Monthly Archives: October 2011

most expensive Chocolate Pudding

UK hotel unveils most expensive dessert

most expensive Chocolate Pudding

Chef Marc Guibert at Lindeth Howe Country House Hotel in Windermere, Cumbria has created the world’s most expensive dessert.

It is made of exclusive ingredients like caviar and four different types of the finest Belgian chocolate flavoured with a combination of peach, orange and whiskey.

Styled like a Faberge Easter egg, it is layered with champagne jelly, a light biscuit joconde and glazed with edible gold leaf.
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Mise en Dior

Dior’s Animated Film “Mise en Dior”

Mise en Dior

Following recent machine-inspired videos by Chanel and Dior, the latter has released yet another creative ad, this time for its Mise en Dior necklace.

Christian Dior’s creative director of accessories, Camille Miceli, was the visionary behind the film named after the first necklace she created.

Shot from the perspective of one of its pearls, the pinball-inspired film follows its journey along the steps of the creation of the necklace, with every completed detail being ‘rewarded’ with an iconic Dior piece, such as the Lady Dior bag.
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Japan beats France on three-star restaurants

Guide Michelin Japan 2012

Japan has overtaken France for the number of restaurants with three Michelin stars, according to the latest guide to the nation’s western cities to be released on Friday.

Japan is now home to 29 establishments that hold the highly coveted three-star rating, against 25 in France.

The latest version of the Michelin guide to Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe this year adds the former capital Nara and will be available both in Japanese and English.
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harvey Nichols hong kong

Harvey Nichols opens flagship in Hong Kong

harvey Nichols hong kong

For a city that prides itself on being one of the world’s great shopping destinations, 2011 has been a stellar year for Hong Kong.

Major brands such as Apple and Hogan have already created much fanfare with the opening of flagship and a concept store here, respectively.

And the shopping landscape was extended further Tuesday as the Harvey Nichols brand welcomed shoppers into its 83,000-square-foot (7710 sq m] flagship in the city’s Pacific Place mall, set in the Admiralty district.
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Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo

Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo Watch

Urwerk UR-110 ZrN Torpedo

The Urwerk Champagne Supernova is a limited edition twist on Urwerk’s UR-110 Torpedo watch launched early this year.

The radiant and very nice looking color comes from a coating of Zirconium Nitride on the bezel, which provides the distinctive pale gold hue that gives rise to the “Champagne Supernova” nickname.

Zirconium Nitride is a high-performance ceramic coating that provides superb scratch, wear and corrosion resistance.
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Bubble in Paris

“Bubble in Paris” by Taittinger Champagne

Bubble in Paris

Hilton Arc de Triomphe Paris has partnered with Taittinger Champagne to create the “Bubble in Paris” bar that resembles a life-size snow globe.

The translucent bar was conceived by artist Jean-Hugues de Chatillon, who drew inspiration from the mythical realm of Narnia to bottle a miniature winter wonderland.

The 16-foot tall dome will house an all-white, central, circular bar and small lounge that can accommodate 35 visitors at a time and will be open until New Year’s Eve.
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Dolce and Gabbana The One

Scarlett Johansson in “The One” for Dolce & Gabbana

Dolce and Gabbana The One

Dolce & Gabbana has released a new promotional video for its The One fragrance, starring Scarlett Johansson.

Directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the filmed ad shows Johansson “revealing the provocative yet effortless femininity of the eternal diva.”
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Spaceport America

Branson opens world’s first ‘spaceport’ in New Mexico

Spaceport America Foster and Partners

Richard Branson on Monday opened the world’s first-ever commercial spaceport in the New Mexico desert, the new home for his company, Virgin Galactic.

The eccentric businessman inaugurated the building by breaking a champagne bottle against a hanger building, while rappelling down the side of it.

“Spaceport America” awill serve “as the operating hub for Virgin Galactic and is expected to house up to two WhiteKnightTwos and five SpaceShipTwos, in addition to all of Virgins astronaut preparation facilities and mission control.”
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Serenty Coast Marina

Simpson Marine in China

Serenty Coast Marina

Simpson Marine, Asia’s largest yacht brokerage company, has opened a flagship office at the Serenity Coast Marina in Sanya, Hainan.

“Simpson Marine is ready to serve the Chinese market, and specifically its southern part, which is transforming itself into the yachting hub of China.”

On top of the existing 8 marinas in operation, over 12 new marina projects have been identified on the southern coast of China and Hainan. The idea of a Chinese Riviera stretching from Xiamen to Sanya has never been so relevant.
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St Regis Florence

The St Regis Florence with Bottega Veneta suite

St Regis Florence

International hotel chain Starwood has announced the reopening of a landmark Florence hotel, complete with a suite from top designer label Bottega Veneta.

The St Regis Florence, originally the Grand Hotel Florence, has been treated to a ten-month restoration which has seen significant interior changes to the 18th century palace, ranked among the city’s most significant buildings.

