Table of contents for Issue 17 in Winning Magazine

Trading the roar and buzz of the big city for the natural sounds and serenity of the rainforest, I recently embarked on a road trip through the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland, driving the Swedish carmaker Polestar’s new all-electric SUV, the Polestar 3. It was part testdrive, part luxury escape. Holiday mode was very much engaged during the 80-kilometre drive north from Cairns airport to the Daintree, as the car’s smooth steering, first-rate handling and ultra-quiet cabin — courtesy of the electric motor and active road noise cancellation — allowed me to fully enjoy the journey, from the pristine shoreline at Yule Point to the lush treescapes of Mossman Gorge. I entered the day’s final destination into the car’s 38-centimetre, Google-enabled display: Silky Oaks Lodge, a luxury rainforest retreat…

Beyond aesthetics and status, the best health and fitness innovations make optimal living feel effortless. Whether it’s a wristband that decodes biometrics or a sauna that helps boost recovery, investing in the right piece of wellness tech might just be the smartest luxury-shopping decision of all. Here are our ultimate product picks, from cult favourites to emerging wellness icons. 1. EIGHT SLEEP About 60 per cent of us have problems sleeping, yet adequate shut-eye (both REM and non-REM) is crucial to short and long-term wellness. Recognised as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies and twice named in Time’s “Best Inventions of the Year”, Eight Sleep is a top-of-the-line sleep solution that combines technology, physiology and data for better rest. Its Pod 5 technology, released in May, transforms your bed…

Adam Aleksic has been thinking about seggs. Not sex, but seggs — a substitute term that took off a few years ago among those trying to dodge content-moderation restrictions on TikTok. Influencers shared stories from their “seggs lives” and spoke about the importance of “seggs education”. Lots of similarly inventive workarounds have emerged to discuss sensitive or suggestive topics online. This phenomenon is called algospeak, and it has yielded terms like “cornucopia” for homophobia and “unalive”, a euphemism for suicide that has made its way into middle schoolers’ offline vocabulary. These words roll off the tongue for Aleksic, a 24-year-old linguist and content creator who posts as Etymology Nerd on social media. Others may find them slightly bewildering. But, as he argues in a new book, “Algospeak: How Social Media…

THERE’S WATER FROM a stream and, for the more urbane, water from the tap. And then there’s Zip HydroTap. Unlike regular taps, it delivers a choice of instant filtered boiling water, chilled water or sparkling water at the touch of a button. And with the HydroTap All-InOne models also releasing both hot and cold water for washing up, it exemplifies the adage “form follows function”. The Zip HydroTap is also efficient in terms of space, eliminating the need for two taps in favour of a single elegant spout over the kitchen sink. The tap’s highly developed MicroPurity 8-in-1 filtration system reduces the most harmful contaminants found in drinking water, including PFAS and microplastics. Another feature that has made the Zip HydroTap a leader in the field is its unique pull-out…

Back in late 2018, a lifetime ago in fashion, a radical shift happened in footwear. Square-toed clunkers — sandals defined by exaggerated, spatula-like soles that jutted out from under the foot and pumps with bulbous stubbed toes — were shown in Daniel Lee’s first collection for Bottega Veneta. At first sight, the shoes were hideous. Within months, they were on the feet of nearly every celebrity, editor, influencer and luxury VIC in the land. Retailers like Vince Camuto and Shein promptly issued dupes of the popular Lido sandal, a simple slide in a blown-up interpretation of Bottega’s signature intrecciato woven leather. Lyst declared them the “hottest shoes in the world” in 2019. “It’s funny what you can make people wear in fashion if it’s done the right way,” says Nina…

Swiss watchmaker Vacheron Constantin isn’t due to celebrate the official 30th birthday of a key model range, the Overseas, until 2026; instead, it has tapped into the company’s 270th anniversary this year to add two variants to the family — both in precious metal, both bearing a perpetual calendar. Inspired by, yet separate from, the “222” design unveiled by Vacheron during the 1970s-era infancy of the luxury sports watch, the first Overseas model appeared in 1996. Its Italian designer, Dino Modolo, envisaged an even more muscular sportif evocation of the 222: evident in the design of the bracelet and bezel, both of which pay tribute to Vacheron’s distinctive Maltese Cross logo. Considered iconic by enthusiasts who came of age in the ’90s and early 2000s, the Overseas has also platformed…

Each year, the Australian Institute of Architects presents its highly sought-after national awards, ensuring a fierce contest between topshelf projects for the industry’s highest recognition. Shortlists for the National Architecture Awards in November are compiled from winners of state competitions, with nominees drawn from a spectrum of projects including residential homes and apartment buildings, art galleries, schools and commercial construction. Three recently completed projects provide a snapshot of the quality of national award nominees, each not just a demonstration of their designers’ inspiration and skill, but also a contender to be Australia’s finest, and even considered an icon of the future. HEDGE AND ARBOUR HOUSE STUDIO BRIGHT The recipient of the prestigious Harold Desbrowe Annear Award for Residential Architecture at the Victorian Architecture Awards, Studio Bright’s Hedge and Arbour House…

