to a point on to the horizontal surface on either side of the bootlid.

I know Lucire is not a car maga­zine, but I thought I should clarify my state­ments about the A-pillar area on the Peu­geot 308 SW being messy. At left is a photo­graph I took on my old cell illus­trating what I meant. Some people might like all these lines that go nowhere and every­where—I don’t.
   While we also have an Audi A4 review online, more importantly, Bron Williams’ interview with tattooed hairstylist extraordinaire Richard Kavanagh is now on-site, and Bulgari had a bash for its 125th birthday.
   Elyse Glickman, meanwhile, talks to Deborah Anderson, on her new photographic book, Paperthin.
   Meanwhile, I should publicly acknowledge that Parmesh Shahani (below right), editorial director of Verve, whom I caught up with yesterday, thought that Stanley Moss hit the nail on the head with his choice of northern Indian luxury resorts. He says that most non-Indians wouldn’t have known of these, and that Stanley did his research in finding the truly best.
   Verve has an amazing issue coming up in a few months. I am sworn to secrecy, but Indians will love it when that issue hits the stands.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell proved to be a hit at Lakme Fashion Week. Mai Mumbai, the benefit for the victims of the Mumbai terrorist attacks last November previewed earlier in Lucire, featured numerous celebrities: Rahul Khanna, in Narendra Kumar, compered. Campbell started off the show wearing Vikram Phadnis, followed by hotelier Vikram Chatwal in a Arjun Khanna Jodhpur jacket.
   Other celebrities on the catwalk were Arjun and Meher Rampal, Gregory David Roberts, Princess Françoise, Rahul Bose, Farhan Akhtar, Kunal Kapoor, Milind Soman, Feroze Gurjal and Ujwala Raut.

As promised, we have video from the commercial launch of the Tata Nano, featuring chairman of the Tata Group, Ratan Tata, and various team members at Tata Motors. While many people spoke, we have singled out both Mr Tata and Mr Rajiv Dube, President of Passenger Cars at Tata Motors, who dealt with the topic of safety.
   The Tata Nano, which goes on sale at Rs. 1 lakh—roughly US$2,000—features a two-cylinder aluminium MPFI 624 cm³ petrol engine mated to a four-speed gearbox and will be available in three variants. Earlier reports indicate that fuel economy is at the 62 mpg (Imperial) level. The cars will be on display at Tata Motors Passenger Car dealerships through India and other authorized outlets from April 1.