Sweater weather
A curated assortment of menswear that celebrates the return to Polo Ralph Lauren’s origins, Polo Originals blends British tailoring blends seamlessly with a rugged style, and refinement shaped by centuries of academic tradition. From Fair Isle Wool Sweaters inspired by the fishermen of the Shetland Islands, to Trench Coats tailored in Italy from British Millerain oilcloth, to iconic silhouettes cut from custom-made Shetland tweed crafted by Abraham Moon & Sons, Polo honours the subtle, the sartorial, the discerning, in a powerful return to distinctive products entrenched in history and imbued with modernity.
Collector’s knives
Italian knifemaker Emmanuel Esposito collaborates with The Hour Glass to produce an exclusive set of collectible folding knives called The Elemental Project. Exquisitely crafted by hand — mixing materials like titanium, gold and mother of pearl — the exceptional care and finesse in craftsmanship manifest in the immaculate details in engineering and finishing. A unique patented folding mechanism, the Double C-Lock, ensures the blade run with maximum precision and smoothness, that can be locked in open or closed positions. Available in three designs, each Elemental knife ($34,400) is presented in a custom display box made of solid wood coated with more than 30 layers of lacquer. Discover them at Malmaison by The Hour Glass.
See also: Defying traditions
Musical tribute
German luxury penmaker Montblanc pays tribute to rock legend, Jimi Hendrix, with a limited collection of three fountain pens bearing elements of his storied career. Our favourite is the Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix LE99, which refers to the 30th anniversary of Woodstock in 1999, when Hendrix’s posthumous album Live at Woodstock was released.
Cream-coloured lacquer is used on the cap to mirror the look of his favourite Fender Stratocaster guitar, while an engraved Au 750 solid white gold plaque is etched with the names of the songs from his Woodstock set. The tremolo bar that Hendrix used so expressively to create his soul-stirring sound encouraged the shape of the palladium-coated clip. His portrait is engraved on the handcrafted Au 750 solid bi-colour gold nib, while the Au 750 solid white gold forepart is engraved with his signature alongside the same geometric pattern that decorated Hendrix’s guitar strap at Woodstock. The pen comes together with a calf leather notebook and violet-coloured ink recalling his timeless hit, Purple Haze.
See also: Testing QA Urban luxury
World’s lightest laptop
The Acer Swift Edge (SFA16-41) supports the work demands of on-the-go professionals combining performance and durability in a sleek 16-inch lightweight laptop. Weighing only 1.17 kg and measuring 12.95 mm in height, it sports an ultra-slim magnesium-aluminium chassis, making it significantly more portable and durable.
Supposedly the world’s lightest 16-inch 4K OLED laptop, the Swift Edge laptop is powered by AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850U and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 6650U. Built-in Windows 11 Pro is integrated with security processor Microsoft Pluton, which features biometric authentication to help safeguard sensitive user data.
On this, you’ll be able to enjoy cinema-grade visuals on a 4K OLED display with 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut support and 500 nits peak brightness. The laptop also features a narrow bezel with a 92% screen-to body-ratio.
Commute in style
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For the urban man on-the-go, Berluti has created a new, functional backpack for everyday wear inspired by its iconic Jour line. Called Working Day, the bag is made of patinated Venezia leather worked into a minimal yet essential design. Sufficiently-sized to carry a laptop with padded compartments, the spacious bag offers plenty of zippered pockets to carry everything from mobile phones to passports. Working Day comes in two shades — Nero Grigio and Cacao Intenso — engraved with its signature Scritto Swipe motif.
Retro music player
British-owned Ruark Audio unveils the latest version of its award-winning R2 music system, the R2 Mk4 ($799) — a complete music system to suit the music needs of every generation and occasion. Known for its class-leading sound quality, this model has a 20% smaller footprint (compared to the previous model), as well as a retro Scandinavian-inspired slatted wooden grille design to add a luxurious touch to homes.
Aside from being able to support major streaming services via Bluetooth 5.0, the R2 Mk4 gives users an extensive selection of ways to connect the music system between devices, such as a USB-C port for playback from a flash drive, an auxiliary line input, and a headphone output. The USB-C port can also be used for charging devices.
To top it off, the colour LCD screen displays time, alarm, and programme information, including station and album artwork, and automatically adjusts the brightness to suit ambient light levels.
