Monthly Archives: October 2011

Jean-Claude Ellena

Meet Jean-Claude Ellena, ‘scent writer’ for Hermes

Jean-Claude Ellena

Jean-Claude Ellena is a perfumer who never wears perfume, whose tools are pen, paper and memory, and who sees his work as “nose” for the French luxury house Hermes as that of a “scent writer”.

“In a perfect world, I wish perfumes were never worn at all,” smiled the 64-year-old master perfumer as he welcomed AFP to the Hermes workshop, in the pine-clad hills above the bay of Antibes on the Mediterranean coast.

Ellena sees his perfumes as “artworks” — fine art that has sent annual sales at Hermes’ perfume division soaring from 65 million euros when he joined in 2004, to 138 million euros last year.
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palm island dubai

Waldorf Astoria to debut on Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah

Jumeirah Palm Island Development

It seems that the Palm Jumeirah is making a comeback, with the latest announcement confirming that a Waldorf Astoria will open in 2013.

The huge, manmade Palm-shaped development in the sea has been viewed alternately as a symbol of Dubai’s unbridled ambition or of its abject failure, when construction all but ground to a halt as the country ran out of money in 2010.

The Palm Jumeirah’s hotel scene, once dominated by the Atlantis, now includes Kempinski and the Jumeirah Zabeel Sarah, both of which opened this year.
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En-K caviar tins

Kaviari Launches Personal-Sized Caviar Tins

En-K caviar tins

Luxury Parisian caviar purveyor Kaviari has launched small, portable tins of the delicacy for the traveling gourmand for whom caviar is an everyday, “dainty” snack.

As spotted by trendhunting site Springwise this week, En-K de caviar is a collection of six, 15 g Osetra caviar tins that come in different colors and a small serving spoon.

Osetra is one of the most expensive caviars on the market and comes from the Osetra sturgeon. It’s second only to the Beluga caviar as the most prized.

The En-K de caviar is described as amber to gold-colored. Grains are large and release sweet flavors of dried fruit notes followed by a hazelnut finish.

The tins are designed for the traveling gourmand to be taken as a poolside snack, on a picnic, in the hotel or on the plane for a “sensuous pause” during the day.

The En-K de caviar has been showcased in one of Paris’s oldest department stores Le Bon Marché and luxury five-star hotel Le Royal Monceau-Raffles. Price: €35.

Octopus Yacht

Superyachts sailing to London Olympics

Octopus Yacht

With only nine months to go until the 2012 Olympics in London, the jockeying for position among megayacht owners is well underway.

Berths for about 30 yachts are being prepared around London’s waterways for the big event, but most of them will only accommodate smaller vessels.

Several more are expected to visit though they won’t all be in town at the same time.
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Clos du bois wine Banana Republic

Banana Republic launches holiday wine

Clos du bois wine Banana Republic

Clothing company Banana Republic has teamed up with a California winery to create limited-edition holiday bottles that target the female wine sipper with hand-sketched labels of the little black dress and fancy, sweeping red frocks.

It’s the latest winery to court the female tippler with images of pretty party dresses and promises of chic, sophisticated nights out.

Banana Republic’s party dresses, rendered by the company’s creative director Simon Kneen, will be embellished on Clos du Bois’s most popular wines.
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wedding cruise

Cunard finally says ‘I do’ to weddings

wedding cruise

Cunard Line is to allow its passengers to marry on board for the first time in its 171-year history.

The line will introduce a ‘Weddings at Sea’ program from Spring next year on board all three of its ships, the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.

Cunard has traditionally held out from the profitable trend of offering weddings at sea, something which isn’t allowed under British law.
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Hotel du Marc

Veuve Clicquot’s Hotel du Marc renovations

Hotel du Marc

The 19th century neoclassic private mansion of the House of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin located in Reims (France), has been entirely restored.

The Hotel du Marc has had a complete freshening up, from the façade which was severely damaged in the First World War, to the updated interior design.

The renovation work has involved many different talents, ranging from professionals who specialize in historic preservation to artists and renowned designers such as Mathieu Lehanneur, Pablo Reinoso, Fredrikson Stallard and the Campana Brothers.
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Versace Rosenthal vases

Versace Home Vase Collection By Rosenthal

Versace Rosenthal vases

The Versace Home Collection and German homeware brand Rosenthal have collaborated to produce “Nymph”, an exclusive, limited edition range of vases.

The collection features the a variation of Versace Greek key pattern in gold going down the white porcelain body of the vase with three different vase shapes.

Only 99 copies of each vase are available, with every piece bearing a special stamp with a limited edition number.
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Delta economy comfort

Delta rolls out full premium economy product

Delta economy comfort

US airline Delta, which introduced a middle ‘Economy Comfort’ class earlier this year on long-haul services, is to roll out a premium economy class across its entire fleet.

The new class will be introduced on over 800 of its aircraft operating in the US, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and northern South America.

The announcement is set to bring a new cabin class to the majority of Delta’s jets, with seat pitch of 34 inches or more, more leg room and priority boarding.
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Gold shoelaces

These Gold Shoelaces Cost $19,000

Gold shoelaces

For $19,000, a company called Mr. Kennedy will make you 24-carat gold laces which take about 120 hrs to make by hand.

“The world’s only precious metal shoelaces” are finely crafted using “ancient, artisan jewelry techniques.”

The man behind the laces is Colin Hart, who named his company after ‘Mr Kennedy’, inventor of the modern-day shoelace.
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Travel Watch Trunk

Travel Watch Trunk by T.T. Trunks

Travel Watch Trunk

High-end luggage maker T.T. Trunks has crafted a case especially made for the traveling watch collectors, the Travel Watch Trunk.

