Monthly Archives: April 2013

Brooks Brothers Great Gatsby collection

Brooks Brothers Presents “The Great Gatsby Collection”

Brooks Brothers Great Gatsby capsule collection

The famous preppy American retailer Brooks Brothers has created a new limited editon menswear collection inspired by the latest cinematic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel.

To celebrate the film, Brooks Brothers is releasing a limited edition menswear collection, taking inspiration from costume designer Catherine Martin’s pieces for the film, which were in turn inspired from the Brooks Brothers archives.

The collection is made up of formalwear and more relaxed daywear options, ranging from tuxedos, suits and shirts to shoes, ties and other accessories.

Released on April 15, the Gatsby looks have gone on sale in over 150 Brooks Brothers stores around the world including flagship stores in New York City, London, Tokyo and Milan.

The brand has also created a minisite featuring lookbook images, and an in-depth look at the collaboration between the brand and Catherine Martin.

Premiering in New York City on May 1, “The Great Gatsby” goes on general release in the US May 10, and is scheduled to open the 66th Festival de Cannes on May 15.

Princie Diamond Sells for $39 Million

Princie diamond

A 34.64-carat pink diamond has sold at auction in New York for nearly $40 million, setting a new record for Christie’s auction house.

Dubbed the “Princie Diamond,” the gem is “one of the largest and finest pink diamonds in the world,” with a “fabulous provenance,” Christie’s jewelry chief Francois Curiel said ahead of the sale.

An anonymous telephone bidder paid $39,323,750, or more than $1 million per carat, for the stone from ancient diamond mines in southern India, the auction house said in a statement Tuesday.

The pink gem was once owned by the royal family of Hyderabad and, since 1960, by the London branch of Van Cleef & Arpels.

The exclusive jewelry firm originally paid 46,000 pounds for it, equivalent to $1.3 million today, Christie’s said, indicating a hefty profit after Tuesday’s sale.

Previously, the most paid at Christie’s for a diamond was $24.3 million, for the 31-carat Wittelsbach diamond in 2008.

Qatar Airways

Doha airport home to world’s best ‘premium’ terminal

Premium Terminal Doha First Cass Lounge

Deep-pocketed travelers who fly business class have voted the Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport the best in the world for the third year in a row, for services like personal chauffeurs, five-star dining options and in-transit spa and sauna experiences.

Announced in Geneva this week, voters in Skytrax’s World’s Best Airport Awards named the luxury terminal by Qatar Airways the World’s Best Premium Service Airport, a US$100 million, 10,000-square-meter space built in 2006.

Doha’s Premium Terminal acts as a separate, self-contained airport for the fabulously rich and famous, with its own duty-free shopping area, self-service check-in kiosks and dedicated e-gates to speed up immigration formalities.

Premium Terminal Doha Duty Free

Reserved for first and business class travelers on Qatar Airways, passengers are privy to a personal chauffeur who will shuttle them to and from their plane.

After being greeted by a concierge, visitors can choose between an array of five-star dining options such as hot and cold Arabic and international cuisine,  unwind in a spa and Jacuzzi, or get a massage.

Showers and private layover rooms are also available for passengers who want to freshen up and squeeze in a nap before boarding their next flight.

Jacuzzi at Doha Airport

Families can likewise avail themselves of the nurseries and children’s play area, while business travelers have a conference and meeting room at their disposal.

Here are the Top 5 Best Premium Service Airports in the world:

1.      Premium Terminal Doha International Airport, Qatar Airways
2.      Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, Thai Airways
3.      First Class Terminal, Frankfurt Airport, Lufthansa
4.      Abu Dhabi International Airport, Terminal 3
5.      SATS Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 2

Dining at Doha Airport

RobertoCavalli Acqua

Roberto Cavalli Acqua by Roberto Cavalli

Roberto Cavalli Acqua

As summer draws nearer, Italian house Cavalli has unveiled a new fragrance inspired by turquoise water, azure skies and glamorous nights in the Mediterranean.

