Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld took black-and-white photos of Laetitia Casta for the brand’s Spring 2013 eyewear campaign.
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Top 20 hostels in the world for food
Influential food blog The Daily Meal has curated a list of the world’s best hostels in an unexpected category: their food offerings.
In their list of top 20 food hostels, standard fare like burgers and chicken nuggets are replaced with regional specialities like maple whiskey mousse in Vermont, organic oatmeal and fruits in San Francisco, and an assortment of Moroccan breads and locally harvested honeys in Marrakech.
The hostel with the best food in the world meanwhile, can apparently be found in Granada, Spain, where food is central to the stay.
When backpackers arrive at the Oasis Hostel, for instance, they’re greeted with a complmentary drink. Breakfast is free, as are tapas tours that take guests on guided tours of the best bars in the city.
Esencia Nativa hostel in El Salvador was given nods for welcoming guests with fresh fruit smoothies and for its restaurant that overlooks the ocean and serves everything from typical Salvadorian breakfasts and freshly caught seafood to homemade pizzas and veggie burgers with homemade hummus.
Here’s the full list of the Top 20 hostels in the world for their food:
1. Oasis Hostel in Granada, Spain
2. Esencia Nativa hostel in El Salvador
3. Villa Salis Hostel in Sète, France
4. La Hamaca Hostel in Honduras
5. Ostinatto Hostel in Buenos Aires
6. Be Hostels in Barcelona
7. Malabar Farm in Ohio
8. Menaggio youth Hostel on Lake Como, Italy
9. Hostel Tevere in Vermont
10. Hostel Pangea in Costa Rica
11. Mosquito Hostel, Krakow, Poland
12. Canadian Backpackers Inn, Toronto
13. Green Tortoise Hostel, San Francisco
14. Villa Saint Exupéry, Nice, France
15. Osa Mariposa in Oaxaca, Mexico
16. Hostel Nari-Nari in Marrakech
17. Betel Box in Singapore
18. Oasis Hostel in Lisbon, Portugal
19. Kex Hostel, Iceland
20. PLUS Berlin Hostel
Hyundai Equus by Hermes
Hyundai has teamed with French fashion house Hermes to create the Equus by Hermes, unveiled last week at the Seoul Auto Show. It follows a similar Hermes edition carried out on the Bugatti Veyron.
Based on the 2012 model year version, the “Equus by Hermes” is a more luxurious edition of the long-wheelbase model, with the exterior tweaks and the cabin styled and customized by Hermes designers.
Hyundai says the project is the results of two years of work from designers and researchers in the company’s pursuit of a “modern premium” car. The interior focuses on the harmony of colors and features more than 20 items that were produced by Hermes artisans specifically for this car.
The entire interior is lined with different types of leather chosen by Hermes, with the door panels being lined with crocodile leather, of the same type used by Hermes for some of its famous handbags.
Designers drew inspiration from aircraft interiors to design the rear center console of the car, which includes a folding table and four-cup holders, plus a water bottle compartment and a large storage space where a travel blanket can be kept.
Only three Equus by Hermes models have been built, none of which is for sale. Hyundai doesn’t plan to launch it on the market, and only aims to improve the brand’s image as a luxury auto maker.
Louis Vuitton Hikes Up Prices on Iconic Bags
Louis Vuitton, which last month raised prices by 12 percent in Japan, has imposed similar increases on non-leather handbags in most of its main markets since the start of the year, according to Bloomberg.
LV lifted prices on bags such as the Speedy and NeverFull by about 10 percent in the euro region, Antoine Belge, an HSBC analyst, said today in a note to clients.
Vuitton raised prices by at least 10 percent in the U.K. and U.S., and by 5 percent to 10 percent in Asian markets including China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, the analyst wrote.
Vuitton’s price increase in Japan, the biggest ever by the brand in the country, was taken to offset the impact of the yen’s slide on sales, the company said Feb. 20.
In addition to protecting margins, the “price increases must be seen, in our view, as a means to accelerate LV’s repositioning towards more leather,” Belge wrote. The decision will probably weigh on the number of items sold, though it’s “the right thing for brand equity longer term.”
