Black Book: New Bentley Continental GT, Gucci boutique and Aesop fragrances

Plus, Hermes tableware in this week's guide to the finer things in life

The new Bentley Continental GT was recently tested at Dubai Autodrome. Photo: Bentley

Every week, The National's Luxury magazine team puts together Black Book, a cheat sheet of the most interesting and noteworthy arrivals in fashion, watches, jewellery and cars.

Bentley's hybrid power

Bentley’s fourth-generation Continental GT Speed has arrived in the UAE. The most powerful road Bentley to date, it has a hybrid 4-litre, V8 engine capable of reaching 100kph in 3.1 seconds. It fits neatly into a trend of hybrid performance cars, which is making the days of the Toyota Prius as the only one in the game a distant memory.

The top speed of 335kph is thanks to the performance hybrid powertrain, which generates a whopping 771hp and 1000Nm of torque. In electric mode, it has a range of 81km, with CO2 emissions of 29g/km. To announce its arrival, the car was put through its paces at Dubai Autodrome by Bentley owners and guests.

A new vision for Gucci

Gucci has unveiled its revamped boutique in Mall of the Emirates in Dubai. The space has been redesigned in line with the vision of new creative director Sabato De Sarno and is the second one outside of Italy. It is now filled with grey and white marble, making for a clean and understated space, with bold yellow to offset the collections. The walls are covered in works by regional artists, including Emirati creative Sarah AlMehairi; Nasser Almulhim from Saudi Arabia; Sami Hayek, who is Mexican-Lebanese; and Chafa Ghaddar from Lebanon.

Equestrian-inspired tableware at Hermes

Hermes has added to its tableware with a new collection called “Tressages equestres”, inspired by the maison’s connection to horses. Designed by Virginie Jamin, under the direction of Benoit Pierre Emery, creative director of La Table Hermes, the dinner set comprises 27 pieces, each decorated with an element linked to equestrian braids and harnesses. A playful blend of figurative and abstract design, the set also includes 10 new hollowware pieces.

Home fragrances from Aesop

Trendy Aussie high-end skincare brand Aesop has introduced a range of home fragrances of candles, oil burners, room sprays and incense. The Beatrice Oil Burner Blend is warm and earthy with citrus notes to ground yet enliven, while the States of Being Aromatique Room Spray is a trio of scents created to calm and lift the mood. The Aganice Aromatique Candle is inspired by the mimosa, tobacco and cardamon of Tangiers, while the Kagerou Aromatique Incense stick draws on the earthy, wood smoke of vetiver, tinged with fresh green notes and comes with a pumice holder.