Luxury fragrance brand Kilian has released a line of perfumes named In the Garden of Good and Evil — the perfect fragrances for celebrating 2013, the Year of the Snake.
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Monthly Archives: February 2013
Van Cleef & Arpels Returns to World of Ballet
Famed for his choreography for “Black Swan,” the new head of the Paris Opera Ballet will work with Van Cleef & Arpels on a new piece titled “Reflections.”
Benjamin Millepied doesn’t start as Director of Dance at the Paris Opera until autumn 2014, but he’s already keeping himself busy in the French capital with a new collaboration celebrating precious stones.
More than forty-five years after Van Cleef & Arpels first debuted “Jewels”, a ballet by George Balanchine inspired by the jewelry of the famous Parisian gem-specialist and watchmaker founded in 1896, the brand is working on a new project.
The music for “Reflections” has been composed by David Lang. Costume and stage design will be handled by American artist Barbara Kruger.
Millepied is no stranger to luxury labels; in July 2011 he became the face of Yves Saint Laurent’s L’Homme Libre fragrance.
“Reflections” will be performed from May 23-25, 2013 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Watch Romeo Beckham’s new ad for Burberry
The Beckhams are once again in the limelight. This time, the couple’s second son Romeo Beckham is getting attention for his second ad campaign with Burberry for Spring/Summer 2013.
On December 18, 2012, as it released a new video, luxury brand Burberry announced that Romeo Beckham would be one of the company’s brand ambassadors.
Victoria and David Beckham’s second son has now featured in a second video which is more upbeat than the first. He poses alongside models Edie Campbell and Charlie France for Burberry Prorsum.
The campaign shot by Mario Testino showcases the new Burberry Spring/Summer 2013 collections, in particular indoor and outdoor clothing in metallic hues.
Lane Crawford Spring 2013 3D Campaign
Director Nick Knight worked with Chinese model Ming Xi and stylist Katy England on this punchy new film for Lane Crawford. For the brand’s S/S 2013 campaign, Knight pushed motion capture technology to the limit and created a fashion film and images without the use of photography.
The minute-long clip sees motion-captured data from Ming Xi stitched together with looks from Givenchy, Proenza Schouler, McQueen and Haider Ackermann.
First Chinese luxury cruise liner starts maiden voyage
China’s first luxury liner, the Henna, was inaugurated on January 26 at the Sanya Phoenix Island international port.
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Omega Constellation Sedna Gold
Luxury watchmaker Omega has unveiled the Constellation Sedna. This unique timepiece will be the first to feature Omega’s brand-new alloy, named Sedna™ gold.
Developed in-house at the Omega Manufacture, this alloy blends gold (min. 75%), copper and palladium to create a unique rose color.
As you can see it possesses nice hues of rose and red, though from these images it is hard to distinguish its uniqueness vs. other rose or pink golds.
According to Omega, it takes its name from a trans-Neptunian object which astronomers called 90377 Sedna, an object which possesses one of the reddest surfaces in the Solar System, at least as far as galactic objects go. Sedna is also the goddess of the sea and marine animals in Inuit mythology.
The case features both polished and brushed elements; indexes and hands are also made of Sedna gold, as is the strap clasp. The dial has the “pie-pan” design which traces its roots back to the very first Constellation from 1952. Inside the watch is the Omega co-axial caliber 8501.
The Omega Constellation Sedna will be produced in a limited edition of 1,952 pieces, signifying the year Omega debuted the renowned Constellation watch family.
Source: perpetuelle
New tableware line for Christian Lacroix Maison
Sacha Walckhoff, creative director at Christian Lacroix Maison, has designed a collection of porcelain tableware that delivers graphic lines, trompe-l’oeil effects and butterfly motifs with a touch of fantasy.
This collection is built around four main themes: “Sol y Sombra” — with watercolor stripes, “Forum” — engraved with images of 19th century monuments in Arles, “Picassiette” — a Gaudi-style trompe-l’oeil mosaic of shattered plates and “Butterfly parade” — symbolizing real or imaginary butterflies in flight.
Each piece of this collection is threaded with intertwined gold and platinum.
Since 2010, Walckhoff has launched several collections including a range of textiles, wallpaper and accessories made by Designers Guild, wooden decorative panels created in collaboration with Marotte, a range of stationery produced by Libretto as well as a collection of scented candles for Welton London.
For this tableware collection, Christian Lacroix has collaborated with Vista Alegre, a Portuguese brand known for its high-end tableware, decorative objects and crystal.
