Much like Renault has done for the Festival de Cannes, DS wants to show off its luxury credentials by being the official transport for Paris Fashion Week’s men’s shows this week.
   The fleet comprises 25 cars, with both the DS 9 E-Tense 225 saloon and the DS 7 Crossback E-Tense 4×4 300 crossover present. Both are plug-in hybrids with electric-only modes, ferrying journalists and influencers around Paris.
   The saloon is the French brand’s latest attempt to capture the innovative spirit of the Citroën DS, stylistically one of the most avant-garde production cars ever made.
   The six-day event runs from June 22 through 27.
   DS began working with Paris Fashion Week in 2019.

Fluid Images

The most iconic Aston Martin is arguably the DB5, the one piloted by Sean Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger. Aston Martin made 1,021 DB5s, including 60-odd in Vantage tune, and 123 convertibles. Getting a DB5 is hard enough, but getting three Vantages—a coupé, a convertible, and a one-off Shooting Brake—would qualify as a very special, unique situation. Aston Martin specialist Nicholas Mee & Co. is offering this very special trio for sale, with a price tag of £4 million.
   The DB5, developed from the DB4 Series V with the slanted headlights first seen on the DB4 GT, was incredibly desirable from its launch in July 1963. The engine was enlarged from 3·7 to 4 litres, increasing the power to 282 hp. Vantages saw the power increased further, to 314 hp, giving a 0–60 mph time of 6·5 s.
   The Shooting Brake is unique, and when some sources cite that only 65 DB5 Vantages were built, they omit this very special car. It would be fair to say it was not a production model: the first was produced for Aston Martin chairman David Brown, to accommodate his gundog and polo equipment. Eleven were ordered by customers, with hand-made bodies by Radford. Only one Shooting Brake was ordered in Vantage tune, commissioned by dealer Cyril Williams of Wolverhampton. It is the only one to have left the factory and was delivered to its first owner in 1966. This one-off is finished in California sage over red hides.
   The DB5 Vantage convertible—the Volante tag had not been coined at this point—is in Caribbean pearl blue with white gold hide interior, and is one of five in this specification. Finally, the coupé is finished in silver birch with a black hide interior—the same colour combination as the cinematic James Bond’s.
   The trio have been collected over a 12-year period and were subject to full restorations by Aston Martin specialists. Each car comes with a detailed history with original build details, BMIHT certificates, maintenance records, ownership documentation, and restoration particulars.
   They are being shown at a concours event at the Honourable Artillery Company’s HQ in London, over three days from June 8. Find out more from Nicholas Mee & Co. at www.nicholasmee.co.uk.

Fluid Images

A pop-up exhibition for Dr Martens opens today at Westfield Newmarket in Auckland, New Zealand, and will run to May 30. Lochie Stonehouse, Jimmy D, Portia Prince and Miro have each customized a pair of Dr Martens’ 1461 shoe, commemorating 60 years of the design. Their customized shoes are being displayed at level 1 of Westfield Newmarket, opposite Under Armour.
   On Friday, May 28, from 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, May 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., fans can bring their own Dr Martens footwear to be personalized by Auckland-based artist Finn Wilson.
   Jimmy D’s design is called Femme Fantasy Adventure, and uses metal piercings and a silk bow, ‘which could be interpreted as being about the strength in being femme or “femininity” in general.’ Miro’s design, Day N Night, represents both the dark and bright days experienced by an artist. Make-up artist Lochie Stonehouse’s design, Eat the Rich, evokes punk and the anarchist movement, and features Swarovski crystals; while Portia Prince’s Your Hair Is Your Power is for girls that ‘don’t see their afro or curly hair as magic’ and that it is ‘a pair of shoes I wish I’d had growing up. Wear your crown with pride.’
   Dr Martens’ first boot rolled off the production line on April 1, 1960, and the 1461 shoe was the company’s second style, dating from 1961.