The hotel boasts 81 rooms and 19 suites, decorated by local artisans and including antique furniture such as hand-carved gold leaf frames and crystal chandeliers.
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Mysteres des Anges Cognac

Rémy Martin X La Maison du Chocolat

Mysteres des Anges Cognac

Rémy Martin and La Maison du Chocolat, have created a new limited edition gift box for lovers of both fine cognac and chocolate.

The red lacquered box contains a bottle of Rémy Martin XO Excellence Cognac positioned side by side with a signature gift box of assorted chocolates.

The box is created by Cellar Master of the House of Rémy Martin, Pierrette Trichet and Master Pastry Chef, Creative Director at La Maison du Chocolat, Gilles Marchal.
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Louis Vuitton Island Maison

Louis Vuitton opens first Maison in Southeast Asia

Louis Vuitton Island Maison

Louis Vuitton is celebrating two premieres: its first luxury concept store in the region, and its first ‘Island Maison,’ a multi-storey shopping location on a private island.

Located in Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, the Maison built by star architect Peter Marino sells women’s and men’s collections, Louis Vuitton’s jewelry as well as design and art books. It is the 12th Maison in the world for the label.
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Burberry fashion show Beijing

Top 10 Luxury Brands Using Digital

Burberry fashion show Beijing

L2, a company that conducts research on digital business innovation, has released a study on the most web-savvy designers.

Burberry, which this week reported a 30-percent revenue rise for the first half of the financial year mainly due to a boom in the Chinese market, came out on top — “proof that digital investments translate to shareholder value,” according to L2.

Judging from its analysis, it is safe to say that those brands that connected the dots between social media and e-commerce fared best in the ranking.
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24kt Gold Chocolate Champagne Truffles

24kt Gold Chocolate Champagne Truffles

It’s not unusual for gold to be used in products for food and drink. Chocolate lovers everywhere, prepare yourself for a tantalizing and opulent treat!

Branded the world’s most luxurious chocolate experience, using the most expensive dark chocolate, and wrapped in 24kt gold; The Chocolate company creates “Luxury Truffles” and the taste is hidden behind carefully selected ingredients.

The Chocolate is so special that is has taken more than two years to perfect, thus creating a smoother tasting experience and even though the entire ingredient mix is a secret, champagne is also used to fill the truffles and a lot of it.

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Cunard Queen Mary 2

Cunard and Crystal are among top cruise lines

Cunard Queen Mary 2

Cunard has won a clean sweep among the best large ships selected by the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise.

The annual publication is well known for selecting the best of the industry out of a total of 285 vessels selected by prolific cruise writer Douglas Ward.

This year, Cunard ships managed to place first, second and third in the large ship category (over 1,600 passengers), with the Queen Mary 2 topping the rank, followed by the new Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab bicycle

New Galaxy Tab Case comes with a Bicycle

Samsung Galaxy Tab bicycle

UK-based bicycle manufacturer, 14 Bike Co., collaborated with Samsung to create a top-range bike with a holder designed to accommodate the Galaxy Tab.

The detachable Tab holder positioned in the triangular frame is made from quality Carbon fibre featuring the same Carbon specification used on F1 cars.

Accessible from the side, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 holder allows for the device to be used easily whilst on the move.
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Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 Convertible

Chevrolet unveils Camaro convertible update

Chevrolet Camaro ZL-1 Convertible

Chevrolet has announced an update to its iconic Camaro pony car set to be unveiled next month.

The Camaro ZL will be the most powerful Chevrolet convertible ever, with a supercharged 6.2-liter engine rated at 580 horsepower (432 kW).

The output will outshine models including the Aston Martin DB9 Volante, the Mercedes SL63 AMG, the Porsche 911 Turbo S and the Ford Shelby GT500.
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Gareth Pugh iPad Case

Gareth Pugh iPad Case

Gareth Pugh iPad Case

Gareth Pugh Men’s iPad Case is a tablet designer case for 2011 autumn/winter season. This luxury tablet case, seen here in black, is made in Italy.

Using the bold tessellating pattern, present through Gareth Pugh’s collection for autumn/winter, this iPad case is a striking example of the designer’s geometric style.

Cut from soft premium leather and stamped with the patterned design, the case is padded making it a highly tactile piece.
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miss dior cherie portman

Dior makes vegan shoes for Natalie Portman

miss dior cherie portman

Natalie Portman has enthused about her new role as the face of Miss Cherie for Dior, revealing that Dior re-makes its accessories for the strictly vegan actress.

She told WWD.com: “One of the things that’s been so nice is that Dior made all of the shoes for me with no animals and no leather or anything, because I don’t wear any leather…They re-made all my shoes so I can wear Dior shoes without taking lives.”

In 2008 Natalie Portman launched her own line of shoes, after bemoaning the lack of vegan footwear on sale, and is often seen in Stella McCartney’s vegan styles.
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