World’s most romantic hotel in Greece
Couples who want to spend Valentine’s Day in the most romantic hotel in the world should head for Cyclades in Greece. The Anastasis Apartments on Santorini island is lovers’ favorite place.
Tripadvisor has established a list of the best hotels in which to celebrate Valentine’s Day based on the opinions of the millions of travelers that make up its community.
After the Anastasis Apartments in Greece, La Minerva in Capri, Italy came second and the Cranleigh boutique hotel in Bowness-on-Windermere in the UK came third.
World’s top 10 hotels for romance according to TripAdvisor
1. Anastasis Apartments, Imerovigli, Greece
2. La Minerva, Capri, Italy
3. Cranleigh Boutique, Bowness-on-Windermere, United Kingdom
4. Cedar Manor Hotel and Restaurant, Windermere, United Kingdom
5 .Baros Maldives, North Male Atoll, Maldives
6. Casa del Mar, Langkawi, Pantai Cenang, Malaysia
7. Bardessono, Yountville, California
8. Al Maha Desert Resort, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
9. Layana Resort and Spa, Ko Lanta, Thailand
10. Veligandu Island Resort, North Ari Atoll, Maldives
The Travelers’ Choice Awards are based on millions of traveler’s opinions on hotels on TripAdvisor over a period of 12 months following the 2012 awards, especially comments left by those who indicated that they went on holiday as part of a couple.
T by Alexander Wang releases comedy skit
T by Alexander Wang released a comedic Spring campaign video featuring Anjelah Johnson as Bon Qui Qui, a character originated on MADtv.
Rapper ASAP Rocky cameos alongside models Alessandra Ambrosio and Shannan Click, and Barneys’s creative ambassador-at-large Simon Doonan in a new film for Alexander Wang.
Directed by Gavin McInnes (one of the founders of Vice Magazine), the three-minute film sees ‘Bon Qui Qui’ (played by Johnson) on her first (and soon to be last) day working in an Alexander Wang boutique.
Managing to offend and upset a series of famous customers, Bon Qui Qui then gets her pink slip, and flounces off with one of the brand’s handbags. “I don’t want to help you anyway, I like to work with nice people,” she tells Victoria’s Secret star Ambrosio, before informing a pregnant Shannan Click “that color don’t look real good on you”.
Bon Qui Qui also tries to flirt with hip-hop star ASAP Rocky and accuses British-born fashionisto Doonan of attempting to steal items from the store.
Picasso lover portrait sells for £28.6 mn in London
A portrait of Pablo Picasso‘s lover Marie-Therese Walter sold in London on Tuesday night for £28.6 million ($45.0 million), Sotheby’s auction house said.
The colourful and curvaceous “Femme assise pres d’une fenetre” (Woman sitting by a window), painted in 1932, was sold to an anonymous telephone buyer.
The painting was the star lot in Tuesday’s impressionist, modern and surrealist art sale, achieving the top price in an auction that netted a total of £121 million.
Picasso met his famous muse Marie-Therese Walter in Paris in 1927, when she was 17 and he was 45. Their relationship was kept secret for many years because of her youth and Picasso’s marriage to the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova.
The affair was revealed in 1932 when portraits of Walter were displayed for the first time alongside other Picasso works in a major retrospective, and Khokhlova realised there was another woman in her husband’s life.
Walter, who inspired several of Picasso’s works including “La Lecture”, “La Reve” and “Nature morte aux tulipes”, bore the Spanish artist a daughter, Maya.
Another portrait of Walter from the same series, “Nude, Green Leaves and Bust”, held the record for the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction when it was bought for $106.4 million in 2010.
Gisele Bundchen is named new face of Chanel Beauty
Famous Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen has unveiled, via social networks, a teaser for her ad for Chanel’s new makeup range.
Even though rumors were rife on the web about Rihanna being the new face of Chanel, it came to light that the luxury brand has chosen Gisele Bündchen as its new brand ambassador.
SEE ALSO: GISELE BUNDCHEN IS THE HIGHEST-PAID MODEL
The face of Chanel’s new Les Beiges makeup range — which includes a luminous powder — revealed a teaser for the ad campaign directed by Mario Testino. The model’s always flawless complexion looks extra radiant in the 20-second video.
While Gisele Bündchen is used to posing for the world’s leading designers and brands (Versace, Givenchy, Isabel Marant and H&M), she has not been involved in many beauty campaigns.
Marc Jacobs new creative director for Diet Coke
American designer Marc Jacobs gets into role as he takes over from Jean Paul Gaultier as the creative director of Diet Coke for 2013.
At the end of the month, the brand will unveil new cans by the designer who heads up his own signature clothing line and is also at the helm of Louis Vuitton.
