Category: Fashion

As southern Europe heats up and lines grow longer at landmarks from Paris to Pompeii, vacationers are turning their gaze to the cooler climes of the north. A recent report by the European Tourism Commission found short-term rentals increased by 37 percent in Norway, 32 percent in Sweden, and 24 percent in Finland. Yes, the cheaper and more satisfying vacay is in the north, and no city is further from the beaten track than Helsinki. It’s the home of the Lonkero, the national drink, and it’s where the word “sauna” comes from, the kind that involves birch branches for whipping.

The easiest and most accommodating way to get there is on Icelandair with direct flights from New York’s JFK and LaGuardia. A quick train ride from the airport arrives at celebrated architect Eliel Saarinen’s historic Art Deco station in the heart of the city. Just across the street is Helsinki University, where the Art Nouveau-style Old and New Student House used to be. It sat adjacent to the former Hotel Seurahuone, one of the city’s most historic lodgings. Today, they form the five-star Helsinki Grand Hansa, part of the prestigious NH Collection of hotels. Newly opened last Spring, it’s one of the Finnish capital’s finest. 

Featuring contemporary Scandinavian design, its 224 guest rooms and suites begin at 230€ ($258), climbing to 5,259€ ($5,480) for the Presidential Suite which, at 1,722-square- feet, sleeps three and includes all the usual amenities as well as a sitting area and spa access. Outside the windows are stunning views of Saarinen’s singular train station, or artist Felix Nylund’s The Three Smiths, a popular modernist sculpture and famous meeting place just off Aleksanterinkatu, a main thoroughfare bustling with shops and streetcars. Hansa Café Bar & Brasserie offers traditional Finnish dishes like the creamy lobster soup for starters, made with tomatoes, vanilla and lobster ravioli. Vegetarians might try the grilled hispi cabbage with caramelized Jerusalem artichoke puree for a main course. But a heartier option is the grilled beef entrecôte with a mushroom purée, Madeira sauce and fries.

Cocktails are upstairs at the Kupoli bar inside the historic dome-shaped tower. Admire the 360-degree view while sipping exotic potables like the national drink, Lonkero, a gin-based concoction that’s traditionally made with grapefruit soda, but go with the flavor of your choosing. If that flavor happens to be plum, then try the Plumhattan, made with a local sour plum cordial, Noilly Prat dry vermouth and Japanese whiskey. Even better is the Apple & Brown Butter Whiskey Sour combining brown butter-washed Bulleit Rye, local Applejack, sour apple juice, honey and a splash of lemon. 

The neighborhood is a fine cross section of traditional and contemporary Finnish architecture like nearby Oodi Library, which embodies both. Built by ALA Architects and opened in 2018, this glass and steel structure features a wooden facade inspired by traditional Scandinavian design. Open to all, it’s the perfect place for a quiet respite from the bustling city.

Down the street is another modern marvel, this one from the 1930s. The Glass Palace, a boxy design by architects Viljo Revell, Heimo Riihimäki and Niilo Kokko, features Bauhaus style embodying the principles of functionalism. Inside are offices, restaurants and a movie theater, Bio Rex, which specializes in arthouse films. Completed in 1971 Finlandia Hall, clad in Carrara marble, was designed by modernist pioneer Alvar Aalto toward the end of his life. A meeting and event venue, its interior was designed under the German principle of the Gesamtkunstwerk—the total work of art. All the materials—furniture, fixtures and flooring—speak the simple and earth-tone language of nature.

If modernism is not your thing, then stop in at Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox church in Northern and Western Europe. Built in the Russian Revival style and consecrated in 1868, Uspenski was made from 700,000 bricks barged in from the Bomarsund Fortress in Åland after it was demolished during the Crimean War. The Kozelshchyna icon of the Mother of God is among the greatest spiritual treasures of the Finnish Orthodox Church. It was brought from Vyborg to Helsinki during World War II, but was stolen in 2010 and found buried in the Finnish city of Turku a year later after the thief revealed its location.

A block from the Grand Hansa Hotel is the Art Museum Ateneum (the National Gallery), whose permanent collection includes works by modern masters like Picasso, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Munch and Modigliani, as well as local names like Eero Järnefelt, Albert Edelfelt and Ellen Thesleff, whose dreamy use of color brings a haunting perspective to her landscapes and portraits.

