One of the laziest things a writer can do is kick off a story with a dictionary definition — you know, “Just what is laziness? The Oxford English Dictionary defines ‘lazy’ as:Characterised by lack of effort or activity; showing a lack of care…” Doubtless you’ve seen this sort of thing before.
That said, at The Rake, this month’s theme is Sex & Sybaritism — and while you’re doubtless familiar with the former (if not, Google it), the latter is an uncommon word that really could do with a bit of fleshing out. It means “fond of sensuous luxury or pleasure; self-indulgent,” with synonyms including: “luxurious, extravagant, pampered, lavish, self-indulgent, pleasure-seeking, sensual, voluptuous, hedonistic, decadent, unrestrained.” Which all seems a rather perfect description for the new Rolls-Royce Dawn — sybaritism on wheels.
The successor to the beautiful Phantom Drophead Coupe, the Dawn, says Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Muller-Olvos, has been designed “to be the most social of super-luxury motor cars for those who wish to bathe in the sunlight of the world’s most exclusive social hotspots.” Taking aesthetic cues from old-school wooden motorboats of the Riva ilk, Dawn is a dry-land gin palace, “a Rolls-Royce that feels completely at home on the Route Napoleon,” says design director Giles Taylor, “a contemporary homage to a life on the Cote d’Azur… cavalier in character, it is intended to attract people who relish both freedom and sophistication.” So far, so sybaritic.