Created by Louise Turner as a successor to Roberto Cavalli Eau de Parfum, Roberto Cavalli Acqua introduces a delicate blend of lily of the valley and jasmine resting on sensual musk.

As brand ambassador, actress Elisa Sednaoui appears in a campaign image casting a seductive look over her shoulder while wearing a backless animal print dress.

The color of Mediterranean water, the new Cavalli bottle was given a gold color stopper decorated with a band of animal print. Roberto Cavalli Acqua will retail for €41 (30ml).

BMW ParkNow

BMW invests in intelligent parking systems

BMW ParkNow

A new partnership will allow BMW drivers to find, reserve and pay for parking spaces before they set off on their journey.

The company Thursday announced a partnership with NOW! Innovations, a company that provides mobile payment and billing solutions across a number of countries and that has developed a flexible and easy-to-use billing and payment platform for parking services.

As part of its BMW i Mobility Services arm, the German carmaker has already developed and implemented a service called ParkNow which enables users to find, reserve and even pay for a parking space in advance via either the desktop browser or an iPhone/Android app.

The service also ties in with a device’s or the car’s navigation system to give the driver clear directions to the space in question. Currently designed for off-street parking garages, the system is up and running in San Francisco.

The new partnership will allow BMW to add on-street parking spaces to its existing service and to start to roll out the services beyond the US.

Aspria Hotel in Hannover

Top 10 hotels for health-minded travelers

Aspria Hotel in Hannover

For travelers looking for a healthy getaway, here are a few good places to stay along the way.

1. InterContinental has launched a new hotel brand called EVEN, the first mainstream hotel brand to focus exclusively on wellness. Exercise options include in-room touches such as a coat-rack that doubles as a pull-up bar, well-equipped gyms, personalized fitness advice for all guests and a “Wellness Wall” with exercise ideas, walking distances and equipment rental information on display.

The first EVEN hotel is slated to open in New York by the end of 2014, while the company envisions opening another 100 US locations over the next five years, InterContinental announced late last year.

2. Four Seasons in Canada uses wellness concierges, who plan your daily wellness itinerary, including spa appointments, healthy meals, and workouts. In addition, Four Seasons Resort Whistler offers a Path to Wellness package, a three-night stay offering meditation, aromatherapy, and a yoga mat, as well as a fitness plan and outdoor guide to direct guests on mountain adventures.

3. At the New York boutique hotel INK48, guests can borrow the new “Forgot It? We’ve Got It – Runner’s Edition” kit, which includes a music-filled iPod shuffle, a sports watch with a built-in pedometer, a running belt, and water bottles, and a map of the Hudson River running path. Return from your run and you’ll find a Gatorade and a Power Bar waiting in your room.

4. Perks being offered at Sheraton Hotels & Resorts include a “workout in a bag,” which includes instructional cards, foam rollers, and a mat.

5. Westin Hotels and Resorts will loan guests a pair of New Balance sneakers and workout clothes just in case they’ve forgotten theirs at home. If you need a running buddy, a “running concierge” can lead the way.

6. Launched as a health club business in 2000, Europe’s Aspria recently added four urban wellness hotels — Berlin, Brussels, Hanover, Hamburg — that offer a sports club, spa, and healthy meals at its “vital lounges.”

7. Las Vegas’s MGM Grand recently converted numerous rooms into “Stay Well” rooms, chock full of 16 health amenities. Expect personalized spa menus, wake-up light therapy, air purification and aromatherapy, vitamin C-infused showers and wellness videos from Deepak Chopra.

8. Fairmont Hotels & Resorts now offer a new “Fairmont Fit” program, rolling out in 80 of their hotels around the world this year. The package includes fitness gear, mp3 players, and cruiser bikes to borrow, with some hotels offering group fitness and “run clubs.”

9. London’s Eccleston Square Hotel offers Hastens’ “Mind Spa” relaxation programming, which broadcasts sleep-inducing natural images and sounds in your room to promote better sleep.