Marilyn Manson for Saint Laurent
Courtney Love, Kim Gordon, Ariel Pink and Marilyn Manson star in a new series of images shot by Saint Laurent’s creative director Hedi Slimane.
The Saint Laurent brand has a rock ‘n’ roll heritage that goes back to the 1970s, when the eponymous designer dressed Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger for his wedding to Bianca in Saint Tropez.
New creative director Hedi Slimane has always been a musical obsessive. Defining the razor sharp masculine silhouette of the early noughties with his work at Dior Homme, Slimane was quick to team up with a new wave of guitar-wielding rock ‘n’ roll stars, with bands including Beck, The Rakes and Razorlight providing live soundtracks to the runway shows, and the designer’s distinctive silhouette appearing on the frames of The Kills, Franz Ferdinand and David Bowie, among others.
Slimane’s reign at Saint Laurent saw a renewal of this tradition, with former Girls frontman Christopher Owens chosen as the face of the menswear relaunch, and a follow up campaign featuring Beck Hanson.
For his latest work, the “Saint Laurent Music Project,” Slimane has photographed four distinctive musical icons; Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, Ariel Pink and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon.
The artists represent a number of different musical styles and eras: grunge, metal, art rock and psychedelic pop, all captured through Slimane’s signature black and white photography.
Love was shot in a Saint Laurent pinstripe suit with a silk ruffle suit, an evening draped dress from the pre-fall 2013 collection, and a men’s coat from the most recent fall-winter show.
Art-rock icon Kim Gordon picked her own clothes for the shoot in New York City, wearing a Saint Laurent tuxedo jacket, a leather mini skirt, and a bustier dress.
World famous rock singer Manson picked out the brand’s signature L01 Motorcycle Jacket, which was also sported by cut-and-paste California pop artist Ariel Pink.
We can’t wait to see who’ll be unveiled next in the photo series, which continues the themes first explored in Slimane’s Rock Diary.
‘Illustrated’ Dior nails at Harrods
For the next two weeks Dior is collaborating with nail expert Sophie Harris Greenslade (of The Illustrated Nail) on exclusive new nail designs at the Harrods department store in London.
As part of the ongoing Dior at Harrods event, Dior is offering clients the chance to pimp their nails with four new designs by The Illustrated Nail, inspired by Raf Simons’ first Spring-collection for the house.
Trained as an illustrator, Harris Greenslade is becoming one of the big names to watch in nail art design, with her quirky creations and precise skills with a paint brush, and Dior is calling her work “little mini pieces of art on each fingernail.”
The designs take their cue from Raf Simons’s abstract florals, vibrant color-blocking and shimmering organza effects. Appointments with Sophie Harris Greenslade can be booked every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Dior at Harrods until the end of the event, and the price is redeemed against the purchase of two Dior beauty products.
Dior has created two new exclusive Vernis nail polishes for the occasion: a soft pink ‘Diorling’ tone (the name echoes the brand’s 1963 perfume) and a deep grey metallic ‘Windsor’ color. Both sell for £18.00 (€21) each, exclusively at Harrods.
Introducing the taxi vending machine
The New Orleans Carriage Cab has become the first taxi company in the US to install backseat soft drinks vending machines.
The machines, which dispense sodas for a fee of US$0.99 and accept credit card payments, have been tested for six months and are now being rolled out officially across the company’s 250-car fleet.
Rear-seat passengers have access to a touch-screen interface, built into the back of the front-passenger seat for selecting their drink of choice. Once payment is made, the can is dispensed from a fridge that is set in the void between the rear passenger seat and the vehicle’s trunk.
As well as drawing attention to the fact that it has beat companies in New York and Chicago to offering the service to its clients, the New Orleans Carriage Cab is also quick to point out that none of the beverages it will be offering are alcoholic and that all empty cans will be recycled on a weekly basis.
Beckingham Palace up for sale?
David and Victoria Beckham are selling their country estate in England, known as Beckingham Palace, and moving their family to the city. Its real name is Rowenbury House and its set in 22 acres of grounds
According to UK reports, the mansion in Hertfordshire, which includes a helipad and recording studio, is on the market for £10million ($15 million).
David and Victoria bought the country house following their marriage in 1999 for pound £2.5million and since then have expanded it, adding swimming pools, a gym, tennis courts and games room.