A short walk will take you through Kaisaniemi Park and across the Pitkäsilta Bridge, dating back to 1651 when it was made of wood. Now made of durable cement, it withstood the country’s civil war of 1918 as well as bombing raids during World War II. 

Stop at Graniittilinna for dinner or a beer like Finns have done since 1884. It’s where none other than Vladimir Lenin, exiled from Russia, met with co-conspirators in the period before Russia’s 1917 Revolution. His regular table is still there and has been dubbed “the revolutionary table,” the perfect setting for traditional Finnish fare—lamb vorschmack with chilled schnapps, or roast arctic char, fried pike-perch, tender elk or sautéed reindeer.

Now that you’ve taken in the sights, smells and flavors of Europe’s northernmost capital, it’s time to get misty. The name of the spa at Grand Hansa is “Usva” which means “mist,” a reference to the ethereal fog that accumulates over Finnish lakes when cold and hot air meet. Massages, facials and aromatherapy are offered, but there’s no point in coming if you don’t enjoy the sauna.

Choose from three types—traditional Finnish, infrared and steam. The steam promotes respiratory wellness, the infrared boosts heart health and reduces blood pressure, and the traditional Finnish sauna offers lower humidity than a steam sauna and promotes perspiration. And when you’re done, break out the whisks—birch branches for whipping. It’s not just kinky fun, it improves circulation, exfoliates the skin and relieves muscle pain. Finland has consistently topped the UN’s World Happiness Report. And now that you’re pink with pain (the good kind) and dizzy from Lonkero, you might have a better idea why.

Chardonnay is grown everywhere. It thrives in Burgundy and commands three-figures in California. The best producers in Champagne play with Chardonnay, as do the vintners of upstate New York. It’s probably no surprise that Chardonnay also grows abundantly in Alto Adige, the mountainous region in the Northern reaches of Italy. The area borders Austria, and the influence is palpable. Schnitzel is a big deal here, mountain goats run wild, and the vineyards climb the slopes of the Alps.

These high-altitude vineyards produce exceptional Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay, alongside grapes native to the region like Schiava (Italy’s answer to Gamay), Lagrein (a serious red grape), and Müller-Thurgau (a mineral, bright wine for Riesling heads). If those sound weird? They’re not. While the grapes are unusual and the region less textbook, the wines offer value and quality in spades. Try the Schiava—it goes great with pizza. And the Pinot Grigio—it’ll make you reconsider the grape’s mom-wine reputation. 

But start with Beyond the Clouds. It’s a Chardonnay-driven wine aged in French oak. It’s dense, sophisticated, full, and flirty, with a subtle freshness that balances out bits of white flower, honey and rose.  Keep it around for a while—it’s a sleeper hit in your cellar. $90

Kate Dingwall is a WSET-trained sommelier and spirits writer. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.

At every turn, Brabus seems to impress, be it an utterly powerful supercar or an astonishingly luxe speedboat. But motorhomes were unfamiliar territory for the company, until now: The Brabus Big Boy 1200 lives up to its name in every way, and then some.

The custom car company knows precisely what they’ve got on their hands: A blacked-out, 40-foot motorhome that reads more “Bruce Wayne” than “Route 66 road trip.” Of the stunning launch, Brabus rightfully says: “It’s big. It’s wide. And it takes you anywhere you want.”

It boasts more than 300 square feet of living space across a sleek, blacked-out interior: If you’re into the looks of the recently launched Brabus Rocket GTS, for instance, this might be the motorhome upgrade for you. Boasting a bedroom and living space, plus a bathroom straight out of a modern luxury hotel, the rig travels just about anywhere thanks to hydraulically extendable supports that level it out on (nearly) any surface. A bed above the cockpit furthers its usability across the country.

A large closet and a 43-inch 4K television are part of the trappings of this next-level motorhome, and it also includes an integrated Playstation 5 system for gaming on the go. The comforts of home are surprisingly well within reach with the Brabus Big Boy 1200’s master bedroom, too. There’s even gray Brabus leather upholstery throughout, not unlike the kind found in its jaw-dropping automobiles.

A wine fridge and coffee machine support a modern, customizable kitchen hub, which can even mimic a dining room with the right furniture arrangement, Brabus notes. To ensure a seamless ride and full operation of the included heating and A/C systems, the Big Boy 1200 is even outfitted with eight solar panels (on the roof) and an on-board energy storage system. Not bad for an RV.

