The stylish man is one who accessorises properly. Clothing offers all kinds of embellishments that, just like the hummus of Meghan Sussex-not-Markle, “elevate” it. They must be viewed as more than a supporting role.
One aspect of life where this can be seen clearly is in our bad habits. We have made a virtue of our more dissolute activities by dressing them up with bits and bobs that we consider vital to the process. It hasn’t been a slow burn — they have always been big business.
Smoking
Setting fire to a rolled stick of tobacco and allowing the smoke to flirt with the palate is doable with a box of matches or a Bic lighter — but that has long been inadequate. If the pleasure is in the taste, the fun is all in the toys. According to Dr Ivan Markovic, the author of An Atmospheric History of Smoking in Modern Britain, ’twas ever thus. As he writes, “as early as the 17th century you get all sorts of pipes, tobacco boxes, smoking apparel. As long as you had smoking, you had accessories to go with it.”
Cigar smoking was only popularised in 1824. The previous year 1,950 cigars were imported into the UK. By the following year the number had increased to more than 1.1 million, and by 1830 it had exceeded 19 million. It was only then that cigar accessories really began to emerge — hitherto all focus had been on the pipe, the main method of tobacco delivery. The shift came about, Markovic says, because of the “habit of the upper middle classes and the gentry, who always come with luxurious items, tobacco boxes, snuff boxes. These items provide a social and cultural function in addition to their utility.”
If you wish to keep cigars well humidified you need a humidor, which is a cedar box at its most rudimentary. The finest maker of humidors is Elie Bleu but securing a new one is very hard, even though they cost about £3,000 a box at entry level. The lacquer used to make them isn’t readily available and there are only a few marquetry experts around who can craft them.
To mark the Year of the Snake, Elie Bleu produced a one-off humidor with jade stones for the eyes and gold for the eyelids, which sold to a lucky buyer before it was even announced as being available for more than £12,000. Davidoff also marked the Year of the Snake by producing a set of 25 humidors, each with 88 cigars inside, worth £48,000. The invention of the Boveda two-way humidification packet in 1997 means that owning a humidor is no longer a high-maintenance commitment, so sales have risen over the past ten years. At the top end, supply does not meet demand.
There are also smaller trinkets that seasoned smokers take pride in, namely lighter cutter and cases. The ne plus ultra for lighters is ST Dupont, founded in 1872 and famous for the “ding” when you open the lid. Most Dupont lighters cost about £1,500, but things get more expensive once they become more creative. A collaboration with Game of Thrones produced a lighter just shy of £5,000. Last year the brand announced an 88-run of palladium lighters in collaboration with Franck Muller, the Swiss watchmaker, who created a watch movement to fit inside the main body. These are priced at about £55,000.
One needn’t search for the new to find high prices. Antiques are very much in demand, especially vintage Dunhill. In 1928 Dunhill started producing table lighters for the well heeled, with the Aquarium lighter becoming the most famous, with Lucite panels creating the illusion of movement on beautiful aquatic motifs. These would ultimately become highly collectible, commanding four-figure prices. The creative director of Dunhill, Simon Holloway, says: “Alfred Dunhill was associated with both the invention of the first one-handed lighter and the first luxury butane gas lighter. The first lighter appeared in a catalogue in 1914.”
Bentley’s on Lower Sloane Street has a spectacular modern Dunhill Aquarium table lighter, recently produced in a limited 22-piece edition to celebrate the maker’s 130th anniversary, valued at £13,500.
The restoration of these kinds of accessories is in adherence to Dunhill’s original mission, which was to furnish a man’s life with all the things he doesn’t need but really wants.
Cutters usually land in the more affordable bracket, with decent ones costing about £100-200. These can veer into the absurd. I was once in the (now closed) Pullman Gallery when a young German customer inquired after some “boar tusk cutters”. The embarrassed shop assistant felt the need to explain that they were Hermann Göring’s cigar cutters and cost several thousand pounds.
Cigar cases vary in price largely because of their materials. You can find crocodile leather and sterling-silver cases at Asprey, for which Churchill had a fondness, for £3,500. Fallon is a fairly new outfit but a favourite because its products can maintain cigar humidity for up to a week. It uses the relatively affordable buffalo leather, costing £550 for a two-stick case. The owner’s experience of working at Hermès guarantees high-quality leather work.
In the matter of other tobacco-burning habits, pipes are still impressive. Regular pipes can cost anything up to £200, but you can find Dunhill ones that reach the multiple thousands. Pipe tobacco is still considered premium and expertly blended in comparison to the now rather unfashionable cigarette.
Of course, there is also smoking-adjacent clothing. In the early 19th century the robe de chambre was meant to be worn over a dinner suit to keep out the smoke. It was accompanied by the smoking hat to keep the smell off one’s hair. These were replaced by velvet jackets — a fabric that would not absorb smoky odours. If you want to be truly old school, the best dressing gowns are from New & Lingwood.
All of the above contribute to the idea of a ritual behind smoking, the ceremony around the activity. It takes time to smoke a cigar or a pipe bowl and, in a time-poor world, this is quite the luxury.
Gambling
Unfortunately, Casino Royale’s famous scene at the poker table is a long way from any casino you’ll find today, which can cut as sad a figure as the local bookies. That being said, there is plenty of glamour still to be derived from gambling. When Slim Aarons shot Carmen Alvarez and “Brandy” Brandstetter in January 1978, playing backgammon while half submerged in a swimming pool in Acapulco, it only added to the perceived sophistication of the pastime. Aarons spent much of his career in swanky spots including Venice, Haiti, the south of France and the Marbella Club as well as Acapulco, capturing similar scenes. At the various gentleman’s clubs in St James’s the backgammon tournaments are something of a marathon. The journalist and author Nicholas Foulkes recalls winning at White’s one year, leaving at 7am and getting home in time to do the school run with a healthy stash of winnings lining his pocket.
You can bring this kind of glamour home with a number of brands. The best is Geoffrey Parker, the ultimate game manufacturer of roulette tables, blackjack cases and mahjong sets. Prices vary depending on whether you get a full table made or just a portable board, but you’re looking at anywhere from £3,000 to £5,000.
Other great makers of backgammon boards are Swaine and Elie Bleu (£4,000-6,000). Then there is Alexandra Llewellyn, whose vivid marquetry produces the best-looking if unconventional backgammon boards, usually north of £3,000.
These are all made by hand, so try to see them as applied arts rather than luxury goods. While none of these products are intended for creating speakeasys at home with high-rolling stakes on the cards, they all have a heritage that stems from Britain’s history as a gambling-mad nation.
Drinking
“There is nothing worse than a wine bore”, proclaims Geordie Willis of Berry Brothers & Rudd. What constitutes a bore is perhaps subjective, but for a non-drinker glassware debates make the grade. I have lately seen many drinkers deciding to have champagne in a burgundy glass, or burgundy in a high ball or a martini in a shot glass. Far be it for me to suggest they are wrong. There are several glass makers ready to meet the expectations of even the most demanding glass snob. Waterford, Lalique, Baccarat and Steuben all have a long history of perfecting their craft, and the price tags reflect this at several hundred pounds for wine glasses. Lalique’s Owl Whisky tumbler is £245, and the Baccarat Harmonie Whisky decanter is £850.
The emergence of new spirits has also made many take a more considered approach to their glassware. While 20 years ago a shot of tequila was seen as something the lads did in Magaluf, today it is in the same league as sherry or armagnac. A red Solo cup just won’t do.
Everything mentioned above is a wonderful encapsulation of the luxury industry as a whole — by and large frivolous. But a world without frivolity and fun is a world that most of us won’t want to sign up to.