The sources say the family has insisted it is sold to a private buyer to ensure it is not developed into luxury apartments. The reasoning? Victoria and David don’t want anyone to cash in on their name.
The Beckhams are now said to be looking for a family home in London near to Victoria’s fashion house which is based in Battersea, and will be easy for David to travel to from the French capital.
World’s largest egg up for sale in UK
A rare and complete sub-fossilized Elephant bird egg that is more than 100 times the size of an ordinary chicken egg is up for auction in London.
Elephant birds became extinct sometime between the 13th and 17th centuries. Resembling a heavily-built ostrich, it would have stood up to 11 feet high. It is thought the bird was hunted to extinction.
The complete, sub-fossilized egg is 12 inches high and 8 ¾ inches wide. It is expected to fetch roughly £30,000 ($45,000) when it is sold April 24.
Sotheby’s to Auction Dinner with elBulli Chef
Auction house Sotheby’s is offering the highest bidder at an upcoming wine auction the chance to enjoy a dinner prepared by legendary chef Ferran Adrià himself.
It’s the latest addition to a hotly anticipated wine auction to be held in Hong Kong and New York next month when El Bulli — which has held on to the title of best restaurant in the world five times by “Restaurant” magazine — sells off its wine cellar.
The opening bid for a dinner with Adrià at his Barcelona restaurant Tickets, which he co-runs with brother Albert, starts at $5,000.
Other lots that have been added to the wine sell-off include a chance to snatch various bits of El Bulli memorabilia, including four chefs’ jackets signed by Adrià, a set of El Bulli knives, menus, wine lists, and El Bulli stationery.
Many of the lots for sale are also one-of-a-kind bespoke pieces designed specifically to help execute and serve Adrià’s avant-garde cuisine. Examples include baroque and corrugated trays and crockery for his signature spherical olives.
8,800 bottles of wine, all of which will bear an El Bulli sticker and some of which will be signed by Adrià and restaurant partner Juli Soler, will be auctioned off April 3 in Hong Kong and April 26 in New York.
The highest value lot includes a trio of Domaine de la Romanée Conti, Romanée Conti 1990, which is estimated to bring in $32,500 to $47,500.
Cate Blanchett new face of Giorgio Armani fragrances
Australian actress Cate Blanchett has reportedly just signed a $10 million dollar deal as the new face of Giorgio Armani fragrances.
The deal has not yet been officially confirmed and representatives for Armani were unavailable for comment. Nonetheless, the designer has already stated that Blanchett “epitomizes the woman for whom I design,” and the star is reportedly set to shoot a series of fragrance campaigns for the brand.
Regularly spotted in Armani on the red carpet, the actress is also the face of Procter & Gamble luxury skincare brand SK-II, but this will be her first fragrance deal.
The 43-year-old actress joins a host of Hollywood actresses with ties to fragrance brands, including fellow Aussie Nicole Kidman, who starred in a series of ads for Chanel No. 5.
Louis Vuitton Alma Bag Ad Campaign
Louis Vuitton has released a new campaign for its Alma Bag starring Karlie Kloss, Jac Jagaciak, Daria Strokous and Iris Strubegger. The ads come with the tag line “Chic on the bridge.”
Photographed by Steven Klein, the four women carry bags in colors that are emblematic of the cities depicted: taxicab yellow for New York, French blue for Paris and lacquer red for China.
Created by Gaston-Louis Vuitton, the Alma bag was originally dubbed the Squire and was rechristened Champs-Élysées before settling on its current name.
Hermès Is Selling A $91,500 Crocodile T-shirt
A T-shirt is usually the most casual and cheap of garments, but the latest Hermes collection includes one that costs a cool $91,500. The item is a black crew-neck men’s shirt made out of crocodile skin.
The luxury shirt made its debut last fall on the Spring 2013 runway as part of the label’s chiffon crocodile shirt line, but only hit the company’s Madison Avenue flagship store recently.
The Awl, who managed to snap a photo of the t-shirt’s price tag (photos are not allowed inside of Hermès’ stores), noted that just the sales tax on the shirt could amount to $8,000.
