Monthly Archives: May 2013

Terry Richardson Stars in New Valentino Campaign

Valentino fall 2013 accessories

Famous fashion photographer Terry Richardson has shot a new advertising campaign for the Italian luxury brand founded by Valentino Garavani.

Often controversial photographer Terry Richardson has flexed his fashion muscles with some new (semi) self-portraits for Valentino.

Shot in Rome at Studio Backspace, the images show off the Rockstud Noir studded heels and handbags in ‘rouge’ and ‘noir’ held in Richardson’s tattooed clutches. Valentino offered a peek at an image on its Twitter page.

Creative directors Pierpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri have never before collaborated with Richardson but according to Chiuri, the photographer managed to perfectly capture “the sensual yet elegant nature of our accessories, described as objects of desire.”

Valentino fall 2013 accessories campaign

Emirates Airbus A380 bar

Shisha Lounges Onboard Emirates A380 Fleet

Emirates Airbus A380 bar

A story published Wednesday, May 15, about Emirates airline launching an onboard shisha lounge was incorrect and based on erroneous information. Emirates has no plans to do so. Luxuo regrets the error.

Premium passengers traveling on Dubai-based airline Emirates will be exempt from the no-smoking policy starting next month, when the carrier debuts a shisha lounge on select jumbo jets.

The new service is set to debut on the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A380 aircraft and will be offered to Emirates’ business and first-class passengers.

Passengers can pre-order a shisha — also known as a waterpipe, hubble-bubble, hookah or narghile — from the onboard menu and retire to the lounge for a post-meal smoke beginning in June.

Waterpipes could loosely be described as the Middle Eastern version of the post-dinner cigar, passing flavored tobacco through bubbled water which is then smoked through a pipe and hose.

Emirates says it’s introducing the Signature Shisha Lounge to enrich the flying experience for Middle Eastern passengers, but also to introduce the Arabian custom to foreigners.

versus versace spring 2013

Versace shows first images of new Versus collection

versus versace 2013

Set for a full unveiling on May 15, Versace has given fans a taste of its new collaboration with young British designer J W Anderson.

“Screen Test” by Versus Versace was shot in Greece behind the scenes on the Versus x J W Anderson campaign.

The minute-long video shows the first black and white images of the collection, while the models discuss their music preferences, including dubstep, Alice Cooper, Francoise Hardy, and Nirvana.

In fact for Donatella Versace, music is at the center of the new collection: “I always connect Versus with rock music because I love music, I’m a music addict.”

Fashionista has an exclusive video chat with the fashion star, who explained the brand’s new position on fashion shows: “It’s getting really old to go to fashion shows now and sit down,” she said, “we’re never going to have a fashion show again for Versus, Versus will be shown through events.”

The 59-year-old creative also spoke about sharing designs online to ask Versus fans for their opinions.

“It’s easier to be protected in your studio” but her real desire is to share the brand with customers and fans, explaining that “I want fashion to become a community.”

Versace also let slip about the next Versus collaboration, which is apparently is set to take place with outerwear label K-Way, which Donatella calls “a very special brand.”

The J W Anderson collection for Versus will be unveiled at an event in New York City. Until last year Versus was working with Scottish designer Christopher Kane on the Versus collection.

Lamborghini unveils “Egoista” concept

Lamborghini Egoista

To help celebrate the Italian supercar builder’s 50th anniversary, Lamborghini has introduced the new Egoista (translated, it means “selfish”) one-seater hypercar.

Lamborghini Egoista concept

Unveiled in Sant’Agata Bolognese by its creator, Volkswagen’s head of design, Walter De Silva, the Egoista doesn’t so much whisper “look at me” as it does scream it at decibel levels dangerous to the human ear.

Lamborghini Egoista interior

“This is a car made for one person only, to allow them to have fun and express their personality to the maximum. It is designed purely for hyper-sophisticated people who want only the most extreme and special things in the world.”

Lamborghini Egoista photo

“It represents hedonism taken to the extreme, it is a car without compromises, in a word: egoista (selfish),” De Silva explained of the 5.2-litre V10, 600 horsepower single-seat concept car that aesthetically has more in common with a fighter jet than with a vehicle designed for traveling along the ground.

Lamborghini Egoista concept car

Built almost entirely from carbon fibre and aluminium, the Egoista has a sliding overhead canopy, rather than something as old-fashioned as doors, while instrumentation is replaced by a head-up display, projected onto the curved windshield to ensure the driver never takes his or her eyes off the road.

Lamborghini Egoista pic

The car’s exterior profile was developed to mimic that of a charging bull, shoulders arched, head down and horns pointing outwards, while aerodynamic systems have been integrated into the car’s construction and are deployed when needed — flaps and vents raise and lower based on engine temperature, downforce required or velocity so that the car is always the optimum shape to cut through the air, whatever the speed or prevailing conditions.

Lamborghini Egoista back

The unveiling of the Egoista is the latest high-profile event organized to mark the first 50 years of the Italian supercar brand.

Kate Moss strips off for St. Tropez

Kate moss st tropez

British supermodel Kate Moss has been unveiled as the new face and body of self-tan brand St. Tropez.