Mercedes-Benz and IC Berlin have collaborated on a capsule sunglasses’ collection comprising five designs that incorporate elements from Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG vehicles.
   Mercedes-Benz stresses that the arrangement is not just a licensing of a symbol, but that its avant-garde philosophy has been brought into the eyewear.
   Certainly the forms are distinct from what one would normally see in eyewear, and hint at some of the shapes seen in Mercedes-Benz grilles and interiors. They feature stainless steel frames, Zeiss lenses, soft silicone nose pads for wearer comfort, and high-quality temple hinges. The Mercedes-Benz three-pointed star is lasered on to the temples. Colours are also distinctive and metallic, reminiscent of the high-quality finish seen on a Mercedes-Benz or Mercedes-AMG vehicle in the showroom.
   ‘With our new capsule collection, we want to show that something very special can arise in the eyewear segment when two design-savvy brands as IC Berlin and Mercedes-Benz team up,’ said Harry Skinner, IC Berlin’s lead designer.
   The sunglasses are made in Berlin-Marzahn, keeping things local to Mercedes-Benz’s home country.

Stephen A’Court

Giselle has become one of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s signature productions since this version was conceived by Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg in 2012, and each season—this is the third in New Zealand—brings with it a different energy, as well as newfound elements to enjoy. The cast changes this time bring with them a more youthful take, while the production values and design give Giselle a sense of depth and quality.
   Opening night’s Mayu Tanigaito, in the title role, is no stranger to Giselle, having taken the role in the 2016 season on occasion opposite Daniel Gaudiello, though that time Lucy Green and Qi Huan took the leads on opening night. Qi is still missed as one of the great ballerinos of the company, but in his place tonight, Laurynas Vėjalis has the required regal manner to carry out the role of Albrecht.
   Tanigaito is a seasoned dancer yet exudes a youthful quality as Giselle—a perfect casting—and her solo seeing her en pointe with a series of fouettés brought spontaneous applause from the audience at the Opera House in Wellington. Vėjalis and Tanigaito were convincing as young lovers in their pas de deux in the first act; Vėjalis’s solo is happy, upbeat and confident. It’s hats off to Paul Mathews who brought real energy to Hilarion, who is frustrated and hurt by Giselle’s love for Albrecht. Being a taller dancer than Vėjalis, and executing large moves on stage, you could feel Mathews’ Hilarion trying to demonstrate desperately his feelings for Giselle—and one would almost be forgiven for sympathizing with him, if his character hadn’t also brought out a knife at the first sign of feeling he had been jilted.
   We had seen Tanigaito perform the role of Myrtha, queen of the Wilis, in 2016, and it remains a role that has a dominant presence in Act II. Sara Garbowski’s solo at the start of the second act was a skilful and beautiful piece of classical ballet, and there is a beauty to the sight of the veiled Wilis, resplendent in tulle. It’s in this act that the principal roles really shine in this production: Hilarion is consumed by the forces of the Wilis and shows a vulnerable side, while Albrecht dances for his life more passionately than the assured aristocrat of the first act. This is a more touching, emotional act, performed successfully by the principal dancers.
   When you see the minor roles—such as the group of 12 Wilis—you realize that there is plenty of young talent in the company and its future seems assured.
   Special mention must be made once again to Howard C. Jones’s scenic design, and lighting design by Kendall Smith. Natalia Stewart’s costumes remain as exquisite as they did when we first viewed this ballet in 2012. Clytie Campbell, who herself had performed in Giselle in 2012, faithfully staged the revival with Stiefel and Kobborg’s supervision, as neither was able to travel to New Zealand.
   Hamish McKeich faultlessly conducted Adolphe Adam’s music, more than ably performed by Orchestra Wellington, who give the impression of a bigger score.
   After Wellington (May 12–15), Giselle heads to Palmerston North (May 19), Napier (May 22–3), Auckland (May 27–9), Christchurch (June 4–5) and Dunedin (June 9). Hamish McKeich conducts the Adolphe Adam score with Orchestra Wellington, the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in those centres, with the Wellington recording used elsewhere. More details can be found here.—Jack Yan, Founder and Publisher

Stephen A’Court

The Chicago Athenæum’s Good Design Awards have honoured Germany’s Nomos Glashütte six times for its watches, and now the Green Good Design Awards, which focus on sustainably produced products, have highlighted the company once more for its Tangente Update watch in its product design category.
   Its latest incarnation, the Tangente Neomatik 41 Update, features a ring date at the edge of the dial, with two red markers that frame the current date. It is available with both a white and a midnight blue dial.
   It’s those little things that Nomos Glashütte does that build up the sustainable picture. The cooling oil, metal filings and used brass blanks from the production process are returned to the suppliers to be converted back into raw materials. The water used to rinse newly produced parts is purified and returned to the wider supply. The majority of parts are produced on-site and in-house, shortening supply chains and reducing emissions.
   Find out more at nomos-glashuette.com.