After JPG’s eccentric style, Diet Coke is now looking at a more casual look for this year with designs and ads that will reflect Marc Jacobs’s trademark style codes.
Diet Coke is celebrating 30 years of sales in Europe in 2013 in a campaign called “Sparkling Together for 30 Years.” MJ is also looking back at that period, having sought inspiration for the product collection in the past three decades of fashion.
As Coca-Cola explained, the range will “capture the rise of female empowerment through the Eighties, Nineties and Noughties,” as well as integrate some of Jacobs’s favorite symbols and quirky motifs.
“I feel very privileged to be the new Creative Director of Diet Coke and put my stamp on the 30th anniversary campaign. Diet Coke is an icon… and I love an icon!” admitted Marc Jacobs.
To give consumers an idea of what to expect from this new collection of cans and bottles, an ad featuring the designer himself makes clear the spirit of the campaign.
The new ad is a nod to the famous 1990s Diet Coke ad “Diet Coke Hunk,” featuring an Adonisesque heartthrob who enthralled all the women in an office. However, this time round, Marc Jacobs is exposing his chiseled body in a photo booth.
Richard Mille introduces new watch classification
In 2001, Richard Mille created the first watch in the collection: the tourbillon RM 001. The range is now composed of almost 50 models, all designed, developed and produced by the Richard Mille brand.
From tourbillon calibers to automatic movements, Richard Mille timepieces translate a watchmaker’s vision of various industries, such as automobiles, sport, aeronautics and sailing.
Richard Mille has now decided to rethink the names of his watches in order to classify them in families according to their characteristic themes and complications, according to thewatchquote.com.
As an example, the models in the RM 011 family, automatic sport watches equipped with a flyback chronograph, will be renamed the RM 11-01, RM 11-02, while those in the RM 056 family of tourbillon calibers featuring sapphire crystal cases will now be known as the RM 56-01, RM 56-02 and so forth.
Brooks Brothers arrives in India
Brooks Brothers has unveiled a luxury boutique in New Delhi with new locations expected to roll out this year. Founded in Manhattan in 1818, Brooks Brothers is a historic icon on the American retail landscape
Well known for its suiting and shirting, it was the first US brand to offer ready-to-wear (an unheard of concept before 1845) and introduced Madras prints and seersucker suits to the US market.
With a new 1,800 square ft store in Ambience Mall, Brooks Brothers has brought its classic American business-prep style to the sub-continent in an effort to chase the aspirational Indian customer.
Five new stores are expected this year, a rapid burst due to the Indian goverment’s recent decision to relax rules on foreign-owned retailers. A second Indian Brooks Brothers store will open in Gurgaon (next to New Delhi) this week. This will be joined by new mall-based stores in Chandigarh and Chennai and freestanding locations in Bangalore and Hyderabad.
Brooks Brothers has been present in Japan for over 30 years, but the brand’s more recent expansion has focused on fast-growing markets in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. The first Indonesian store opened in Dec. 2012.
Famed for dressing a series of presidents and world leaders, the brand is also one of the partners for this year’s film version of The Great Gatsby, and supplies clothes for TV’s “Mad Men”.
Avant-garde fashion lovers aren’t left out either: a succesful tie-in with New York designer Thom Browne led to the creation of the brand’s luxury ‘Black Fleece’ label.
Store address: Shop No.UG- 030, Upper Ground Floor, Ambience Mall, Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, Phase-II, New Delhi 110070
Burberry says ‘Happy New Year’ to Chinese fans
British luxury brand Burberry has released a new video wishing fans Happy New Year in Chinese alongside a line of special red products.
The limited edition line in different shades of red includes the Blaze Bag, one of the highlights of the 2013 Spring summer collection. Other leather goods and scarves also feature.
From Feb. 10, Burberry will also be celebrating Chinese New Year across all digital platforms and on the Chinese social networks Sina Weibo, YouKu and Douban.
The new products are available on Burberry.com, which now has a dedicated ‘Chinese New Year Gifts’ section, and will appear in Burberry stores alongside traditional lucky red envelopes which will be given out to customers.
Wynn acquires $33,6 million Tulips by Jeff Koons
Wynn Las Vegas unveiled artist Jeff Koons‘ sculpture titled Tulips at the hotel-casino on Thursday. The sculpture was bought at an auction last year for $33,682,500.
The legendary piece is the sculptural culmination of Koons’ Celebration series. Created in five unique versions, Tulips is one of the largest and most complex sculptures in the series.
The sculpture represents a bouquet of twisted balloon flowers, which have been cast in stainless steel and brought to a high mirror polish and plated in a vivid spectrum of color.