10. Hotel Rio Sagrado, Peru also offers a package called “A Good Night’s Sleep,” where yoga instructors meet guests in their room for sleep-inducing yoga sessions and herbal massage sessions.

New York INK48

Daft Punk shot by Hedi Slimane

Daft Punk Stars in Saint Laurent Ads

Daft Punk Saint Laurent Paris

French designer and creative director of luxury label Saint Laurent Hedi Slimane has designed stage gear for the return of the epic electronic musical duo Daft Punk.

Set to hit stores at the end of May, Daft Punk’s upcoming album “Random Access Memories” is one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated releases. Eschewing the heavy computer effects of previous efforts, Daft Punk tasked themselves with “[recreating] what we used to do with machines and samplers, but with people,” they told the Guardian.

In celebration of the record and the upcoming tour, Hedi Slimane has photographed the duo for the Saint Laurent Music Project, shown off in a short video. In the black and white visuals, shot in Los Angeles, the band (made up of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter) are dressed in stage wear by Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent, including a black glitter jacket, ‘le smoking’.

Daft Punk shot by Hedi Slimane

It’s a longstanding collaboration between the three artists, and Daft Punk were the first choice to create the soundtrack for Slimane’s first show as creative director at the recently rebranded luxury label back in October 2012.

Slimane has a lasting obsession with pop culture and rock ‘n’ roll, dressing many of the noughties’ slickest groups in his razor-sharp skinny suiting. The designer’s Rock Diary project has also seen Slimane create a visual record of his relationships with his favorite musicians and bands.

schumacher

Schumacher becomes Mercedes brand ambassador

Michael Schumacher Audemars Piguet

Just a few months after retiring from his sporting career, seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher has become the newest brand ambassador for German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz.

The driver, who has won the most titles in F1 history, will be involved in developing new on-board technology and everything related to the “Intelligent Drive” system and safety.

Michael Schumacher first worked with Mercedes in 1990 when he joined the “Junior Team,” set up by the manufacturer to take junior German drivers to the highest level.

Seven world championships, 91 victories and 68 pole positions later, he finally took the wheel of a Mercedes for F1 in 2010, even though he had retired from the sport for the first time 3 years before.

Six months after taking part in his last Grand Prix, Schumacher has now embarked on a new chapter of his life. “The future interests me much more than the present and past,” he explained.

“During my Formula 1 time I always believed that you must not allow yourself to rest on your laurels, but that you must continuously try to improve. In so doing I was very often able to rely on the help of all the technologies available to me in the car and use them to my advantage. That is why I am a declared supporter of driving assistance systems both in the racing car and in the road-going car.”

The new Mercedes-Benz brand ambassador will make his first public appearance on May 1, 2013 during an event called “The future starts today.”

The Bay Psalm Book

First printed book in America to be auctioned

Bay Psalm Book

A translation of Biblical psalms that was the first book ever printed in what became the United States goes on auction this November, with an expected price tag of $15-30 million.

The book is one of the best of the 11 surviving copies of “The Bay Psalm Book,” which Puritan settlers from England printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1640 — before the United States even existed.

The settlers, who were seeking religious freedom, wanted chiefly to issue their own preferred translation from the Hebrew original of the Old Testament book, rather than the one they had brought across the Atlantic.

However, the volume took on even greater significance, David Redden, the head of Sotheby’s books, said. “‘The Bay Psalm Book’ was not only the first book printed in America, and the first book written in America. This little book of 1640 was precursor to Lexington and Concord, and, ultimately, to American political independence. With it, New England declared its independence from the Church of England.”

Selby Kiffer, with Sotheby’s special projects department, called “The Bay Psalm Book” “not simply one of the great icons of book history, it is one of the greatest artifacts of American history.”

No copy from the edition has appeared at auction since 1947, when a different copy fetched $151K, a record at the time for any book, including the Gutenberg Bible or Shakespeare’s First Folio.

