Dunhill dream continues

[ 2008-10-19 ]

"A dream place'' is how Yann Debelle de Mont by described the Home of Alfred Dunhill in Shanghai, which opened last week.

When the Frenchman visited the city two years ago looking for an ideal retail location for the heritage English brand, he was surprised to find disused twin villas on the bustling Huaihai Road M.

Built in the 1920s, the elegant neo-classic mansions had been the residence of a Shanghai comprador and were later adapted to become the "Beijing Cinema.'' The identical buildings are tucked away from the bustling area's busy thoroughfares. The east side building was constructed in 1921, and its twin on the west in 1927, the two sharing an English-style garden.

After two years of meticulous renovation, the distinctive, imposing pair have been reborn as Alfred Dunhill's Shanghai home, as the Vacheron Constantin Mansion, as a membership-only club KEE and as Shanghai's leading contemporary art gallery ShanghART. With such tenants, "796 Huaihai Road'' is destined to become another of Shanghai's luxurious landmarks.

"I want to build it into a one-of-a-kind place in the world, just like the Alfred Dunhill Home in London or in Tokyo,'' says Debelle de Montby, Dunhill's image director. "I like to imagine it as the private place of a crazy Englishman, where he entertains Chinese friends.''

The Travel and Discovery Room is on the ground floor where a high-end range of Alfred Dunhill leather luggage and accessories are for sale. There's also a collection of antiques, such as a work table fashioned from the wing of a 1944 DC-3 aircraft, an Egli Vincent vintage motorcycle, an antique globe and other furnishings sourced by Debelle de Montby and his team in the past two years.

"This is by no means a museum as it might look,'' he says. "It is a crazy world with all these 'toys for boys' by Alfred Dunhill for sale.''
The second floor features a men's wear emporium with a White Shirt Bar and a selection of both formal and casual wear. It also offers a bespoke tailoring service by Savile Row-trained Daniel Williams. In addition, a traditional English barber is taking bookings and the hand-painted ceiling is a must-see.

Linked by sumptuous hallways between the two buildings is the Vacheron Constantin Mansion, the second of its kind. The first was founded more than 100 years ago in Geneva in 1906.

Compared with its neighbor, the 253-year-old Swiss watch manufacturer keeps house in a more traditional way. International director Marc Guten says Vacheron Constantin changed little of the original building during the renovation. It was restored with attention to detail, right down to the original staircase and stained-glass windows. It retains the familiar "smell of the old house'' says Guten, as you can still sense in antique stores around the city.

The ground floor area displays a complete range of Vacheron Constantin timepieces, including antiques and limited edition models which can only be purchased in the Shanghai Mansion.

Four new "Vacheron Constantin Mansion Exclusive" timepieces have been created for the Shanghai store opening. They include two pieces from the brand's classic Patrimony collection, the top class Malte Tonneau Tourbillon, and an enamel timepiece from the Metiers d'Art collection.

The enamel piece is a work inspired by the Shanghai mansion's stained glass window and another geometric watch was inspired by the marble on the Mansion lobby floor, says Guten.

A collector's salon on the second floor offers a "safe service'' to hold customers valuable timepieces, and a Customer Service Center on the same floor is fronted by Alexandre Kerguen, a master watch maker sent by the brand from Geneva to service clients in Shanghai.