Monthly Archives: December 2011

Versace First Kids Store

Versace’s first kids store opens

Versace First Kids Store

Italian fashion house Versace recently opened its first boutique in Milan dedicated to kids’ line Young Versace, geared toward boys and girls from 0 to 12 years old.

Young Versace is located on the ground floor of the company’s headquarters on Via Borgospesso and is quite small at 538 square feet.

The store will offer the line’s inaugural Spring 2012 collection, which includes zipper-detailed tops, studded hoodies and skirts with the brand’s key motif.
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Hyatt Capital Gate hotel

Abu Dhabi’s Hyatt Capital Gate Hotel

Hyatt Capital Gate hotel

The Hyatt Capital Gate hotel, which offers 189 five-star rooms, will finally open its doors December 21 in Abu Dhabi.

The hotel leans a record-breaking 18 degrees — more than four times that of Italy’s famed Leaning Tower of Pisa, which is angled at just under four degrees.

The striking style of the building earned it a place among Guinness World Records last year, despite a two-year delay in the handover.
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San Francisco penthouse

Most Expensive Penthouse in San Francisco Sold

San Francisco penthouse

A two-floor, $28 million San Francisco penthouse has made history as the most expensive condo sold in the city’s history.

The 20,000-square-foot condo features floor-to-ceiling glass windows, six bedrooms, seven full baths, four powder rooms; 2,500 square foot master suite, thirteen-seat home cinema and four terraces, four fireplaces and six car parking.

The penthouse was originally asking $70 million in 2008 by Victor MacFarlane, a real-estate developer who bought three apartment shells and combined them.
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Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Merveilleux

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Merveilleux

Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Merveilleux

Bugatti has unveiled the Super Sport Edition Merveilleux. The one-off model is apparently a birthday present for a mysterious Chinese man named Simon.

This special Super Sport model is distinguished by an unpainted carbon fiber body, blacked-out alloys and brightwork, and a bright blue interior.

The Edition Merveilleux is unveiled in a special video (below) wishing the owner of the latest one-off Bugatti a happy birthday.
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Roger Vivier shoes

Roger Vivier to Introduce Kids’ Line

Roger Vivier shoes

French shoe label Roger Vivier has revealed the launch of a mini-me footwear line, following the increasing popularity of designer childrenswear.

The French footwear label will introduce a line called Roger Vivier – Jeune Fille, or, in English, Roger Vivier – Girl, to its international stores in March.

The line will be a reworking of the house’s brightly colored patent leather adult ballerinas, which carry the brand’s signature buckle.
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WIFI on Board

Emirates hooks up A380 planes to wi-fi

WIFI on Board

Middle Eastern airline Emirates has announced the launch of wireless internet access on board its fleet of flagship super-jumbo A380 aircraft.

Customers flying the massive planes, which operate between Dubai and destinations such as Paris and London, will now be able to use wifi-enabled devices on selected routes, Emirates confirmed December 12.

Eleven of the airline’s 19 planes have now been kitted out with the technology, with the remainder of the fleet following suit in the coming months.
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Bocuse d’Or USA 2012‎

Bocuse d'Or 2011

Considered the Olympics of the culinary world, the Bocuse d’Or USA will choose the American chef-team to represent the biennial Bocuse d’Or Cuisine Contest in 2013.

Finalists this year include Bill Bradley, Danny Cerqueda, Jeffrey Lizotte and Richard Rosendale.

On January 28 and 29, the chefs will compete for the chance to carry the American flag into the international competition in Lyon, France.
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Buche de Belvedere Vodka

Buche de Belvedere Vodka for Christmas 2011

Buche de Belvedere Vodka

In homage to the famous silver birch trees emblematic of the brand, Belvedere has chosen to “caulk” in one of them and turn into ice bucket for a perfect tasting.

Under the bark of chromed metal hides a heart of tender birch, home of a bottle of Belvedere Pure 70 cl.

Presented on a sleek clear acrylic base, the central part of the log behind the scenes and shows the bottle in the hollow section.
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Cartier Skeleton Pocket Watch

Cartier Skeleton Pocket Watch – SIHH 2012

Cartier Skeleton Pocket Watch

For each of the past few years at the SIHH show in Geneva, Cartier has unveiled a “grande complication” wristwatch featuring a tourbillon, perpetual calendar and monopusher chronograph.

