Monthly Archives: March 2009

Around-the-World Adventure by Luxury Private Jet

Safari Air, the green luxury private jet charter service, announced today that it is set to take flight on October 15th with the world’s first 21-day “Around the World Grand East Africa Safari.”

The thrilling 25,450-mile adventure includes the Great Pyramids of Giza, Hong Kong Harbor, Taj Mahal and safaris in Tanzania and Kenya.

Designed exclusively for eight passengers aboard a luxurious Gulfstream IV private jet, this once-in-a-lifetime adventure will depart from Orange County, California’s John Wayne Airport.

Continue reading →

Mel b’s house on sale

Melanie Brown, the artist formerly known as “Scary Spice” or “Mel B”, a key member of the planet’s most successful all-girl band, Spice Girls, is selling her Los Angeles house with an asking price of $2,999,999.

Located on Mount Olympus Drive, Los Angeles, the residence measures 3,476 square feet and includes 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.

Continue reading →

Own a Piece of Maui For $9.99

For decades people in search of an out-of-the-ordinary gift have been naming stars for each other, with the inclusion of a map of the sky showing exactly which star belongs to them.

Now OwnMaui.com is giving you the chance to own your piece of paradise.

Menehune Land Sales LLC is selling one square foot of land on the island of Maui in Hawaii for $9.99 each. The 83,635 square feet of land are available along the coast of Hana.


Continue reading →

Experience Zense in Bangkok

Chic new restaurant ZENSE Gourmet Deck & Lounge Panorama has opened in Bangkok, featuring a giant outdoor terrace overlooking downtown Bangkok and an army of chefs serving four international cuisines from major name restaurants in the city.

Developed by Central Retail Corporation, the 130-million baht ($3.6 million) concept is the flagship first phase of four levels of rooftop restaurants and bars atop Bangkok’s leading lifestyle mall, Zen World.

The entire project is called Destiny, inspired by the four elements of earth, water, air and fire.
Continue reading →

Peacock feather wedding dress displayed

Peacock feather wedding dress

A model recently presented a wedding dress decorated with peacock feathers at the wedding expo held in Nanjing, China.

The unique dress took eight handicraftsmen two months to finish!

The peacock wedding dress made of brocade is decorated with 2009 peacock tail feathers and 60 Hetian jades, and cost 10 million yuan (US$1.4 million), according to the expo organizer.
Continue reading →

The Antibes Yacht Show

For the third consecutive year, the Antibes Yacht Show heralds the opening of the Mediterranean yachting season with this landmark event held in Europe’s largest yacht harbour.

Having already doubled its capacity last year, the 2009 event innovates again with new facilities and services, and additional show space with more in-water spots and exhibition stands representing the French and international yachting industry.

Situated in the heart of the historic Port Vauban, this idyllic setting within the ramparts, offers the ideal area.


Continue reading →

Insecta Concept Draws Inspiration From Grasshoppers

The Insecta Concept – or Concept 蜢 (pronounce: Meng, meaning grasshopper in Chinese) was created by Shao Yung Yeh, a taiwanese student.

The goal of the project was to create a futuristic personal mobility vehicle, with a unique construction and design language.

As Shao Yung Yeh explains, “Taking inspirations from nature, the exterior expresses the characteristics of friendly insects, such as grasshoppers – agile, lightweight and green.”


Continue reading →

Harry Winston Opus 9

The Harry Winston Opus Series, initially introduced in 2001 and based on the successful collaboration with most gifted independent watchmakers, has been joined by a new innovative masterpiece – Opus 9.

In Opus 9, diamonds are not merely a decorative element, but the functional element of time telling. Teamed up for the 9th Opi is master watchmaker Jean-Marc Wiederecht and haute designer Eric Giroud.

Replacing the traditional watch hands and cyclical dial, time is displayed by two parallel diamond chains, for hours and minutes.
Continue reading →

Diadema Wine & Champagne with Swarovski crystals

Diadema Wine & Champagne is a sensory experience like no other.

Diadema Wine & Champagne, a brand of Fattoria Villa L’Olmo, a Tuscan winery reflecting centuries of traditions, has its headquarters in Impruneta, Tuscany.

At Diadema, uncompromising quality is the topmost objective, and systemic, professional direction is exercised over every step in the production process, from winemaking through to packaging.
Continue reading →

Francesca Furzi’s jewels

Francesca Furzi is a designer who lives in Turin and her first collection is the consequence of the road she has taken in life, her studies and the experiences that characterize her personal style.

She was born in a place where they maintain a strong connection with ancient artefacts and traditional work and craftsmanship: Tuscany.

The first collection of Francesca Furzi seeks the eternity of beauty, a search that is handed down by the antiquity, crossing the roads of the most ancient civilizations because the jewel has reached us from distant epochs.
Continue reading →

Chateau Lafite Heads To China

One of the great names in wine-making, Domaines Barons de Rothschild, said Sunday it plans to develop a vineyard in China to take advantage of growing interest in wine here.