The word “icon” gets bandied about a lot in the modern lexicon; even a new and untested design may easily be proclaimed an “icon of the future”. Yet for all this rampant iconography, the adjective rarely lands upon a truly worthy object. The first and truest measure of iconic status is time — 25 years at least, believes Andrew Shapiro, the director of Shapiro Auctioneers in Sydney. A genuinely iconic design will continue to be revered for decades after its first appearance. “When furniture is truly iconic, such as the Eames Armchair and Ottoman, it remains in production and continues to hold this title,” Shapiro says. Indisputably worthy of icon status, here are a handful of marvels of modern furniture design. EAMES LOUNGE CHAIR & OTTOMAN Charles & Ray Eames’s…

Flying business class might be nice, but some of the best travel experiences I’ve had were road trips. From Dad driving the family around Mount Panorama in the old Holden Commodore station wagon to spirited high-speed sessions on Germany’s legendary autobahns, there’s just something indescribably freeing about ditching the traffic of the big smoke for roads that make you feel something. The world’s most iconic driving roads have three things in common: they provide a driving experience that’s technical and challenging, but not so lairy that your passengers won’t enjoy themselves; they’re fun even at legal speeds (although improved dramatically by tackling them in something fast); and the scenery along the way is achingly beautiful. Here’s a few of the world’s finest pieces of pavement that tick all those boxes.…

When Cathay Pacific introduced its original “Cirrus” seat back in 2010, it’s no exaggeration to say it was a game changer for the ever-competitive world of business class travel. One of the first premium cabin concepts to boast direct aisle access and a lie-flat design, its rock-solid reputation became so definitive that Cathay chose to keep it in service — albeit with the occasional facelift and technological adjustment — up until last year. The ensuing dilemma was a challenging one: how do you harness a category-defining legacy, all while leapfrogging the airline’s business class forward an entire decade? Fortunately, with the Aria Suite, the Asian carrier has stuck the landing. The Cirrus’s melodically named next-gen successor is outfitted with privacy doors, dynamic lighting and what is currently shaping up to…

“The past always weighs heavy on me,” Bruce Springsteen said on a recent afternoon, sitting in the anteroom attached to Thrill Hill, his home studio in Colts Neck, New Jersey, where he can make music at any time. “Our pasts have a lot to do with shaping who we are now and the things we’re pursuing. So that is a theme that constantly recurs to me, and I’m always rewriting it, trying to get it right.” The previous Friday, Springsteen had unveiled a huge, almost entirely unknown trove of songs from his past on “Tracks II: The Lost Albums”. They reveal musical paths — mostly pensive, occasionally rowdy — that he briefly explored but chose to set aside. Unlike his 1998 collection “Tracks”, a set of demos, alternate versions and…

Watchmakers like to take things slow, with many of the bestselling designs of leading Swiss watchmakers clocking up 40 years’ service, or even more. You might say these timekeepers are the embodiment of timeless style. Yet even if a favourite model happens to have been born before you were, that doesn’t mean its maker isn’t keen to attract new generations of aficionados. Here are three examples of revered timepieces that still look as fresh as a daisy in 2025, courtesy of a modernday stylistic update. CHANEL CHAMELEON One of the most quietly influential icons of contemporary watchmaking comes from a surprising source: the renowned fashion house of Chanel. Any notion that little black dresses, tweedy two-pieces and luxurious fragrances are higher in the pecking order than fine watches certainly hasn’t…

There’s nothing more emblematic of Hollywood history and the magic of movies than Dorothy’s ruby slippers, a pair of heels covered in sparkling sequins worn by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz”. Although Garland wore multiple pairs, the originals were owned by a Los Angeles-based collector and acting coach who had bought them from a Hollywood costume designer in 1970. While the slippers were on loan to Minnesota’s Judy Garland Museum in 2005, they were stolen in a smash-and-grab, whereupon they vanished for 13 years, eluding police and the FBI until they turned up in the possession of two elderly and unremarkable criminals. Their rightful owner put them up for auction last year, when, after a brutal 15-minute bidding war, they sold for an astonishing $US28…

TO BE SEEN or not to be seen are two options with Sub-Zero refrigerators and freezers. Offering cutting-edge technology, either option can be sleekly integrated into any kitchen, from French- to single-door models. Either making a statement or hidden from view as desired, the Sub-Zero fridge is the natural choice for those with a discerning eye as well as food aficionados. The Classic Series has become a design icon with its distinctive grille and sleek hinges. The fridge’s hand-wrapped stainless-steel doors beautifully complement the high-end finishes found in the best contemporary kitchens. The Designer Series, in contrast, visually dissolves into a designed kitchen space, appearing seamless and indistinguishable from the joinery. Only when a cupboard door is opened is the Sub-Zero revealed. Irrespective of the options, SubZero has cemented its…

Porsche is, on the one hand, a brand that defines itself by a strict adherence to design codes. After all, the Porsche 911 — inarguably one of the world’s most iconic sports cars — has barely changed its essential form for the past 60 years. Yet also, the storied German marque has always been one of the motoring world’s quiet innovators, with an uncanny knack for being ahead of automotive trends well before they’ve been fashionable. No car exemplifies this better than Porsche’s new 911 Carrera GTS T-Hybrid, the first hybridelectric version of the 911 model line to go into full-scale production. Let’s start with some numbers. Part of the second phase of the 992 generation of the 911 — which is the eighth generation in the model’s 62-year history…