Monthly Archives: February 2013

VertuTi

First Vertu Android smartphone leaked early

First Vertu Android smartphone

The first pictures and specification details have emerged of the Ti, the first handset built by luxury smartphone maker Vertu, since Nokia sold the company in October.

The Vertu Ti runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, and features a WVGA display, dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon processor, is NFC compatible and supports Bluetooth 4.0.

What’s more, it is expected to retail for a ‘mere’ €3000 — making it one of the most expensive Android handsets on the market but by no means the most expensive Vertu handset ever dreamed up.

The company became famous for its exclusive handsets that incorporated expensive materials including carbon fibre, titanium, leather and even gold, and with its always-on concierge service, Vertu established the market for luxury smartphones.

However, since the brand’s heyday, other companies, most notably Ulysse Nardin Chairman, whose handsets combine the best elements of a smartphone with the best of a handcrafted Swiss chronograph, have pushed Vertu off its perch.

Although the company is no longer part of Nokia, the innards of the smartphone have been provided by the Finnish company, so technically speaking, the Vertu Ti is Nokia’s first Android phone.

alber elbaz skype

Alber Elbaz Skypes in the Lanvin Spring Campaign

alber elbaz skype

French fashion brand Lanvin has released a new video featuring the inimitable talents of designer and creative director Alber Elbaz.

Lanvin are certainly fans of a bizarre video concept, whether it’s models dancing to Pitbull or their casting style interviews for Fall 2012 featuring Lanvin-clad charactersexploring their own idiosyncracies.

The latest video produced by the brand, and shot by famed fashion photographer Steven Meisel, comes with a typically post-modern twist.

Saskia de Brauw, Karlie Kloss and Daria Strokous appear alongside a cast of waif-like male models in 1970s Hollywood-style video sequences which match the aesthetic of the brand’s print campaign.

Then Alber Elbaz, the brand’s creative director suddenly appears in the corner of the screen as if he’s using Skype to discuss the shoot. The Moroccan-born Israeli fashion designer starts to comment on the video: “I cannot tell about the makeup – it’s not lipstick right?” he asks, playing the fashion ingénue.

Still shots from the campaign appear over the top of the video next to the models, which definitely gets his approval “love! love! love! J’adore!” he exclaims, “it’s California at its best!”.

LykanHypersport 2013, the first Arabian supercar

W Motors Lykan Hypersport

The Arab world’s first true supercar, the LykanHypersport 2013, is turning heads in its official debut at the Qatar Motor Show this week.

Beirut-based W Motor claim that its flat-six, twin-turbocharged engine delivers 750hp and will propel the car from 0 to 100 kph in 2.8 seconds to reach the breakneck maximum speed of 390 kph. In doing so the car is entering Bugatti Veyron territory in terms of performance levels.

But to be a true hypercar, performance and luxury must go hand in hand, and so for those who demand the finer things in life, the car’s LED headlights are diamond-encrusted while the seats feature real gold stitching.

WMotors Lykan Hypersport

The instrument panel uses a revolutionary 3D virtual holographic display and many of its functions and commands are motion- and gesture-activated.

Only 7 examples of the LykanHypersport 2013 will be produced and each one will come with a 24/7 concierge service and a special edition $200,000 Cyrus Klepcys Watch also limited to 7 examples.

The LykanHypersport 2013 will retail for $3.4 million with the first orders expected to be fulfilled in September 2013.

LykanHypersport Qatar Auto Show

Uniqlo Birtwell

Uniqlo teams up with Celia Birtwell

Celia Birtwell for Uniqlo

Uniqlo has teamed up with British designer Celia Birtwell for a new capsule collection. Set to launch this spring, Uniqlo has reinvigorated a range of classic prints by textiles legend Celia Birtwell.

Uniqlo has taken a selection of Birtwell’s archive prints, which were re-imagined, re-scaled, re-worked and re-colored, as a new line of T-shirts, tunic vests, shirts, jeggings, pyjama pants, culottes, tote bags and stoles.

Priced from €12 upwards, the collection will launch in Uniqlo stores on March 21, combining British heritage with modern Japanese global style.

Born in Salford in 1941, Celia Birtwell was one of the biggest stars of the fashion scene in the ‘Swinging London’ of the 1960s.

The textile designer collaborated frequently with fashion designer Ossie Clark, and the pair became iconic figures, sitting for a famous portrait by David Hockney titled “Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy.”

Birtwell later ducked out of the fashion world to focus on her home textiles business, although in 2006 she reemerged for a sell-out collection with Topshop.

Uniqlo Celia Birtwell