The gleaming surface and vivid color palette of the sculpture reflect both the viewer and itself, resulting in a kaleidoscope of color and near infinite reflections.
The sculpture creates the sensation of weightlessness but is paradoxically heavy, employing more than 3 tons of meticulously sculpted stainless steel.
Dior opens first boutique in Australia
Christian Dior opened its first Australasian flagship boutique in Sydney last week, reflecting continued demand for luxury fashion despite the tough economic climate.
The new store is designed to replicate Dior’s renowned boutique on Paris’s Avenue Montaigne. It is located in the former Louis Vuitton store on the corner of King and Castlereagh streets.
Designed in the style of a grand Parisian apartment, with a dozen distinct rooms, the store spans four storeys and features women’s ready to wear, menswear, timepieces, accessories and fine jewellery.
In recent months, Chanel, Gucci, LV, Prada, Miu Miu, Salvatore Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta have either set up for the first time in Australia, opened in more locations, or rejuvenated existing stores.
Australia has become a target for luxury brands lured by a high Australian dollar, a healthy economy compared with Europe, and proximity to the emerging Asian market.
Stella McCartney Spring 2013 Campaign
Famous Russian model Natalia Vodianova has once again been chosen by Stella McCartney as the face of the brand’s new Summer campaign.
The campaign shot by photography duo Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott, features pieces from Stella McCartney’s Summer 2013 ready-to-wear collection as well as handbags, sunglasses and frames.
The first shots highlight graphic pieces and prints as well as animal prints (especially snakeskin) and embroidery. In terms of shoes, the British brand has gone in for transparent platforms.
Natalia Vodianova recently posed for the latest Guerlain beauty campaign and for its fragrance Shalimar as well as for Calvin Klein. She was also the face of Stella McCartney’s Autumn/Winter 2012 collection.
Paris women finally allowed to wear trousers
Women in Paris can finally wear trousers without fear of criminal prosecution after the government said a more than 200-year-old ban no longer had any legal effect.
Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, France’s minister of women’s rights, said in a statement that the ban, imposed on November 17, 1800, was incompatible with modern French values and laws.
The municipal order required women to seek permission from local police if they wanted to “dress like a man” by wearing trousers. It was modified in 1892 & 1909 to allow women to wear trousers if they were holding a bicycle handlebar or the reins of a horse” but had officially remained on the books.
Parisian women had demanded the right to wear trousers during the French Revolution when working-class revolutionaries were known as “sans-culottes” for wearing trousers instead of the silk-knee breeches favoured by the bourgeoisie.
Women’s dress continues to stir political passions in France, with Cecile Duflot, the Green housing minister, criticised last May for wearing jeans to the first cabinet meeting of Socialist President Francois Hollande’s new government. She was later subjected to jeers and wolf-whistles while wearing a floral summer dress in the National Assembly.
A number of women also broke parliamentary protocol by wearing jeans during an extended debate at the weekend over France’s planned legalisation of gay marriage.
Sephora opens Shanghai flagship
Cosmetics chain Sephora has opened a beauty mega-boutique in Shanghai featuring 7,000 products over five floors. It is located at the junction of Nanjing West Road and Maoming Road.
Sephora has been present in China since 2005 and has expanded to 133 locations in 47 towns and cities in the country. This latest store is the largest in the country with 1,500 m² of shopping space, featuring 118 different brands, of which 17 are Asian.
Chinese cosmetics are skincare driven, and the first two floors of the new store are devoted to cosmetics, haircare, skincare and fragrance.
The third floor features a Sephora academy, which aims to train up a team of ‘beauty experts’ to be deployed in-store.
Founded in Paris, France, in 1970, Sephora is now owed by luxury giant LVMH. It has grown into a global beauty brand with nearly 900 stores in Europe (including Russia), 700 in the North and South Americas, 144 in Asia, and 24 in the Middle East.
Alexander Wang Teams Up With Samsung
New York-based designer Alexander Wang has teamed up with tech giant Samsung to produce a limited-edition handbag.
Wang has enlisted a group of influential stylists, photographers and friends who will use the Samsung Galaxy Note II to produce images which will serve as a source of inspiration for a print for the handbag.
“I am most inspired from my everyday life and the people that surround me, so the idea of a co-creation with the people that I admire and respect the most is very exciting,” said Alexander Wang.
The edgy accessory will be available in select Alexander Wang boutiques as well as the brand’s website from this summer. Proceeds will be donated to ArtStart, an award-winning, nationally-recognized charity that uses the arts to nurture the creative talents of at-risk children and youth.
