Monthly Archives: May 2011

Roberto Cavalli Fall-Winter 2011-2012

Roberto Cavalli to open 85 stores in China

Roberto Cavalli Fall-Winter 2011-2012

Roberto Cavalli said it will open 85 new stores in China within the next five years under a deal signed on Tuesday with Shanghai-based retail giant UCCAL Group.

The company will open its first stores under the new deal in Beijing and Shanghai between late 2011 and early 2012, it said in a statement.

The venture will be called Roberto Cavalli China and will be owned 75 percent by the Roberto Cavalli Group and 25 percent by UCCAL.
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Hannah MacGibbon

Hannah MacGibbon leaves Chloé

Hannah MacGibbon

The designers’ game of musical chairs continues: following Christophe Decarnin’s official departure from Balmain, fellow French fashion house Chloé has announced May 9 that it will part ways with its creative head Hannah MacGibbon.

MacGibbon’s last collection for Chloé — fall/winter 2011 — was not met with enthusiasm during Paris fashion week and had many onlookers speculating about whether her contract would be renewed.

After ten years of working for the label and three of being at its helm following now-Celine designer Phoebe Philo, MacGibbon is set to be replaced by former Pringle of Scotland designer Clare Waight Keller.
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The Seabourn Quest

Blythe Danner to name Seabourn Quest cruise liner

The Seabourn Quest

Hollywood star Blythe Danner is the be the godmother of the Seabourn Quest, the exclusive cruise line announced this week.

Danner, the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow, has had a string of film hits including Meet the Parents, Woody Allen’s Alice and Sylvia and is an accomplished Broadway actress, earning a Tony Award for her performance in Butterflies Are Free.

Now, her name will headline the christening of the Seabourn Quest, set to take place June 20 in Barcelona ahead of the ship’s 14-day maiden voyage to Athens, Greece.
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The Felt Shelby Cruiser

Cruiser Bike a two-wheel Shelby tribute

The Felt Shelby Cruiser

Fans of automotive legend Carroll Shelby have traditionally lusted after masterpieces such as the Shelby Cobra and Mustang, but now they can get their fix from an entirely different beast — with two wheels.

This week saw a partnership of a new kind with competition bike manufacturer Felt Bicycles, to develop a cruiser which pays homage to the iconic Shelby image.

Finished in the legendary Wimbledon White and Guardsman Blue paint scheme of some of Shelby’s most iconic vehicles (including the GT350).
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Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento coming in October

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento Concept

Lamborghini will launch a production version of Sesto Elemento concept in October. The vehicle will start arriving at dealerships in the third quarter of 2011.

Auto Motor and Sport magazine says production will be limited to 10 or 20 units and pricing will surpass €1.9 ($2.8) million.

The Sesto Elemento featured a 5.2-liter V10 engine that developed 570 PS (419 kW / 562 hp) and 540 Nm (398 lb-ft) of torque.
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Pierre Cardin

Pierre Cardin wants to sell business for 1 bln euros

Pierre Cardin

French fashion legend Pierre Cardin is ready to sell his group and will seek one billion euros (1.46 billion U.S. dollars).

“I want to sell it now,” Cardin, 88, told the Wall Street Journal. “I know I won’t be here in a few years and the business needs to continue.”

Cardin, who has no heirs, said he wants to stay on as creative director, explaining that it would be in the buyer’s interest “for the brand’s image.”
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Jaguar C-X75

Jaguar’s hybrid supercar to enter production

Jaguar C-X75

Jaguar is to put its hybrid supercar concept into production, it announced May 6.

The British luxury marque will begin building the C-X75, originally shown as a concept at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, as part of a limited-edition run of 250 models.

The C-X75 was one of the stars of last year’s Paris show, packing futuristic twin turbine generators which weighed 50 kg each to power its four electric engines and reach a top speed of 205 mph (330 km/h).
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karl

The Tale of a Fairy by Karl Lagerfeld

Tale of a Fairy Karl Lagerfeld

For anyone whose invitation to Chanel’s resort show in the South of France on May 9 got lost in the mail, its creative head Karl Lagerfeld will release a new short film, showcasing the cruise collection in a dramatic surrounding.

A teaser released May 5 depicts “friends of the House” including French actress Anna Mouglalis, American model Kristen McMenamy, fashion empress Amanda Harlech, models Freja Beha Erichsen, Bianca Balti and Baptiste Giabiconi.

All are putting their best acting skills forward in this new trailer that seems to revolve around a dysfunctional, affluent family whiling away their time in chic casinos.
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Palace

Paris’s ‘palace’ hotels – the winners and losers

Palace

The French government announced the eight recipients of its new ‘palace’ hotel rating May 5, dealing a blow to some of Paris’s most famous hotels.

The ‘palace’ rating is an official designation above five stars awarded by the French tourism authorities — it’s designed to help travelers identify the cream of the country’s many swanky hotels.

A total of four Paris properties were given the award — the Bristol, the Meurice, the Park Hyatt and the Plaza Athenee.
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Louis Vuitton store shanghai

World luxury market to grow 8%: study

Louis Vuitton store shanghai

Global luxury sales should grow eight percent this year to 185 billion dollars (124 billion euros) but Japan‘s market will contract.

The forecast was raised from an earlier estimate of growth of between three and five percent but would still be lower than last year’s result of 12-percent growth in the luxury market, as the world recovered from the economic crisis.

Growth would average five to six percent a year until 2014 according to a study by research group Bain&Company released Tuesday.
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Missoni for Bugaboo

High fashion for your kids before they can walk

Missoni for Bugaboo

Luxurious designer collections for toddlers have long been popular — Gucci, Burberry, and Dior are some of the most common go-to labels for that matter, and Lanvin just announced its kids’ launch this week.

