Monthly Archives: January 2011

porsche 918 rsr photo

Porsche 918 RSR Hybrid

porsche 918 rsr photo

Porsche has given the strongest hint yet that it intends to pursue hybrid technology with the unveiling of a new concept at the North American International Auto Show.

The company, which is making a high-profile return to the Detroit show after a four year hiatus, launched the 918 RSR January 10, a motorsports version of the 918 Spyder hybrid concept car first shown in Geneva last year.

It features a V8 engine which contributes 563 hp, backed by an electric motor on each front wheel which add 150 kW of power to take the 918 RSR’s total up to 767 hp.
Continue reading →

Charlie Siem violin virtuoso

“Voice” – Alfred Dunhill S/S 2011 Campaign

Charlie Siem violin virtuoso

For Spring Summer 2011, Alfred Dunhill presents a change in communication direction focused on celebrating brilliance.

Recognised achievement is the ultimate masculine aspiration and can only ever be attained through skill, intelligence, drive and the ability to be extraordinary.

The casting for Voice paid no regard to age, look, status or trend – only achievement. Voice is an honest and elegant portfolio of British men.
Continue reading →

IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days

IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days

IWC Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days

2011 will be the year of the new IWC Portofino. The flagship of the new range will be the Portofino Hand-Wound Eight Days (pictured above in steel).

The Hand-Wound Eight Days features a 8-day power reserve with indicator, seconds subdial, and a watch strap crafted by Italian Shoemaker Santoni.

Powered by an all new IWC manufacture movement, the 37.8mm 59210 calibre is a reminder of the days of classically dressed men and their pocket watches.
Continue reading →

gold to go ATM

Gold Vending Machine Debuts At Vegas Casino

The Golden Nugget hotel in downtown Las Vegas is living up to its name with the installation of an ATM that dispenses gold instead of cash. Online casino bonuses are even possible now as technology advances.

Visitors are now able to buy gold coins and 24-karat “bars” weighing from 1 gram to 1 ounce at the new Gold to Go machine.

Prices automatically adjust every 10 minutes to reflect actual market value. The one ounce coin, at the moment, goes for about $1,400.

Golden Nugget vending machine

Golden Nugget owners believe a gold vending machine is actually a perfect fit for the casino. They already house the largest gold nugget in the world.

The first Gold To Go machine debuted in Florida just a few months ago. Operators say it’s so popular it has to be refilled about every three days.

The machine only accepts cash and is gold plated, bolted to the ground and virtually impossible to move.

golden nugget las vegas

capsule hotel

China follows capsule hotel trend amid travel boom

capsule hotel

China has followed Japan‘s lead in the capsule hotel market, amid an explosion of leisure travel in the world’s most populous country.

The first capsule hotel in Shanghai opened at the weekend, less than a month before the Spring Festival holiday, when hundreds of millions of people crisscross the country to celebrate Lunar New Year with their families.

The hotel has 68 cabinet-sized rooms imported from Japan, each equipped with a power point, clock, light, television and wireless Internet.
Continue reading →

tom ford spring 2011

Video Of Tom Ford’s Spring 2011 Fashion Show

tom ford spring 2011

Tom Ford promised to release a film of his Spring 2011 debut womenswear show when the clothes are nearly in stores, and he’s delivered.

The video is set to Karen Elson’s song Pretty Babies (who’s also seen in the clip) and features backstage shots, runway shots of the numerous models and celebrities, along with audience reactions.

Ford hired Terry Richardson to photograph the show — you’ll see him flitting around all over the place with his camera.
Continue reading →

Christofle Vase Bottle

Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque By Christofle

Christofle Vase Bottle

Christofle have created a silver-plated filigree vase to encase magnum of the signature anemone bottle, Perrier-Jouët’s prestige cuvee, the Belle Epoque 1998.

Limited to an edition of 150 pieces, only 5 of which are available in the UK, each one is hand-worked and a beautiful, contemporary interpretation of Galle’s original floral creation, showing off the elegance and craftsmanship of Christofle’s silversmiths.

1998 has produced a truly fantastic vintage due to ideal weather conditions giving a high level of maturity and a lot of freshness.
Continue reading →

Burj Khalifa China

China plans $1.3bn ‘seven-star hotel’

Burj Khalifa China

Beijing authorities plan to build a “seven-star hotel” modelled after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – in a $1.3 billion joint project with Saudi Arabia.

The hotel will be erected in western Beijing‘s Mentougou district some 30 kilometres (18 miles) from the Chinese capital’s centre.

The Saudi side is expected to foot the entire bill but we still dont know why such an expensive project would be located in the underdeveloped rural area.
Continue reading →

172 W Lake Rd Tuxedo Park property

$4,950,000 Lakefront Mansion in Tuxedo Park

172 W Lake Rd Tuxedo Park property

Grand scale living is possible within the walls of this timeless Colonial, built by famed architect Bruce Price in the year 1880.

Considering all of the specifics, you will quickly come to the conclusion that this is truly a great example of the finest in luxurious lakefront living.

Throughout the 10,000 square feet of living area, many tasteful, period details, such as the 12 fireplaces and multiple columns, are still kept intact.
Continue reading →

gauguin Nature morte

Gauguin work expected to fetch £10 mn in London

gauguin Nature morte

A painting of sunflowers and a nude by French artist Paul Gauguin is expected to fetch up to 10 million pounds at auction next month, Christie’s said Friday.

Gauguin’s Nature morte à l’Esperance, a still life painted in 1901 when he was living in Tahiti, will be the star lot of a sale of impressionist and modern art in London.

