Monthly Archives: June 2010

Prada E-Store Opens Thursday

Following in the footsteps of competitors like Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci, Prada will launch an online boutique for US customers.

Unfortunately you can’t buy Prada clothing on the site but you can pick up purses, accessories and eyewear.

The store is set to open this Thursday, July 1. Prada will shortly expand the E-Store service to another strategic market, Japan.
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Jean Paul Gaultier and La Perla Lingerie Collaboration

Jean-Paul Gaultier has produced a high-end lingerie collection for the Italian label La Perla which will be sold from November.

Other than the creator’s beloved lacy corsets, the collection will include underwear “which streams the body’s curves”, extra high-waisted pants and bustiers emphasizing the neck.

It also offers bras and bodices reflecting the cone-shaped chests of Gaultier’s suits created for Madonna in 1990.
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Gresso iPhone 4 Cases in African Blackwood/Gold

Gresso has created a luxury back cover for the iPhone 4 that is made of 200 year old African Blackwood along with 18K gold detailing.

The back cover aims to make your iPhone 4 look a little different although it isn’t clear if the wood used is a replacement or cover for the current glass used.

Two versions are being created. The first is for women and contains an Apple logo in 18K gold along with Swarovski crystals. This version costs $3500.
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Oprah Winfrey top of Forbes celebrity power list

Superstar US talkshow host Oprah Winfrey has has been named the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine.

Winfrey knocked film star Angelina Jolie off the top spot of Forbes’s annual Celebrity 100 list, which is based on earnings and media exposure.

In second place to the enduring talkshow diva, popular singer Beyonce Knowles jumped two positions with earnings of 87 million dollars, following a profitable year for her growing entertainment and fashion empire.
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Angola’s capital Luanda is world’s most expensive

Luanda in Angola is the world’s most expensive city for expatriates, according to the latest Cost of Living Survey from Mercer.

For the first time, three African cities – Luanda, Ndjamena and Libreville in Gabon (7) – were among the 10 most expensive cities.

The top ten also includes three Asian cities; Tokyo (2), Osaka (6) and Hong Kong (jointly ranked 8).

Moscow (4), Geneva (5) and Zurich (joint 8) are the most expensive European cities, followed by Copenhagen (10).
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Ferrari Store Opens in New York

The Ferrari Store of New York has officially opened its doors, unveiling a retail space offering an array of branded apparel and lifestyle products.

The 200 square metres space is dedicated to the Ferrari Store, sitting next to the Ferrari Showroom.

The New York store is the 37th store worldwide to open. It is situated on the corner of Park Avenue and 55th Street, with windows on Park Avenue.
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Tom Ford to make another movie

The designer, who landed a surprise success with A Single Man, has told the London Evening Standard that he will start working on another film.

While attending a dinner at Claridge’s — hosted last week for his colleague Diane von Furstenberg, who decorated rooms at the London hotel — he confirmed that he was already thinking about the follow-up but remained mum on details.
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New York City launches new marketing campaign

New York City has launched a new global campaign to persuade people to visit as it tries to hit its ambitious annual visitor target of 50 million by 2012.

The city, which is the most popular tourist destination in the United States, unveiled its “See More. Be More. This is New York City” campaign last week, which will run in countries around the world.

By focusing on all five boroughs of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island), the campaign is expected to further broaden the appeal of lesser-known areas such as Brooklyn.
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Swatch Group founder Nicolas Hayek dies at 82

Nicolas Hayek, chairman and former chief executive of the giant Swiss watch-manufacturing firm Swatch, has died. He was 82.

As chairman of the Swatch group, Hayek cut a high profile in the world of Swiss watch-making and was one of the most well known Swiss business leaders.

In the 1980s, he transformed two Swiss watchmakers struggling to cope with Japanese competition into what would become Swatch, owning brands such as Breguet, Blancpain, Omega, Longines in addition to its eponymous Swatch line.
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Marilyn Monroe chest X-rays fetch $45,000

A set of three X-rays of Marilyn Monroe‘s chest taken during a 1954 hospital visit have sold for $45,000 in Las Vegas.

The bizarre medical photograph was one of several of Monroe’s belongings that were up for bid at Planet Hollywood via Julien’s Auctions over the weekend.

The highlights of the sale had toured Ireland, Japan and China before finally going under the hammer.
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World’s largest gold coin sells for $4 million

The world’s largest gold coin, a Maple Leaf, sold for 3.27 million euros ($4.02 million) at the Dorotheum auction house on Friday in Vienna.

The coin – measuring 53 centimetres in diameter and weighing 100 kilograms – was bought by Spanish precious metals firm Oro Direct.

The Maple Leaf coin, which is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records and carries a face value of one million Canadian dollars, was minted in 2007.
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Gucci And Fendi To Dress Your Kids

Gucci and Fendi are launching their first full children’s collections, entering a sector that has weathered the global downturn better than others.

Gucci presented its Gucci Kids line at its historical Firenze boutique during the Pitti Bimbo international childrenswear fair last week.

The line, aimed at children from newborn to age eight includes shoes, dresses, accessories and sunglasses created by Gucci star designer Frida Giannini.
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Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong Opens

The Ritz-Carlton Pudong opened June 21 as the latest luxury hotel to hit Shanghai, occupying the top 18 floors of the city’s giant International Finance Center South Tower.

The hotel offers 285 rooms designed by Richard Farnell, ranging from 50 meters squared to 400 meters squared for the Ritz-Carlton suite.

The rooms offer a modern interpretation of 1930s Shanghai art deco, a tribute to the restored Shanghai Bund (of which the hotel offers sweeping views).
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Luxury pet hotel to open at Walt Disney World

Pets are soon to get their own hotel alongside their owners’ at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

A new hotel catering to dogs and cats is scheduled to go into operation at the massive theme park on August 27, taking care of cats and dogs while their owners stay in one of the resort’s 33 more traditional hotels.

The new Best Friends Pet Care Resort describes itself as a “luxury pet resort,” offering everything from walkies to grooming for pampered pets.
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Moet Ice Imperial

Champagne tastemakers Moet & Chandon have unveiled their first and only vintage of ice champagne, Moet & Chandon Ice Imperial.

A blend of pinot noir, pinot meunier, and chardonnay, this new champagne has a tropical blend of fruit and floral notes, and is intended to be consumed on the rocks.

The Moët Imperial Ice will be available only in the most exclusive resorts around the world.
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Miu Miu Debuts Flagship in Forte dei Marmi

Miu Miu opened up their Forte dei Marmi Store which is in a sea town that is part of northern Tuscany.

Famous residents of the town include Andrea Bocelli and Giorgio Armani along with Paola Ruffo di Calabria, Queen of the Belgians who was born there.

The space on Via Carducci was designed by architect Roberto Baciocchi, features women’s collections of ready-to-wear, bags, accessories and footwear.
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