“‘The Bay Psalm Book’ is a mythical rarity. Unseen on the marketplace for more than two generations, it has become too rare to collect,” Redden said.

The book is being sold by the Old South Church in Boston to benefit its work in the historic city’s area, Sotheby’s said. The same church possesses another copy of the “Bay Psalm Book.”

The Bay Psalm Books

dsquared2 twin brothers

DSQUARED² to design Beyonce’s tour costumes

Dean and Dan Caten

The famous Canadian twins Dean and Dan Caten will be dressing the pop megastar on her upcoming tour.

Details are at the moment top-secret, but DSQUARED² have announced that they have designed at least one custom-made piece for Beyoncé Knowles as she hits the stage on her upcoming world tour.

“The Mrs Carter Show” kicks off in the Serbian capital Belgrade on April 15 and runs until the final US show in Brooklyn, New York City on August 5.

The brand are promising a “show-stopper of an outfit” that takes its cues from the current, 1990s supermodel-inspired spring/summer collection.

“Beyonce chooses to wear a unique outfit created exclusively for her by Dean and Dan Caten, inspired by an item from the 2013 spring/summer Glamazon catwalk show,” they confirmed to Vogue UK today.

Earlier this year the brothers announced that they will be launching a children’s line for Spring 2014.

2013 Louis Vuitton Travel Books

Louis Vuitton launches new arty travel book series

2013 Louis Vuitton Travel Books

Back in 1998, Louis Vuitton launched its City Guides collection, and now 15 years and over 100 destinations later, the French luxury brand has unveiled a new set of artistic travel books.

The Louis Vuitton Travel Books see a series of the world’s most interesting illustrators and artists let loose on travel destinations.

First up, in Paris, Congolese painter Chéri Samba explores the French capital with his usual blend of hyper-pigmented dream like visuals. American Daniel Arsham was inspired by Easter Island, French illustrator Jean-Philippe Delhomme (creator of the ‘Unknown Hipster’) ventured to New York, while Japanese artist Natsko Seki looks at London with his usual blend of pencil, color and collage.

Natsko Seki London Louis Vuitton

Already set for release in 2014 are Jiro Taniguchi’s manga-style look at Venice, and Vietnam seen through the eyes of Lorenzo Mattotti, the celebrated Italian comic book author and artist.

The first four books are available at selected Louis Vuitton stores around the world, selected bookshops in France and online at Louis Vuitton for €45.

A €2000 special limited-edition version (numbered and signed) has also been released for each title, featuring original works by the artists.

Easter Island travel book

iphone 5 black diamond

The world’s most expensive iPhone 5

iPhone Black Diamond

British luxury designer Stuart Hughes has created a £10 million ($15 million), solid-gold bodied, diamond-encrusted iPhone 5. The phone, which underneath its special shell, is no different from any iPhone in terms of hardware components, was commissioned by an unnamed Chinese businessman.

Called the Black Diamond because it features a 24-ct black diamond where the home key should be; it also has a solid gold chassis. If that wasn’t enough, it is decorated with what Hughes says are 600 flawless white diamonds set in gold on the back panel, while the Apple logo, now in solid gold takes on a three-dimensional quality and has also been enhanced by the addition of a further 53 diamonds.

One other notable difference, and one that could soon become a reality on all smartphones, is the use of sapphire glass rather than the standard Gorilla Glass to cover the iPhone’s display.

Sapphire glass is used to create body armor and only a diamond is stronger or more resistant. However, at current prices, a sheet of such glass costs 10 times more than Gorilla Glass.

Although this was a commission, Hughes is more than happy to produce another Black Diamond, if a consumer has £10 million to spare.

Bugatti Veyron speed record

Bugatti sets world convertible speed record

Bugatti Veyron speed record

Car manufacturer Bugatti has announced that by reaching 408.84 km/h, its Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse has has beaten the world record for a convertible.

