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Fine Tune
FENDI and Devialet come together to create a high-fidelity fashion icon
IT’S BEEN ALMOST TWO YEARS SINCE DEVIALET, THE FRENCH AUDIO
aficionados, launched their seminal “Mania” speaker. It was the first por- table speaker from the hi-fi company and — until now — the most opulent option in the model’s range was the gilded “Opéra de Paris” edition. But a collaboration with FENDI has upped the ante, tripled the price, and swathed the orb-like speaker in the Italian fashion house’s tessellated “Zucca” motif.
The exclusive speaker, which was revealed on the runway at FENDI Men’s Fall/Winter show in Milan earlier this year, delivers 360-degree stereo sound, a maximum of 95 impactful decibels, and spans the entire audio spectrum — from hearty bass to clean-as-a-pin treble. Proprietary acoustic mapping technology developed by Devialet means the speaker will adapt its stereo soundstage to every environment, and its new to- bacco-brown look, trimmed with elegant gold, ensures it’ll look the part wherever it brings the music.
Set it Up
Crafted in collaboration with Italian designer Antonio Citterio, the Flexform Luchino is a high-end take on the classic director’s chair
THE FIRST–EVER FOLDING CHAIRS WERE CREATED NOT AS FINE
furniture, but rather as practical, movable pieces of equipment for camping enthusiasts. But the chair’s innate versatility soon attracted non-camping cus- tomers; teachers, artists, and, eventually, movie directors came to adopt the keen invention. From Hitchcock to Tarantino, filmmakers have been stocking their sets with such chairs ever since, perfect as they are for buying in bulk, knocking around, and packing away after shoots.
The Flexform Luchino chair is none of those things, although it does share the director’s chair’s enduring silhouette and folding functionality. It’s also just as comfortable, lightweight, and easy to transport as those early designs. However, unlike those utilitarian film set styles, this latest iteration of the director’s chair — created in collaboration with Antonio Citterio — is the star of the show.
With its solid, hand-turned wooden construction, the Luchino (ostensibly named for Italian film, theatre, and opera director Luchino Visconti) wholly deserves its place in the spotlight. Whether you opt for teak, ash, ebony or even hardy Canaletto walnut, the gentle sweep of its folding frame seamlessly supports the seat and backrest, both cut from cowhide and offered in shades including grey, olive, sand, and tobacco.
It’s such design details that set this chair apart from its practical prede- cessors and makes it that rarest of things: a remake actually worth your time. actually worth your time.
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(FENDI) FINE TUNE: TEXT BY JONATHAN WELLS. (FLEXFORM) SET IT UP: TEXT BY JONATHAN WELLS. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTIA PARODI.