Of the seriously cool Brabus Masterpiece Motorhome, the company noted it was “born out of the idea to create a BRABUS luxury experience that moves with you, that adapts to your personality and that quite literally transforms ‘anywhere’ into ‘home.’” If first looks live up to the hype, they’ve succeeded at that aim (and transformed the RV space in the process). Find more details online (and request pricing) now via Brabus.

Are you writing this down?

Sydney Sweeney is cleaning up with her latest celebrity endorsement as the “Body Wash Genie” for men’s grooming company Dr. Squatch.

The Emmy-nominated Euphoria andThe White Lotus actress is helping launch the company’s new “natural” body wash in a sudsy new campaign. In a series of playful photos and videos, Sweeney showcases the brand’s latest shower-ready formula while also likely working potential customers into a bit of a lather.

“There’s something irresistible about a man who knows how to take care of his skin, and guys who aren’t using Dr. Squatch’s new Natural Body Wash are missing the mark,” Sweeney said in a statement issued by the soap brand, adding that she’s particularly “obsessed with Coconut Castaway” in the Dr. Squatch scent lineup.

Dr. Squatch—best known for organic bar soaps and beard products—adds that it’s channeling Sweeney’s “fun, playful energy” to reach guys who need a better body wash. Priced at $15 a bottle and available online via Dr. Squatch and elsewhere, the body wash could certainly prove popular with Sweeney fans who want to upgrade from their usual drug store body wash.

In other Sweeney news, among the red-hot Anyone But You actress’s upcoming projects include her plans to star in a feature-length movie about the life of boxer Christy Martin, who was America’s most popular female pugilist of the 1990s.

And budding color trend.

Fall decor that doesn’t include pumpkins.

Venture to the cobblestone streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn, and you just might discover some of the oldest whiskey on the East Coast, thanks to the release of Widow Jane‘s Black Opal bourbon.

Deemed “a study of the art of patience,” the latest limited release from the Brooklyn distillery (which falls under the Heaven Hill whiskey umbrella) blends rare bourbons aged for a minimum of 20 years. Widow Jane’s century-old rickhouse, a red-brick staple along the Red Hook waterfront, served as a testing ground for more than 100 individual barrels to sketch out what would become Black Opal.

The end result? A whiskey deemed fit for an even more exclusive finish, one that used prized, exceedingly rare Mizunara casks from Japan. Mizunara wood imparts bold, distinct character, and when used in barrels, becomes covetable: As Widow Jane notes, Mizunara casks can fetch up to $6,000 on the open market. For a distillery that recently used its own proprietary heirloom corn in a summer Baby Jane release, it’s yet another impressive launch on a limited, jealousy-inducing scale.

Widow Jane Head Distiller Sienna Jeremov said the new liquid presented its own set of challenges, but Mizunara finishing gave it further layers of complexity. “The 20-year-old whiskey found in this project is like a hefty tome of an epic tale: At first it is daunting in its immensity but the rich characters and surprising unseen twists pull you in,” she said. “I chose one thread I found alluring and followed it to a whiskey that toys with bourbon’s sweetness, baking spice, and stone fruit.”

Limestone water from Rosendale Mines in upstate New York (always a fitting locale for a fall getaway) furthers the distinct character of this whiskey. As Widow Jane says of this 49.5 percent ABV whiskey and its process, “this mineral-rich, yet sweet water delivers a full, round, lavish mouthfeel and long finish, fitting for a bourbon 20 years in the making.”

With notes of walnut and brown butter, plus ginger snap on the finish and pleasing caramelized notes, Black Opal should prove a rich whiskey that pushes the limits in terms of aging and finishing. Accordingly, only 5,000 bottles are available in select markets, each enclosed in a truly rugged black steel box that calls to mind Widow Jane’s Red Hook roots.

A limited-edition fine art print showcasing Widow Jane arrives with each box, housing a “subtle and elegant” bottle that the distillery says is “crafted to be cherished.” The luxe-yet-rugged packaging should ensure an imbibing experience destined to be remembered — if you can get your hands on a rare bottle of Black Opal, that is.

The result is swoon-worthy.

Introducing ISA.