A new video released by the brand shows Moss behind the scenes on the campaign shoot and waxing lyrical about the benefits of the brand, which she trusts to give her “a natural looking tan: that’s what people want. They don’t want something orange.”

The 39-year-old model is a big fan of summer — “I love hanging out in my garden and not having to put layers and layers of clothes on, and swimming in the sea.”

Kate moss st tropez

Michelle Feeney, CEO of PZ Cussons Beauty, owners of St. Tropez, was excited about their new brand representative: “it gives us the ultimate stamp of approval on the quality of our products. Kate epitomises St.Tropez’s naturally glamorous approach to self-tanning and is a long-time advocate of the brand.”

The company is also launching a publicity drive on Twitter, encouraging fans to tweet whenever they’re off on vacation with the #OFFTOSTTROPEZ handle.

Kate moss st tropez

The brand will send out Riviera-chic content and prizes to those who play along, while one lucky follower and a friend will win their own summer trip to Saint Tropez.

Now available in 18 countries around the world, St. Tropez was first launched in 1996. Croydon-born model Moss is one of fashion’s biggest names, with more than 20 years of campaigns and runway shows under her belt.

branson stewardess

Branson serves as AirAsia stewardess after losing bet

Richard Branson AirAsia

British billionaire Richard Branson strutted his stuff as an AirAsia flight attendant Sunday — complete with fishnet stockings and figure-hugging red pencil skirt.

His star turn on the flight from Australia’s Perth to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur came after he lost a Grand Prix bet with the Malaysian budget carrier’s founder.

Virgin boss Branson agreed with AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes in 2010 that whoever’s Formula One team — then Virgin and Lotus — finished their debut season lower would serve as a stewardess on the other’s airline.

The British tycoon came off worse after Virgin ended 12th in the World Constructors’ Championship, two spots behind Lotus. But his stint as a stewardess was postponed in early 2011 after he injured himself while skiing.

There was no escape on Sunday however, when Branson was recruited to serve coffee, tea and meals on the five-and-a-half-hour flight.

Though he kept his trademark beard, he shaved his legs to show them off in black fishnets beneath his red AirAsia uniform. He topped off the outfit with bright red lipstick, heavy eye make-up and his blonde hair pulled back in a quiff.

Photos from the flight showed him chatting with passengers and serving food to Fernandes, who used to work for Branson in the music industry.

“This has been a real first for me but I have enjoyed the experience,” Branson was quoted as saying in an AirAsia statement. “I’ve always said I’m a man of my word and I’m happy to have finally honoured the bet.”

Branson disembarked in red flat ballet pumps and posed with a handbag for waiting media.

Fernandes said Branson graduated as an AirAsia cabin crew member “with flying colours”.

AirAsia donated part of the money from ticket sales for the flight to a children’s charity in Australia.

Since the original bet was made between Branson and Fernandes, Virgin’s team has been bought by Marussia Motors, while Fernandes’ team has been renamed Caterham. Both of those teams finished 2012 with no points.

branson airasia stewardess

 

Bentley Continental wheels

Bentley launches ‘Le Mans’ range for US customers

2013 Bentley Continental Le Mans Edition

To celebrate the 90th anniversary of Bentley’s first win at the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race, the company is building an exclusive range of Le Mans limited edition specification cars solely for its North American clientele.

In all, Bentley won the flagship endurance race six times between 1924 and 2003 and as such has designed six limited-edition Continental GT coupes and six equally limited-edition Mulsanne models, each inspired by and named after one of Bentley’s winning Le Mans drivers: John Duff; Dudley Benjafield; Woolf Barnato; Tim Birkin; Glen Kidston; and Guy Smith.

“We’re very proud of our motorsports heritage and we’re excited to celebrate our historic wins at Le Mans 24 Hours,” said Christophe Georges, President and COO, Bentley Motors, Inc.

“The Le Mans Limited Edition models showcase our performance and handcrafted luxury through these unique, heritage inspired specifications.”

Each car will feature a unique Le Mans edition numbered badge, a specially designed interior clock, unique wheels, and specific interior veneers and exterior paint colors.

Under the hood the engines of the special editions will receive tuning tweaks and suspension adjustments to up their sportiness while retaining their comfort.

In all, Bentley plans to produce 48 examples of each model. The first Le Mans Continental GTs are expected to be delivered this summer, while Mulsanne customers will have to wait until the autumn.

Bentley has launched a dedicated website for further information about the specifications of each limited edition model at lemansedition.bentleymotors.com

2013 Bentley Mulsanne Le Mans Edition

keira knightley coco chanel

WATCH: Keira Knightley as Coco Chanel

chanel film Once Upon A Time

“Once Upon a Time” celebrates the founding of the famous Parisian luxury label’s first store exactly a century ago.

Starring recently married Chanel favorite Keira Knightley, the 18-minute long film was directed by the brand’s creative director Karl Lagerfeld, and was unveiled as the brand showed the latest Cruise collection in Singapore on May 9.