Chateau Lafite has a very high reputation on China and has partnered with CITIC, China’s largest state-owned investment company on 62 acres of vines on a peninsula in eastern China’s Shandong province.

“I am very pleased to develop a vineyard in a country where the interest in fine wines is increasing every year.”


Continue reading →

Cartier Launches its Biggest Boutique in Middle East

Luxury goods company Cartier on Thursday braved the deepening global recession to launch its biggest boutique so far in the Middle East.

The 700 square-meter showroom in the upscale Dubai Mall testifies to the Cartier’s confidence that chilly economic winds will not deter well-heeled residents and visitors to Dubai from buying its jewelry, watches, handbags and other high-end merchandise.

The opening event was attended by actress Monica Bellucci and Bollywood stars including Anil Kapoor.


Continue reading →

Is India the New China In Luxury Market?

While the Western markets are faltering, luxury retailers are searching for the next location to sell their high-end goods, and it looks like India might just be the place.

While India makes up just 0.4 percent of global luxury good sales, the market is growing at 25 percent a year, according to a recent Bain & Co. study.

There are 1.5 million households in India who could afford luxury goods, compared with 1.6 million households in China, according to McKinsey.


Continue reading →

Aaron Spelling mansion on market for $150 million

The widow of producer Aaron Spelling is placing “The Manor” in the exclusive Holmby Hills neighborhood on the market for a jaw-dropping $150 million, making it by far the most expensive home for sale in the U.S.

That’s $25 million more than the Beverly Hills behemoth Mariah Carey is said to have made an offer on recently.

The French chateau-style mansion has 56,500 square feet of space on more than 4.6 acres and is the largest home in Los Angeles County. Among the neighbors are the Los Angeles Country Club and, not too far away, the Playboy Mansion.


Continue reading →

Diamond-encrusted Nivea jar

Nivea Visage has launched a special diamond encrusted jar of their Expert Lift Cream. All proceedswill go to the from the sale of this special edition jar Breast cancer care charity, which helps support women in difficult times.

The jar is encrusted with 441 ethically sourced white diamonds set in stunning white gold and has been tailor-made to crown any jar of NIVEA Visage Expert Lift Day or Night Cream.

The blingtastic edition of Nivea’s classic moisturiser will be auctioned off at a charity dinner next month, and is expected to fetch £80,000 ($120,000).
Continue reading →

New Outdoor Furniture from Roberti Rattan

The sculptural edge of Roberti modern outdoor rattan furniture will appeal to those who love to surround themselves with beautiful things.

Sofas, sun loungers, tables and chairs, and sun shades: the shapes and style of each piece is carefully considered to combine comfort and functionality.

Three new lines of outdoor furniture will be on show at the upcoming 2009 Milan Furniture Fair in April.


Continue reading →

Padma Lakshmi in Hardee’s Hamburger Commercial

Can you eat an hamburger, wearing a chic dress, sparkling jewels and sophisticated accessories, as if you had been invited to an elegant dinner party?

She can! Padma Lakshmi, Indian actress and former model, did an ad for Hardee’s Hamburger where, in slow motion, she sites on a stoop, hikes up her skirt and takes big mouthfuls of a Western Bacon Thickburger.

“I think it’s a beautiful love song to food,” Padma Lakshmi says of her new ad. “I think eating in itself is the act of great sensuality, so all you have to do is point the camera in the right direction.”

Mercedes-Benz F-Cell Roadster

Daimler today has unveiled the F-CELL Roadster, the latest in their line of “F-Series” concept vehicles, and it draws its inspiration from a diverse variety of automotive eras.

Controlled with drive-by-wire technology and utilizing a joystick rather than a conventional steering wheel, this whip is powered by a 1.2kW emission-free fuel cell system located at the rear.

It took a year and more than 150 trainees to create, but the entire project involved using “junior employees”, giving the company’s up-and-coming employees a creative way to learn how alternative-fuel systems come together.

Continue reading →

Ulysse Nardin Chairman Cellphone

Known for their watchmaking, the Ulysse Nardin has the mechanical intricacy you would expect along with a 2.8-inch multitouch screen, 5-megapixel camera, biometric fingerprint unlocking, WiFi and an email browser.

A first for the mobile phone industry, the Chairman features a functioning mechanical watch rotor that is also incorporated into its aesthetic design.

Similar to an automatic watch that receives power from the force of a rotor, the Chairman does the same: charging a built-in battery using the kinetic energy of the moving rotor to supply supplemental power to the Chairman.

Continue reading →

License Plate “1D” fetches record price at auction

A Lebanese property developer living in England has paid 352,411 pounds (US$509,768) for license plate number “1D”, a new record in the world of collectible British license plates.

At an auction held by the DVLA, the agency which regulates British vehicle registration, the highly-coveted plate sold for a total of 285,000 pounds, but fees and taxes added nearly 70,000 pounds to the winning bid.

The winning bidder bought the plate as a birthday present for his wife and will affix it to her Bentley. After taxes and fees, it ranks as the second most expensive plate sold after “F 1” went for 440,625 pounds last year.
Continue reading →