The Travel Watch Trunk opens up on three programmable “swiss-kubik” winders (to wind automatic watches and preserve their energy).

Behind those winders, a storage space has been imagined so that you could slip your belongings such as your wallet or coin purse, key holders, passport or any other item you may bear in your pockets.
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Maison Cailler chocolate

Nestle launches bespoke luxury chocolate bonbons

Maison Cailler chocolate

Chocolate giant Nestlé has created a brand of luxury, bespoke chocolates that cater to consumers’ individual tastes and delivers the customized box within 48 hours.

The new brand will be sold under Maison Cailler and begins with a chocolate tasting where consumers rate their preferred flavors in an online questionnaire.

Within 48 hours, they’ll receive a luxury box-set of chocolate bonbons that have been selected according to their preferences.

“Maison Cailler is a response to the changing times we live in,” said Cédric Lacroix, director of Nestlé’s Chocolate Centre of Excellence in Switzerland.
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Jimmy Choo Book Cover

Jimmy Choo XV Book

Jimmy Choo Book Cover

Jimmy Choo is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the icon shoe and accessory brand, by publishing a coffee table book: Jimmy Choo XV.

The luxurious Jimmy Choo Chronicles presents fifteen of their most recognizable shoe designs since the companies launch in 1996.

Also included are studio design sketches, red carpet shots, behind the scenes fashion photography, past advertising campaigns and a host of stunning editorials.
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Miranda Kerr Victoria's Secret

Miranda Kerr wears $2.5 Million Victoria’s Secret bra

Miranda Kerr Victoria's Secret

Miranda Kerr has been chosen to wear the Victoria’s Secret‘s 2011 Fantasy Treasure at next month’s presentation.

Valued at $2.5 million, the bra is inspired by an underwater dreamland of luxury, exotic glamour and sexy aquatic Angels.

The Fantasy Treasure Bra was created by London Jewellers in Long Island. It boasts almost 3,400 stones, of which there are 142 carats of yellow and white diamonds.
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Perrier-Jouet Champagne Paper Print Ad

Established in 1811, as one of the first houses of champagne, Perrier-Jouet debuts a suite collaboration with paper artist Jo Lynn Alcorn.

Since it’s inception, Perrier-Jouet has treated the process of making champagne as an art form, and this flowery champagne campaign is no different.

Through the art of finely hand cut paper, Jo Lynn Alcorn highlights the essence that corresponds with champagne maker’s five, distinct cuvees, and the quality and flavor notes found in each.
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Tiffany shop Hong Kong

Luxury goods sales set for 10% growth: study

Tiffany shop Hong Kong

The luxury sector is set to post double-digit growth this year to 191 billion euros driven by the appetite of Chinese consumers for top-quality goods, according to a study by Bain & Company released on Monday.

While “the global economic situation is difficult” the luxury sector “is in good health and is growing above all in Asian markets,” said Santo Versace, head of the Italian fashion house and the Altagamma Foundation of Italian luxury companies.

The growth forecast was revised up to 10 percent from 8 percent, but still falls short of the 13-percent growth the sector recorded last year.
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2012 Ferrari FF Neiman Marcus

The 2011 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book

2012 Ferrari FF Neiman Marcus

Upscale retailer Neiman Marcus unveiled the 85th edition of its Christmas Book Tuesday, with nine “fantasy gifts” ranging in price from $5,000 to $1 million.

The 2011 Christmas Book features an Assouline custom-built library, a “Dream Folly” opulent customized yurt, a Neiman Marcus-edition Hacker-Craft speedboat and a table-tennis table that doubles as a contemporary work of art.

This year’s featured car is the Ferrari FF, bespoke for Neiman Marcus. The catalog offers 10 of the Ferraris with four-wheel drive in the silver-gray color “grigio caldo”.
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versace H&M lookbook women

Versace for H&M – Lookbook

versace H&M lookbook women

H&M has released the first official campaign visuals for its design collaboration with Versace, starring models of the moment Daphne Groeneveld and Lindsey Wixson.

Lensed by photographer duo Mert & Marcus, the images give a first impression of Versace’s greatest hits-inspired collection due to hit stores in November.

The range, which includes both men’s and women’s styles, as well as home accessories, “will look back on the heritage of the brand, full of leather, print, colour and exuberance in exclusive materials,” H&M said.
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2012 Fisker Karma

Fisker launches Karma sales

2012 Fisker Karma

Eco-friendly automaker Fisker has launched sales of its Karma sedan, after receiving certification from US authorities.

The Karma Sedan, a plug-in hybrid vehicle powered by both a battery and gasoline engine, is now on sale through its US dealer network.

The model was given a 32-mile (51km) all-electric range by the US Environmental Protection Agency, three miles (five kilometers) under that of the Chevrolet Volt, a similar range-extended vehicle which sells for $39,145.
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Hotel Andaz Shanghai

Andaz Shanghai makes debut

Andaz Shanghai

Hyatt brand Andaz has officially opened the Andaz Shanghai, a 28-storey landmark which adds yet another top-end property to the city’s booming luxury hotel market.

The Andaz Shanghai’s 307 rooms opened to the public for the first time October 18, marking the first entry of the Andaz brand into Asia.

With rooms that offer views of the historical Xintiandi district, the hotel is decorated with mixed media artwork designed to evoke the old and new sides of the area, using items such as LED lighting, sensors, video projections and recycled materials.
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Chanel luxury bike

Top 10 designer bikes

Chanel luxury bike

Bicycles are going couture and they are selling fast! Fashion designers like bikes because, unlike cars, they are easy and inexpensive to customize in ways that produce dramatic visual results, becoming “moving billboards” for their work.

Here are the top ten bikes for eco-conscious style lovers, selected by the design scouts of BuyMeDesign.com.
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