The feat, accomplished by Chinese driver Anthony Liu, took place on the Volkswagen test track at Ehra-Lessien in Germany. The record will be made official next week during the Shanghai Auto Show.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse has been on the market since spring 2012 and it has a W16 1.200hp engine. The car can go from 0 to 100km/h in 2.6 seconds and from 0 to 300km/h in just 16 seconds for an extreme combined fuel consumption of 23.1l/100km.

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT 600M

Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT watches

Here’s your first look at a great looking new piece from Omega, the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT.  A perfect addition to the Planet Ocean lineup.

As you can see from the bezel and dial it is a GMT watch, though the as noted by Omega this piece will carry the GoodPlanet name, an ocean conservation group that Omega has worked with since 2011.

The new Seamaster Planet Ocean GMT features a blue lacquered dial with orange accents, including the orange center-set GMT hand.

The watch has a 43.5mm steel case, 600 m water resistance, made with the Omega co-axial caliber 8605 with Silicon balance spring, and available on bracelet and rubber strap.

Source: Perpetuelles

citroen DS Wild Rubis

Citroën reveals new luxury SUV concept

citroen DS Wild Rubis

Citroën’s distinctive DS Wild Rubis concept is a full-hybrid plug-in four-wheel drive vehicle that gives an indication of the French carmaker’s future design direction.

Clearly conceived for the style-conscious executive, the DS Wild Rubis is Citroen’s attempt to combine the rugged demands of an off-road vehicle with its own quirky design philosophy.

Citroën is saving details about its interior specifications and performance for its official unveiling at the Shanghai Motor Show on April 21 but promises that it will be packed full of technological features.

At 4.7m in length and standing 1.59m tall, the car is imposing and features a prodigious use of chrome plus huge 21-inch alloy wheels.

BMW will also be showcasing its X4 SUV at Shanghai and it’s interesting that its dimensions are almost identical to those of the DS Wild Rubis.

Maserati Lounge Chair

Maserati Also Makes Furniture Now!

Maserati Lounge Chair

Maserati has teamed up with the Zanotta design house to produce an exclusive lounge chair in homage to the car company’s forthcoming luxury sedan, its next-generation Maserati Quattroporte.

The luxury lounge chair was designed by Marco Tencore at the Maserati Style Center under the direction of Lorenzo Ramaciotti and with the cooperation of Roberto Palomba.

The “Maserati Lounge Chair by Zanotta”, was designed in homage to the carmaker’s forthcoming luxury sedan, the new Maserati Quattroporte, which has a top speed of 191 mph (308 km/h).

The luxury chair features a base of either black polished or chromed nickel-plated steel while the external covering is made from removable Extra 99 Zanotta leather and is available in either dark grey with light grey border, light grey with mud-colored border or mud with light grey border.

The luxury chair is on display at the Milan Furniture Fair which runs through April 14 and showcases works from designers from around the world.

The Maserati Lounge Chair by Zanotta

Hatsune Miku

Louis Vuitton dresses 3D Japanese superstar

Hatsune Miku LV

Marc Jacobs has provided Louis Vuitton outfits for J-pop sensation Hatsune Miku, but there’s a twist: she doesn’t exist.

Hatsuné Miku regularly sells out stadiums in Japan, despite the fact that she doesn’t exist. The vocaloid popstar’s hits were in fact created via a ‘singing synthesizer application with a humanoid persona’.

Now Marc Jacobs is dressing Hatsune Miku in Louis Vuitton for a new tour which sees the star play ‘live’ around the world with the use of holgrams and other visual effects.

The video teaser for the ‘vocaloid opera,’ titled “The End,” features the Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 outfits, but we’re yet to see visuals of the live tour which will hit Tokyo in May and arrive in Paris in November.

Two performances (Nov 13 & 15) are scheduled in Paris, at the famous Theatre du Châtelet. According to organizers, the show tests the “traditional tragic structure of an opera asking ‘What is death?’ and ‘What is an end?’ and puts Hatsune Miku as the mediator to reread it in a modern way.”

