And in the blink of a sartorial eye, Pitti Uomo 90 finished up on Friday. But not before another full day of formidable style.

Classic footwear – front-fringed leather loafers – came updated bright blue or in timeless; intercepted by white trousers, the pant palette of the week, and then topped with an electric blue double-breasted blazer or a more demure khaki.

Bags, were also bold: the leather messenger stamped in blue-grey camouflage, giving life to a normal blue suit. Still blue, Day four went smart casual too; a Breton stripe tee teamed with a cream jacket and washed out jeans.

The post Streets Of Florence: Pitti Uomo 90 – Street Style – Day 4 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s neither sorcery nor something out of the Bible. Bulgarian-born artist Christo is giving anyone the opportunity to walk on water with his latest project, The Floating Pier.

For 16 days, a saffron-coloured walkway will connect two small islands in a lake in Northern Italy to the mainland. The path stretches three kilometers, or nearly two miles, across Lake Iseo in Lombardy. It’s made of nylon fabric, reports The New York Times, and is designed to change colour according to the time of the day and the weather.

Christo first envisaged a floating piers project 46 years ago, finally bringing it to life now after 22 months in development. The project faced countless challenges. The walkway needed to both gently undulate and remain securely affixed to the uneven lake bottom, a dilemma that took an army of engineers, construction companies, French deep-sea divers, and even a team of Bulgarian athletes to solve.

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Got grape expectations? A wine vacation promises more than top-notch vino. These breathtaking Airbnb vineyards also offer colourful landscapes, charming architecture, regional cuisine, and bountiful relaxation.

If you’re not the tours and tastings type, an Airbnb escape on a vineyard is the perfect way to enjoy wine on your own terms. Try a quaint cabin in Oregon. Or a room in a stately French château. Or go for broke and rent a 12th-century priory turned 6-bedroom dream home. Classic wine regions like Burgundy and Tuscany are represented here, as well as more under-the-radar spots.

The post 9 Spectacular Vineyard Escapes You Can Rent On Airbnb appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Vacheron Constantin is a watchmaker which understands the importance of time and place. Having just had three days in Tokyo with the brand we were lucky enough to have some time with world renown photographer, Steve McCurry.

Every single part of the world has its own hidden treasures and cultures to be discovered and immersed in. It’s an experience that only happens in a man’s life once every so often but for legendary photographer Steve McCurry, this is his life’s work.

It was only fitting then that Vacheron Constantin, a luxury Swiss watch maker steeped in the spirit of travel since its inception in 1755, would eventually call upon McCurry’s talent to illustrate their newest Overseas collection through his unique lens.

The collaborative project designed to showcase the beauty of the watches and their respective locations came down to twelve global countries with each representing a truly unique backdrop for the Overseas timepieces.

Only the first six locations of McCurry’s travels have been unveiled thus far and its a stunning vision of the world we live in. McCurry had much to say about the first six locations which includes Mexico, India, New York, China, Japan and the birthplace of Vacheron, Geneva.

Speaking of the Mexico project, McCurry explained the importance of the Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque location.

“You fully grasp the visual strength of this aqueduct when you realise that it was built over 500 years ago with absolutely perfect symmetry,” explains McCurry. “I see it as a work with a poetic structure, placed right in the middle of nowhere.”

Similarly for locations like Japan, McCurry shared his greatest appreciation for one of the stops on the Vacheron Constantin map.

“This was one of the most inspirational locations on my photographic journey,” he says. When we arrived there, it had been snowing for three days. Everything was shrouded in a mantle of white, as if in a dream. It was truly fascinating to witness this magical contrast between the coldness of the snow and the warmth of the baths.”

This life changing journey also brought McCurry to places such Leshan’s Giant Buddha in China, the Chand Baori Stepwell in India and New York’s iconic Grand Central Terminal.

Given the quality of the first six locations, the expectations will no doubt be high for the next series which will complete McCurry’s year-long project of globe-trotting the Maison.

More importantly, this lineage between location and timepiece will continued to be emphasised in all of its glory through the spirit that has been driving the production of Vacheron timepieces for 260 years.

Rigorous discipline, patience, creativity, movement, transmission and openness to the world will once again be explored through the masterful lens of McCurry with the eternal drive of Vacheron Constantin.

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The following article has been sponsored by Alfa Romeo

1,000 miles. 1,600 kilometres. 450 automobiles pre-dating 1957. Called the world’s most beautiful race by Enzo Ferrari. These are the evocative words that only one event called Mille Miglia can spruik.

Not that the timeless gathering ever needed to be sold since it’s been a global phenomenon for petrol heads ever since its inception in 1927.

What makes Mille Miglia truly special is a combination of heritage components from the dazzling array of classic cars, to its well-heeled and celebrity participants, to the weekend of frivolous celebration. All of this makes for a racing event that every man needs to check off their bucket list. Welcome to the journey of a thousand miles.