“Literally, the entire shirt is just luxurious, beautifully sewn swaths of crocodile. This makes it possibly rather uncomfortable, and perhaps a little heavy, for a t-shirt,” The Awl’s Choire Sicha writes.
Pierre Hermé Paris Opening in Hong Kong
Hot on the heels of Ladurée opening their first Hong Kong store in Harbour City last year, Master pastry chef Pierre Hermé has announced he will be opening his first store in Hong Kong too.
The diverse range of macarons available here will include Arabesque, Crème Brulee, Imagine, Infiniment Chocolat Porcelana, Infiniment Rose, Céleste and Mogador.
The Pierre Hermé Paris boutique will open at the IFC Mall in Hong Kong in May.
Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG
Mercedes-Benz‘s new model in its sports-focused collaboration with AMG follows in the footsteps of the Audi A5, VW Passat CC and the BMW 3-Series GT as the latest in a growing line of premium German-built small, four-door coupes.
However, what the CLA 45 AMG can offer that the others cannot is the most powerful four-cylinder turbo-charged engine currently fitted to any new production car in the world.
The result is a vehicle that’s practical enough to suit a family as their daily drive but that also combines the quality, comfort and styling of Mercedes with AMG’s incredible performance and racing know-how.
The car is a performance coupe in the truest sense, pumping out 360hp, able to accelerate from 0-100km/h in 4.6 seconds and on to a top, electronically-limited, speed of 250km/h. Keeping this performance in check is permanent four-wheel drive and a seven-speed race derived gearbox.
Inside the cabin the racing theme continues. Leather sports seats, brushed aluminum and a multi-function steering wheel add to the driving experience, while a huge list of options will enable potential owners to tailor their car to suit individual needs.
Mercedes-Benz is yet to confirm pricing but has announced that the car will be on sale later this year.
Monaco decides to expand into sea
Monaco plans to expand its tiny territory by building a six hectare peninsula into the Mediterranean, the city-state’s monarch Prince Albert announced Friday.
“I have decided to launch an extension into the sea to the east of the principality after having studied various proposals since 2008,” Albert said in an interview in the daily Monaco Matin.
The affluent city-state of 2 square kilometres has already extensively used land reclamation as its casino and its policy of no income tax on individuals has attracted the world’s wealthy.
The project is to be located near the Grimaldi Forum congress centre, and at up to 6 hectares (14 acres), would add 3 percent to the city-state’s territory.
At the end of 2008 Monaco abandoned plans for a 12 hectare land reclamation project that would have provided residential space for 3,000 people.
The global financial crisis was the reason cited behind the move, but it would have also likely faced fierce opposition from environmental groups due to its proximity to a marine reserve.
“I will pay particular attention to ensure the project respects the strict environmental rules that I will impose, during the construction as well as during the use of the new surfaces created,” said Albert.
The Most Expensive Apartment In New York
Weeks after it was rumored to be headed for market, we now know that late investor Martin Zweig’s legendary penthouse apartment atop the Pierre in New York City will be listed for $125 million.
The penthouse, inside the luxury Pierre hotel on Fifth Avenue and Central Park, is a 12,000-square-foot triplex with a ballroom, four terraces, and views of Central Park.
It was owned by Martin Zweig, a stock investor and market, expert who died last month at the age of 70 and was well-known for predicting the 1987 stock market crash.
That $125 million is just the most basic cost involved – there’s also a monthly maintenance charge of $47,000, which takes care of the electricity and two staff people to clean the place.
Paris’s landmark Crillon hotel closes for makeover
The Hotel de Crillon in Paris, one of the world’s oldest luxury hotels, is closing this weekend for a two-year-long makeover that includes a new spa and sweeping renovations.
The stone building was commissioned by French King Louis XV and built in 1758. It is one of two twin buildings overlooking the emblematic Place de La Concorde, where King Louis XVI was guillotined.
The hotel, currently owned by Saudi royals, has attracted celebrity guests over the decades, including Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Charlie Chaplin, Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and Madonna.
The staff took pains to explain that while innovations such as a basement spa were planned, the hotel’s classic look would not be tampered with.
“We will not touch the historic salons on the first floor but we will redo all the 147 rooms, the ground floor and the two inner courtyards,” said Sandrine Daban from the Crillon’s public relations department.