Goring Hotel named London’s top afternoon tea place

Goring Hotel afternoon tea service

An annual award described as the ‘Oscars’ of the tea world in the UK has named high tea at The Goring Hotel in London the best in class.

That’s because tea at the posh Belgravia-area hotel starts with an assortment of flavors with heady, elaborate descriptors like hand-picked chamomile flowers from Egypt; Dragon Well or Longjing tea, picked once a year before the Quing Ming Lunar festival in China; and tea-leaves harvested from the foothills of the Himalayas.

To accompany the teas, the service includes a multi-tiered cake stand groaning with pastries such as dainty spice cakes with brandy icing; chestnut rolls; chicken, sour cream, tarragon and red pepper finger sandwiches; and of course, the requisite homemade scones with Devonshire clotted cream and jam.

It’s a service the hotel has been perfecting over the last 113 years, garnering near-perfect scores for the anonymous “tea inspectors” at the UK Tea Guild’s, 2013 Top London Afternoon Tea Awards in 16 categories that included décor, efficiency of service, tea knowledge, appropriate use of crockery, appearance and flavor.

“Afternoon tea at The Goring Hotel is a truly special experience,” said Irene Gorman, head of the Tea Guild.

“The elegant surroundings and faultless presentation make it a memorable occasion aided by friendly, efficient and knowledgeable staff. It is easy to understand why this leading establishment attracts so many, of all ages, to take afternoon tea.”

Guests can either sip on their tea fireside in the hotel lounge, or outside in the hotel garden. Tea service ranges from £37.50 to £47.50 (about US$ 58-73).

The Goring Hotel afternoon tea service

fred perry bradley wiggins cycling shirts

Bradley Wiggins x Fred Perry

Bradley Wiggins

Fred Perry has announced the launch of a third collection in partnership with cyclist Bradley Wiggins. For this latest collaboration with Bradley Wiggins, Fred Perry has created designs inspired by cycling.

Intended for street wear rather than sportswear, the clothing range includes symbolic details such as back pockets on the polo shirts.

This line also honors the United Kingdom with the famous British flag’s red, white and blue stripes on shorts, retro jackets, polo shirts with zipped collars, shoes and bags.

Bradley Wiggins is a sports hero in Great Britain. He has had numerous Olympic victories and he won the Tour de France in July 2012.

Fred Perry Bradley Wiggins

Bahamas Abacos

Jay-Z Buying An Island In The Bahamas

Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles

The Sun reports that Jay-Z is buying an island in the Bahamas. He is spending $2 million on his own land in North Abaco so his wife Beyonce and daughter Blue Ivy can have a vacation in peace.

The couple could transform the island into something similar to Richard Branson’s Necker Island and use it as a place to holiday with their daughter, Blue Ivy.

“He’s getting it partly to mark their fifth wedding anniversary but also, with Bey back in the spotlight, it’s getting impossible for them to do normal things such as go to the beach with Blue.”

“A private island means they’ll be able to have quality time with minimum staff and security.”

North Korea tourism

Kempinski’s North Korean hotel plans on hold

Ryugyong Hotel Pyongyang

The Swiss luxury hotel chain Kempinski is dropping plans to open a huge pyramid-shaped hotel that has stood half-built for decades in North Korea amid escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.

“Kempinski Hotels confirms that KEY International, its joint venture partner in China with Beijing Tourism Group (BTG), had initial discussions to operate a hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea,” Brigitte Hohl Taylor, a spokeswoman told AFP in an email.

“However no agreement has been signed since market entry is not currently possible,” she said, adding in a phone conversation that the discussions had been halted.

In November, the Geneva-based luxury hotel chain said it hoped to open Pyongyang’s 105-storey Ryugyong Hotel in July or August this year.

But on Sunday, the South China Morning Post reported that the Swiss company had decided to ditch the project amid the increasingly bellicose rhetoric from the North Korean regime.

Former North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, who died in December 2011, reportedly ordered construction of the Ryugyong hotel in 1987, initially with skills and capital from a French company.