The painting was presented to the media on Friday, the first time it has been seen in public since 1989.
Continue reading →

Lady Gaga Polaroid G30 digital camera

Gaga unveils her Polaroid line at CES

Lady Gaga Polaroid G30 digital camera

One year after being named Polaroid’s creative director, Lady Gaga unveiled three new products on the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The three new products include a set of sunglasses that doubles as a digital camera, a portable wireless printer for Bluetooth mobile phones and the new updated Polaroid instant camera.

The stylish GL20 Camera Glasses sport a camera and 1.5-inch OLED screens that capture and display images and video, also allowing wearers to show them on the outer screen/lenses.
Continue reading →

Mercedes-Benz Ciento Once GWA Tuning

2011 Mercedes Ciento Once by GWA Tuning

Mercedes-Benz Ciento Once GWA Tuning

GWA Tuning has drafted a one-off prototype based on the Mercedes-Benz C111 called the Ciento Once.

The San Antonio, Texas-based tuner, owned by designer Arturo Alonso, decided to revive the 1970 C111 to create another gullwing Mercedes.

The C111 was an experimental vehicle by Mercedes-Benz that featured a four-rotor Wankel engine.
Continue reading →

Daria Werbowy ad ferragamo

Ferragamo Spring/Summer 2011 Campaign

Daria Werbowy ad ferragamo

Ferragamo‘s Spring Summer 2011 campaign, featuring models Daria Werbowy and Clement Chabernaud was shot by Mikael Jansson in Ibiza.

The ads reinterpret the seduction and bohemian spirit from the classic French film, La Piscine, the source of inspiration for the season’s collection.

Dominated by summer sunlight, the photos evoke the type of languid, luxurious summer holiday expected of the Salvatore Ferragamo jet-set couple.
Continue reading →

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Comte Noir Graf Weckerle

Graf Weckerle Ferrari 599 GTB Comte Noir

Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano Comte Noir Graf Weckerle

Graf Weckerle Imperialwagen, a luxury car customizer from Germany, has released the details and images their Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano program called the Comte Noir.

While a standard 599 GTB is powered by a six-liter V12 engine with 620 HP, the Comte Noir edition delivers an impressive 835 HP.

Although the 0-100 km/h acceleration time and top speed of the car have not been announced, they’re probably quite higher than the ones of the standard car.
Continue reading →

The Mira Hong Kong

China’s top design hotels honored

The Mira Hong Kong

The cream of China’s hotel industry has been selected by a Chinese publication, with the top gongs going to properties in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Hangzhou.

The China Best Design Hotel Awards were awarded last month in Shanghai, with three exclusive properties coming top of the list — The Mira Hong Kong, the Waldorf Astoria Hotel Shanghai and the Four Seasons Hangzhou West Lake.

Presented by The Bund, a Chinese lifestyle magazine, the China Best Design Hotel Awards are chosen by public vote and a panel of international design experts.
Continue reading →

Hotel receptionist

A glimpse at the future of travel

Hotel receptionist

Robot receptionists, smart hotel rooms that know guests’ preferences and virtual postcards are all set to change the way we travel over the coming years.

A study commissioned by the organizers of ITB Berlin, one of the world’s largest travel shows, suggests that technological advances are expected to produce some far-reaching changes in the way we plan, book and enjoy our vacations.

Within ten years, smart rooms could be a reality, changing their lighting,  colors, air conditioning and even minibar options depending on the preferences of guests.
Continue reading →

€13,000,000 Estate in Marbella, Spain

Estate in Marbella Spain

This Marbella estate, situated on a prime 60,000 square foot parcel on the Golden Mile, offers everything one could ask for in the quintessential Spanish getaway.

The residence showcases all of the design and architectural qualities of the Moorish style, popular amongst many in the Islamic culture.

High-quality craftsmanship and an extensive use of premium materials can be seen around every corner of the property, from the classical foyer to the fine decor and detailing in the living room, casual in comfort yet formal in design.
Continue reading →

Wyndham Garden Hotel PanamaCity

Wyndham Garden Hotel Opens in Panama City

Wyndham Garden Hotel PanamaCity

Wyndham has become the latest hotel chain to open a new property in Panama, with this week’s launch of the Wyndham Garden Hotel Panama City.

The 70-room hotel, located in the city’s quiet and exclusive Obarrio neighbourhood, is yet further proof of the hotel boom in Panama, which is currently has more properties under construction than anywhere else in Central and South America.

The property is  aimed at both business and leisure travellers, with 32-inch flatscreen televisions, marble bathrooms, a fitness center, restaurant and bar.
Continue reading →

HWY 101 California

US overtakes France as best place to live

HWY 101 California

International Living has just published its annual Quality of Life Index for 2011. Topping the Index this year is the United States of America.

In the influential publication’s 2011 Quality of Life index, last year’s winner France slipped to fourth place out of the 192 countries surveyed.

It is the first time in five years that France, described last year as a place where “life is savored,” hasn’t held top spot.
Continue reading →

Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Ultra-Thin

Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Ultra Thin

Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Ultra-Thin

The new 2011 Piaget Emperador Coussin Tourbillon Ultra-Thin automatic watch holds the title of the thinnest self-winding timepiece with a tourbillon escapement.

The luxury watch is presented in a signature 46.5 mm wide and 10.4 mm thin cushion-shaped case made either of 18-carat rose or white gold.

You’ll have a chance to look at the whole line of watches this month at the Salon Internationale de la Haute Horlogerie 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Continue reading →