This year, Cartier has drawn inspiration from Cartier pocket watches produced in the 1930′s to produce the eye-catching piece you see here.

The watch is crafted in white gold, with skeletonized Roman numerals, something that we have also seen the past few years in some of Cartier’s higher end pieces.
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Prada LG phone 3

PRADA phone by LG 3.0

Prada LG phone 3

LG and fashion label Prada are collaborating for the third time to release the first LG Prada smartphone, the Prada phone by LG 3.0.

The phone combines Prada’s style with LG’s innovative technology, including one of the biggest and brightest screens in the world with 4.3inch and 800-nit screen.

Menus and the user interface are also influenced by Prada with black, grey and white menu and icons.
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Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Robb Report 21 Ultimate Gifts 2011

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

Each year Robb Report comes out with an “Ultimate Gifts” issue of exclusive, jaw-droppingly expensive holiday offerings exclusive to its readers.

This year is no exception, with 21 items designed to appeal to those who have everything.

Topping the list of profligate presents is a $260 million Boeing 787 Dreamliner VIP jumbo jet with a custom interior design and exterior paint scheme by Edese Doret.
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Four Seasons Maldives Portable Food

Four Seasons launches 15-minute room service

Four Seasons Maldives Portable Food

Four Seasons has announced a new in-room menu designed for travelers who are tight for time. The option guarantees a delivery to the room within 15 min of ordering.

The fast food service will be rolled out across all Four Seasons hotels by the end of the year, with each hotel offering a different twist on rapid cooking.

Examples of the menus include wonton noodle soup with Chinese greens from the Four Seasons Hong Kong.
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Palace Arms at the Brown Palace Hotel

OpenTable Diners Pick Top 100 Restaurants of 2011

Palace Arms at the Brown Palace Hotel

Online reservation site OpenTable.com has announced the Diners’ Choice Awards for the top 100 best restaurants in the United States.

The list of winners is derived from more than 10 million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 12,000 restaurants across the US.

The honorees span 35 states and include Canlis in Seattle, Barbara Lynch’s Menton in Boston andJohn Besh’s Restaurant August in New Orleans.
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W Hotel Paris Opera Logo

W Paris unveils interior details

W Hotel Paris Opera Logo

Hotel chain Starwood has released new details of its soon-to-open luxury property in Paris, set to open on February 14.

The W Paris revealed December 14 that the structure has been conceptualized by the Rockwell Group, the designers behind the W New York.

The hotel has been designed along the theme of light, playing on Paris’s nickname, Rockwell said, combining ‘unexpected materials’ with high-tech touches.
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Wine tasting judge Nicolas Carre

Chinese wines beat Bordeaux in blind tasting

Wine tasting judge Nicolas Carre

A region of northern China that began growing grapes for fine wine just a decade ago has beaten the French wine-producing region of Bordeaux in a blind tasting.

A group of wine experts ranked the bottles from the remote and sparsely populated Ningxia region above those from Bordeaux at the tasting, held in Beijing.

The jury sampled five wines from each region, selecting a cabernet sauvignon from the Grace Vineyard in Ningxia as the top-scoring bottle.
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one57

One57 to be NYC’s Tallest Residential Tower

one57

One57, the ultra-luxury condo tower that’s under construction on West 57th Street, is being billed as the tallest residential tower in New York City.

Thirteen condos in the building are listed with asking prices of $42 million or more, and two high-floor duplexes are priced at $98.5 million.

The 90-story glass tower will feature 95 residences above a Park Hyatt. Hotel amenities will be available to residents.
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2013 mercedes benz SL

2013 Mercedes-Benz SL

2013 mercedes benz SL

The first official images of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class have been leaked online, showing the all-new shape in full detail.

The 2013 SL bears a completely new look that draws inspiration from its smaller SLK sibling and the SLS AMG supercar.

As Mercedes has released, 89% the body is constructed of aluminum, making the SL 308 lbs – lighter than the 2012 version.
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