An Illustrious History

Mille Miglia takes place in the Northern Italian town of Brescia and runs through to Rome before rounding back out to Brescia for the extravagant winner’s celebrations.

The motive for such an audacious race came about for one reason: Its creators wanted to make Brescia the centre of motorsports again after a lengthy absence of racing from the region.

The event itself was dreamt up by four young men called Aymo Maggi, Franco Mazzotti, Giovanni Canestrini, and Renzo Castagneto who all shared this very same desire.

Deemed the “Four Musketeers”, Maggi, Mazzotti and Canestrini were considered the quartet’s three “daredevils” who often garnered much fame from racing cars, boats and motorcycles.

“The dangerous event often attracted some of the region’s most talented entrepreneurs willing to risk life and machine to prove their engineering ingenuity.”

Winning was also part of their repertoire which was tacked onto the back of an unyielding adventurous streak that would eventually form the backbone of the event.

As a loosely regulated product of 1920s, the dangerous event often attracted some of the region’s most talented entrepreneurs willing to risk their lives and machines to prove their engineering ingenuity.

By 1926 the popularity of the event had grown to a point that Canestrini decided to hatch plans for a new race that was much bigger and one that would also encourage Italian manufacturers to come back into the fold of international racing.

The “Four Musketeers” laid out a map of Italy and drew a 1,000 mile course which they would eventually be deemed Coppa delle Mille Miglia, or the Mille Miglia Cup, by Franco Mazzotti. It was here that the gruelling race across the Italian landscape was born.

The Journey

A big part of the Mille Miglia spectacle is the 1,000 mile journey across some of the country’s most picturesque landscapes in some of the world’s most beautiful machines.

The first official Mille Miglia event took just four months to plan and became a daunting test for both   the car and its driver. With a race duration of ten hours, the unforgiving roadside dangers and the minimal stops along the way helped Mille Miglia become a unique event which would eventually draw in larger crowds and participants every year.

By 1957 the spectacle aspect of the event had arrived. Hundreds of thousands of people would venture across Italy and Europe to be closer to the iconic cars and soon enough even the municipalities along the racing route wanted the cars to pass through their main square so that crowds could get a closer look.

The blacktop course can be summed up as a combination of urban cityscapes paired with undulating country roads, high speed corners, tight hairpins and cliffside stretches.

In a bid to make the modern Mille Miglia more spectator friendly and a safer run for the participants, the course today receives revised speeds (which is also about preserving the priceless machines) and extra checkpoints throughout the run. It’s still a race albeit a controlled one which lends itself to the legions of fans, flag wavers and vintage car fanatics.

“In 2016 Mille Miglia saw a provisional entry list of 446 cars which ranged from pre-war cars right through to post-war cars built between 1927 to 1957.”

The course meanwhile kicks off in Brescia in a loop that heads out to Rimini on the coast before heading down to Rome and then rolling through Firenze, Bologna, Parma and finally concluding back in Brescia.

A Celebration Of The Classics

The beauty of Mille Miglia resides in the lengthy procession of some of Europe’s finest cars hailing from a bygone era. The priceless selection pool is far from a random turn up of garage queens and more so an intricate screening process which essentially boils down to an invite-only affair.

For starters, only the cars hand-picked from the models which participated in the very first race can run in Mille Miglia. Given this very stringent and fundamental rule, it surprising to see that it hasn’t deterred the legions of international teams from attending this event.

In 2016 Mille Miglia saw a provisional entry list of 446 cars which ranged from pre-war cars right through to post-war cars built between 1927 to 1957. Esteemed makers with heritage car credentials such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Jaguar, Fiat, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Bugatti, Cisitalia, Healey, Dagrada, Bristol, Lancia, Zagato and Invicta were all in attendance.

Unlike the Concours d’Elegance, Mille Miglia require their cars to be capable of running the 1,000 mile race. That means requisites like matching engine and chassis numbers to the car’s entry ID card, ensuring the cars are wearing safe road-legal tyres and have working headlights and horns.

Basically the car needs to be “as new” from the factory. A feat easier said than done for cars over half a century old.

Authenticity is also a big thing at Mille Miglia. That means no modern roll cages or added safety features unless the car came with it from the factory floor – you roll just as the racers of yesteryear did around an entire country.

The Winners

The four founding “Musketeers” knew from an early stage that cars were just one part of the exciting formula that makes up Mille Miglia.

A major drawcard of the event comes with the resounding image of prestige, adventure and historic technology that is projected to the masses.

At the 2016 Millie Miglia, Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo reinforced its staunch reputation as the most successful manufacturer in the race’s history. Not content with winning the race, it also slotted in two more cars within the top five finishers.

The winning steed was an immaculate 1931 Alfa Romeo 6C 1750 GS Zagato worth millions whilst following closely behind it was a 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500 Gran Sport in third. The 6C 1750 Gran Sport Zagato rounded things out nicely in fifth.

This was no small feat for Alfa Romeo given all three cars had to contend with over 400 other vehicles, pass through 230 Italian towns over four days and look darned good whilst doing it.