But the most recent trend goes toward high-fashion strollers and buggies. The latest example is Italian design house Missoni, which unveiled its design for Dutch stroller manufacturer Bugaboo this week.

The characteristically colorful and geometric prints can be attached to the brand’s Bee and Cameleon models, which will set you back €670 to €1040 overall.
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SLS AMG Roadster

2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster

SLS AMG Roadster

Mercedes-Benz has confirmed that it is to launch a roadster version of its SLS AMG performance car, releasing initial — disguised — images of the vehicle.

The SLS AMG Roadster, a non-identical twin of the ‘Gullwing’ SLS AMG Coupé which made its debut in late 2009, will be unveiled at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September, and testing is already underway ahead of the market launch.

Mercedes-Benz says that the new model was designed in parallel with the SLS AMG Coupé and therefore shares many of its features, including the performance engine.
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Grand Prix de la baguette 2011

Paris names best baguette maker in the city

Grand Prix de la baguette 2011

After smelling, crackling, tasting, and scrupulously examining an interminably long row of baguettes, a panel of judges whittled down a list of 174 contenders, all vying for the Grand Prize for best baguette in Paris, to just one.

Tuesday’s competition crowned Pascal Barillon the best baguette maker in Paris this year, a competition that turns humble bakers into instant celebrities and attracts snaking lines of customers outside their bakery every day.

The edible icon of Paris is an institution not just for tourists, but for the French who also rhapsodize about the best baguettes in the city.
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Cruiseship MSC Lirica

Bright future beckons for gulf cruise vacations

Cruiseship MSC Lirica

Gulf tourism authorities are lobbying for a new visa which could significantly reduce the cost of cruises in the Middle East, a cruise tourism hotspot which is rapidly growing in popularity.

At the moment, some passengers aboard gulf cruises are forced to apply for a visa for every port stop they wish to take, at a cost of up to $50 per stop.

For tourists from places such as Russia and China, this can add as much as $600 onto the cost of a cruise for a family of four, participants at this week’s Cruise Seminar at the Arabian Travel Market calculated.
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E la Carte

Digital tablets could replace waiters in restaurants

E la Carte

A new tablet is threatening to make waiters obsolete with its ability to showcase menu items, take orders, and settle the bill.

Though it’s not official yet, speculation is rife that in addition to rolling out in 20 restaurants in the San Francisco area and Boston, major restaurant chain Applebee’s will also be putting the E la Carte tablets on their tabletops.

In addition to browsing through color photos of the menu items, guests can use the tablet to play games during the ‘dead time’ between ordering and waiting for meals.
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Giorgio Armani Hotel

Giorgio Armani bringing his hotel brand to London?

Giorgio Armani Hotel

Giorgio Armani, the man behind one of the world’s biggest fashion chains, is in talks with advisers over funding to build his first hotel in Britain.

The 200-plus room luxury venue could be built in Knightsbridge, west London, near the iconic Harrods store.

Among options under consideration is whether to convert office space or an old hotel into a £300million-plus site, the Dailymail reports.

He opened his first hotel in Dubai in collaboration with Emaar Properties in April last year and has a hotel in Milan.

Armani Hotel Dubai Interior

The two companies are working together on possible expansion in Paris, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai.

Armani is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the interior design and style of the hotels. Dubai-based Emaar Properties is responsible for construction.

Melanie Laurent

Mélanie Laurent tapped for Dior

Melanie Laurent

According to French media reports, the Inglourious Basterds actress has signed on to become the new face of Dior’s Hypnotic Poison fragrance.

Laurent — who has confirmed she will be wearing vintage Dior to the opening ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival as this year’s host — will be joining fellow French actress Marion Cotillard as spokesmodel for the luxury house.

The contract in question involves the brand’s mythic Hypnotic Poison fragrance, previously promoted by actress Monica Bellucci, but this is yet to be confirmed.

Aerial view luxury Burj Al Arab

Dubai named Middle East’s best destination

Aerial view luxury Burj Al Arab

The Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai has been voted the best hotel in the Middle East for the eighth year in a row.

The plush property was one of a host of winners at this week’s World Travel Awards‘ Middle East ceremony, the first in a whistlestop World Travel Awards tour which will see further regional ceremonies in Antalya, Turkey; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; Bangkok, Thailand and Montego Bay, Jamaica before the year is out.

Also picking up prizes in the competition, billed as “the Oscars of travel,” were Emirates, Etihad and Qatar, the region’s leading airlines.
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Maybach Exelero

Maybach Exelero sold for $8 million

Maybach Exelero

Rapper Birdman, also known as Bryan Williams, has reportedly spent $8,000,000 on the one-off Maybach Exelero coupe.

The car combines the elegance and first-class quality of a high-end limousine with the powerful suppleness of a sports coupe.

It was born as a high-profile demonstrator commissioned by Fulda for its series tire line – 315/25 ZR 23, licensed for speeds of more than 350 km/h (217 mph).
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Prince Albert II of Monaco Charlene Wittstock

Prince of Monaco’s wedding

Prince Albert II of Monaco Charlene Wittstock

Monaco’s Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock, his South African swimming champion fiancee, are to get married in Monte Carlo’s millionaire’s playground in a civil ceremony on July 1 followed by a religious ceremony the following day.

Monarchs and heads of state can watch the marriage itself within the palace while 3,500 less privileged guests can watch on a giant screen.

On July 1, a large concert will be offered by the newly-weds on the Port with electro musician/composer Jean-Michel Jarre.
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