A wealthy businessman has purchased a wildly extravagant chocolate pudding glazed with edible gold and strawberry champagne caviar for a record £22,000.
Carl Weininger splashed out on the world’s most expensive dessert for his 60th birthday – and as a treat for himself after his three-year relationship ended.
He bought the cake from Lindeth Howe Country House Hotel in Windermere, Cumbria – the former home of the children’s author Beatrix Potter.
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Chanel’s Le Coton pads, at $20 a package, boast a Japanese-design, handpicked Egyptian cotton and an inner filling “comprised of lightly entwined, elastic Australian fibers,” according to Chanel’s website. Each cotton pad features the Chanel logo.
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Italian model Bianca Balti stars in the Fall/Winter 2011 Dolce & Gabbana jewelry advertisements lensed by Giampaolo Sgura.
The images capture Bianca getting ready in lingerie inspired looks and crafted jewerly featuring tri-color gold, rubies, sapphires and pearls.
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The annual Chanel Metier D’Arts premiere took place in the Galerie Courbe at Paris’s Grand Palais Tuesday December 6 with an India-themed luxury show.
Models, adorned with accessories including head-jewellery and turbans – also for men – walked the epic runway sporting the 2012 pre-fall collection.
Guests sat at banquet tables, which doubled as a runway, complete with chandeliers, opulent candlesticks – and a feast fit for a Maharaja.
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Artist John Baldessari has plastered a fake $100,000 bill on a billboard next to Manhattan’s High Line elevated park, on 10th Avenue at West 18th Street.
$100,000 bills actually exist. They were printed during the Great Depression but never publicly circulated.
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Model Chanel Iman unveiled what has been dubbed the world’s first million-dollar fragrance bottle in New York on December 5.
The 21-year-old was accompanied by bodyguards to present a specially designed version of the latest fragrance Golden Delicious at DKNY’s New York flagship store.
Inspired by the New York skyline and designed by jeweler Martin Katz, the bottle is adorned with 2,909 rare jewels from across the globe, including 2,700 white diamonds, 183 yellow sapphires and a 2.43-carat yellow canary diamond.
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French artisan Philippe Pasqua has unveiled his latest work of art: a Ferrari F430 that’s been covered in skin-colored leather and exquisitely tattooed.
For all car enthusiasts, this one-off creation shall be on display at the Galerie Laurent Strouk, Paris around the middle of January 2012.
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Dolce & Gabbana have launched the Velvet Collection, a series of six haute parfumerie scents, each inspired by various parts of Italy.
The scents are a masterful mix of amber, citrus, floral, woody and spiced essences which recreate the Mediterranean mood.
The names of the fragrances are: Velvet Vetiver, Velvet Patchouli, Velvet Wood, Velvet Desire, Velvet Sublime and Velvet Love.
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Jennifer Lopez has inaugurated in Casablanca the Morocco Mall, billed as Africa’s largest shopping centre and among the world’s top five.
After Princess Lalla Meryem officially opened the mall on Thursday, the US star became its first customer and capped the glitzy launch with a private concert.
The sprawling megamall, which sits on 10 hectares of land facing the Atlantic Ocean, aims to attract 14 million visitors a year and become one top tourist destinations.
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Grand Marnier is celebrating this year’s winter holiday season with the ninth annual limited edition of its classic Cordon Rouge.
The bottle makes a bold transition from its usual brown and red seal, to brilliant white, with a red ribbon elegantly wrapped around its sleek curves.
The new red ribbon design 70cl bottle will be available in selected wholesalers and luxury retail outlets. The price tag of this Grand Marnier special edition is at $59.
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Contemporary hotel chain Mondrian is to open its first property in Europe in London, the company has confirmed.
The luxury Mondrian London is to be located inside the iconic Sea Containers house, a huge building located on the South Bank of the River Thames.
Morgan’s Hotel Group will open the 360-room Mondrian London in early 2014, pumping approximately $15 million into the conversion.
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Christian Dior have launched a one-off accessories line in collaboration with conceptual German artist Anselm Reyle.
Reyle has been given carte blanche to create a collection of accessories utilising his use of colour and texture.
The collection will include everything from wallets and clutches up to full sized handbags and shopper totes.
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The Swiss watch maker brand Jaquet Droz is celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Petite Heure Minute Dragon.
Clearly intended for the Chinese market, this is a limited edition of 88 pieces featuring a painted scene of two imperial dragons fighting over a pearl.
They are set against an ivory background of Grand Feu enamel. Subtle touches of red enhance the powerful imagery of the drawing.
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Infiniti is to debut inductive charging on its forthcoming electric vehicle model, according to reports.
The Nissan-owned luxury manufacturer is set to launch its own electric vehicle in 2014, to offer a high-class counterpoint to the pioneering Nissan Leaf.
In an industry-first, it looks like that model will be able to charge wirelessly using ‘inductive’ technology, reports Popular Mechanics.
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A fleet of luxury sportscars has been involved in one of the most expensive accidents in history after an astonishing multi-car pile-up in Japan.
The wreck included several Ferrari 355s, Ferrari F430s, Ferrari F360, Ferrari F512, Lamborghini Diablo and three Mercedes models as well as a Nissan Skyline.
The Ferrari driver reportedly lost control round a wet curve of China Road in Yamaguchi Prefecture when he hit a median creating a catastrophic chain reaction.
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Copenhagen restaurant Noma, widely regarded as among the world’s top gastronomic establishments, has launched a city guide.
The restaurant has created a guidebook to the Danish capital in a tie-up with travel booking site Momondo, which is also based in the city.
The guide is written by Noma’s international staff and features reviews of their favorite places in the city, with the restaurant’s manager Peter Kreiner saying that the book contains “angles that may even surprise a native.”
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Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway has been announced as co-host for the launch of the Valentino Online Museum today.
Confirmed panelists for the press conference, due to be streamed live on Youtube, include Amit Sood and Italian Vogue editor in chief Franca Sozzani.
The Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum will feature more than 300 dresses worn by Hollywood stars such as Julia Roberts and Sophia Loren.
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Morocco’s ambition to become a shopping superpower takes another leap forward with the public opening of Casablanca’s Morocco Mall today.
It is set to be one of the largest malls in the world and home to the new Galeries Lafayette International, the brand’s first international store.
The building contains over 600 brands, 250,000 square meters of floor space and 140,000 square meters of gardens, all situated by the city’s beautiful waterfront.
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The biggest restaurant in the UK opened its doors this week with a capacity of feeding a small army of 2,100 diners a night.
Bristol’s harborside restaurant Za Za Bazaar spans 30,000 square feet (2,790 square meters) and two floors, and serves up an all-you-can-eat buffet that includes Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Italian and traditional British fare.
Like a giant food court, diners take in a lay of the land, sidle up to different sections, choose their ingredients and watch as one of 36 chefs cook their meal.
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Mercedes-Benz has unveiled a new collaboration with Bologna-based Ducati to be unveiled at the Bologna Motor Show.
The ‘Streetfighter Yellow’ models are designed to celebrate the partnership between the automaker and motorcycle brand.
This partnership has already produced several collaborations such as the Ducati Diavel AMG Special Edition showcased in September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
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Encircled by clear blue waters of one of the largest lagoons of the Maldives, the Taj Exotica Resort & Spa is an eclusive and private retreat.
The resort seamlessly extends the magic of the island’s blessed natural beauty in its design even as it offers the finest in contemporary luxuries and services.
Each of the resort’s luxuriously designed 64 villas boast crisp linens, warm wooden patios, and private infinity pools.
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