As the prestigious event rolled out of town for another year, one can barely fathom what this evolving gathering of car lovers will mean to the future of classic motoring.

Perhaps Mille Miglia would be best summed up by the frank words of 1950 and 1953 winner Giannino Marzotto who said:

“Defining this race is difficult. We can define it as a mixture of technology, competition, prestige and popularity – all dictated by passion which seems like an obsession.”

Passion dictated by obsession. We can definitely relate to that. 

To register for more information about the all-new Alfa Romeo Giulia click here.

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The covers have officially been pulled off the latest Aston Martin DB11 in Australia.

The shiny new GT from the British luxury outfit continues the fine tradition of the illustrious DB bloodline and comes hot on the heels of the car’s official unveiling at the 2016 Geneva Auto Show.

In Sydney alone, eleven DB11 vehicles have already been spoken for, which affirms the overall appeal of the striking new design and future aesthetic direction that the brand is embarking on. Keen punters will notice subtle design cues borrowed directly from the DB10 concept as featured in James Bond’s SPECTRE. The rest of the DB11’s aggressive lines is a result of the maker’s ‘Second Century’ plan – a program devised to herald in the next generation of Aston Martin vehicles in which the DB11 is the first to roll out of.

The brand has also assured local buyers that the car is fully tested for Australian conditions with preliminary trials having already taken place in North Queensland before its launch.

On the technical front, trick aerodynamics have been integrated into the car’s bodywork to maintain a sleek form without compromising on high-speed function and grip. This is most noticeable in the rear trunk vent which has an integrated spoiler to manage air flow without ugly protruding bits.

Under the racecar-style front pivoting bonnet resides Aston Martin’s brand new 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 designed and built in house to develop a very respectable 600hp and 700Nm of torque. This gets four-seater GT to 100km/h in 3.9s before seeing a top speed of 322km/h.

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Just when you thought Pornhub was done with their far out marketing ploys and charitable endeavours, they’re back with a new feature: porn for the visually impaired thanks to a new ‘Described Video’ category.

Yes, that’s right. The ‘Described Video’ category on Pornhub draws from the website’s top performing videos and culls 50 of the site’s most-viewed straight, female-friendly, gay, bi and trans videos and with enhanced audio, literally describes the video.

For those watching who are visually impaired things like the setting, clothing and positions are verbally described by professional voice actors and Pornhub Aria, the site’s social media personality.

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White felt right – again, Day 3 of the Florentine men’s style affair that is, Pitti Uomo. Following on from yesterday’s display – awash with the white trouser, and royal reds and blue, the sartorialists paraded the pure shade, pairing the crisp and clean with rustic, heritage jackets, some richly woven in navy and orange like a tapestry.

Another trend to emerge was neon – tangerine jackets paired with light trousers or worn as fluro two-piece suit, the styling exceptional – quietening the noise with tan loafers and matching leather folio. And a white fedora (this is Pitti, hey).

The post Streets Of Florence: Pitti Uomo 90 – Street Style – Day 3 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Most car companies don’t project more than fifty years ahead when it comes to planning their line-up of vehicles but Rolls-Royce is not your usual carmaker. The luxury British marque which this year sees its 110th anniversary has projected a vision for the next century with the wild 103EX concept as part of its parent company’s (BMW) Vision Next 100 program.

The result is a concoction of a car which boldly blends future aesthetic trends like a gull-winged body featuring a heavily sculpted underbody and enclosed wheels. And let’s not forget the legendary Spirit of Ecstasy icon which makes the 103EX a fine balancing act between the extreme and the vintage.

The design itself borrows from the Phantom Extended Wheelbase’s 5.7-metre long and 1.5-metre high dimensions before taking to a grinder to create the dramatic curves presented. Futuristic appointments of the car have been specified as laser headlights and tail lights, a swooping glass canopy which begins at the bonnet and extends all the way to the rear carbon boot and a lavish minimalist interior clean enough to eat dinner off. That canopy is also designed to open up as a passenger enters or alights from the vehicle. There’s even a virtual red carpet which lights up the path with red where the door meets the ground ahead.

Inside the car lashings of Macassar wood panelling plays nice with soft white LED lighting and a huge central OLED screen which sits nicely in front of a floating sofa. Feet are seldom neglected too with the cabin carpet being hand-woven deep-pile ivory wool. But something else is missing.

Further spruiking the future design is the car’s fully autonomous operation which does away with any trace of a steering wheel. Rolls-Royce believe that by then, autonomous cars will be in full swing hence the omission of such vital components. Driving the luxury car is a purported system which is emission free and silent.

“With the Rolls-Royce VISION NEXT 100 we were mindful not to dwell on the past. We wanted to be as innovative as possible and at the same time transcend the design history of the marque,” said design director Giles Taylor.

To see if the car ever makes it into production, those keen will have to make it to the year 2100. Start saving now.

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