Lure of the Azure

Lure of the Azure

The name Rolls Royce has always been synonymous with quality - used on the front line during the First World War, adapted as a war machine for Lawrence of Arabia's desert campaigns in 1939, and the enduring symbol of state and royalty. Launched this month, by Rolls Royce Motor Cars, is the Bentley Azure. The Azure is aimed, for a change, not at cigar puffers but businesswomen in the fast lane. This may remind some of the time when the then 20-year-old Diana Dors acquired one. The Bentley Azure is priced at a tantalising £182,978 before tax, but unless you're dipping into the executive trough, you might prefer the gown (below), from fashion designer Edina Ronay's Autumn/Winter 1995 catwalk show? Ronay, daughter of Hungarian gourmet king, Egon, makes clothing worn by, among others, the Princess of Wales, Madonna and Cher. Her current collection is inspired by the couture houses of the Fifties and the Hollywood vamp of the Thirties - dripping in cinematic gold and silver. And, with a nod perhaps to car trimmings, some suits for daytime are piped with cheeky PVC. Only 118 Rolls Royce Bentley Azures are available this year. Hurry now.