Featuring appearances from some of fashion’s biggest names (and Lagerfeld’s favorite stars), the film explores the story of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s first shop, established in 1913 in the French seaside town of Deauville as well as her relationship with the shop’s financier, and Coco’s lover, Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel.

Runway model Lindsey Wixson plays apparently fussy shopper Miss Wonderbilt, who ends up buying up all of the collection, alongside appearances from 1980s favourite Tallulah Harlech and current Chanel stars Saskia de Brauw and Ashleigh Good.

No newcomer to the world of Chanel, young Hudson has already walked in shows for the brand (it might help that his godfather is none other than Mr Lagerfeld himself).

elephant rides

Pop-up hotels and ‘braincations’ to trend in 2013

elephant rides

Pop-up hotels, bespoke itineraries, once-in-a-lifetime travel experiences and ‘braincations’ are among some of the travel trends predicted to shape 2013.

According to Hotels.com’s trendspotting spring report, “experiential travel” will be top of mind among globetrotters this year, as consumers seek out itineraries that follow the roads less traveled.

Consumers are being increasingly drawn to the idea of unique and exclusive accommodations such as mobile, pop-up hotel experiences that can’t be replicated by brick and mortar properties.

Instead of checking into a hotel room, travelers now have a range of options that include glamping tents, mobile shipping containers and pods.

Belgium-based company Sleeping Around, for instance, converts 6-meter sea containers into self-contained luxury hotel rooms complete with a box-spring bed, rain shower, iPod docking station and air conditioning. The pods travel around Antwerp.

Similarly, travelers are also predicted to bypass commercial cruise lines in favor of smaller river boat options that sail along less predictable waterways, such as the Mekong River in Cambodia and Vietnam, or the Danube River between Prague and Istanbul, says Hotels.com.

Hotels are also responding to consumer demand for bespoke travel itineraries that go above and beyond concierge service.

The Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts’ Imagination Initiative is built to indulge guests’ wildest fantasies with add-on experiences that include elephant rides through the jungles of Thailand, or a VIP on-field meet-and-greet with the International Polo Club at Palm Beach.

And in response to the pressures and stress associated with staying connected 24/7, the Marriott and Renaissance Caribbean & Mexico Resorts offers tech-free zones for those craving a ‘braincation.’

The collection of the chain’s nine resorts across the Caribbean and Mexico began offering tech-free zones last December where cell phones and electronic devices are banned. Instead, guests are encouraged to disconnect, read, or pursue other “tech-free” activities.

aruba marriott lounge corners lobby

Sao Paulo rich use choppers to beat traffic jams

Cozete Gomes

Former model-turned-business mogul Cozete Gomes owns eight companies and does not really have time to be stuck in Sao Paulo‘s epic traffic jams. So she just flies over them.

In Brazil’s sprawling business capital, home to 20 million people, millionaires sick of nightmarish bottlenecks on the roads are taking to the skies, relying on a massive fleet of private helicopters to get around town.

“For me, the helicopter is a necessary tool,” Gomes told AFP as her chopper flew high above the city’s clogged streets into Campos de Jordao, northeast of Sao Paulo — a mountain resort for the rich dubbed the “Brazilian Switzerland”.

“I use it in my day-to-day activities, for my business, my meetings. It makes my life a whole lot easier,” she said during the 50-minute ride earlier this month in a private six-seat helicopter.

There are 420 helicopters registered in Sao Paulo — a total second only to New York, according to the Brazilian Association of Helicopter Pilots.

With a net worth estimated at $125 million, the multi-millionaire Gomes, 41, is part of a select group of Sao Paulo’s super-rich elite who either own helicopters or can afford to rent them for $1,300 an hour.

There are up to 500 helicopter flights daily in Sao Paulo and the city has a staggering 193 heliports. Helicicade, the city’s largest, boasts nearly 80 helicopters owned either by individuals or private companies.

“The helicopter business in Brazil has been growing about 20 percent in recent years,” said Carolina Denardi, a spokeswoman for the Brazilian Association of Helicopter Pilots, known by its acronym ABRAPHE.

The country has a nationwide fleet of more than 1,900 helicopters, including nearly 700 in Sao Paulo state alone, the association said. On average, more than 300 operator licenses have been issued annually over the past three years.

While most Sao Paulo residents struggle to get around the city, wealthy executives and socialites — oblivious to the maddening gridlock — cruise overhead, hopping to their luxury condos, beach resorts or business meetings.

According to Wealth Report 2013 published by Wealth-X, a Singapore-based wealth intelligence firm, Sao Paulo was last year home to 1,880 individuals with net assets of $30 million or more.

The number is projected to shoot up to 4,556 in 2022, a reflection of resource-rich Brazil’s soaring prosperity.

Gomes — a former model and beauty queen whose eight companies focus on promotional marketing, event management and modeling — says she is one of the few Brazilian women to have built her fortune on her own.

She shot to national fame in January with her television appearance on the “Rich Women” reality show, which spotlights the extravagant lifestyle of “travel, luxury cars, jewels, shopping and lots of champagne” enjoyed by Brazil’s expanding millionaire class.

“I agreed to appear on the show to share my success, my life story with the whole of Brazil, to show the positive experience of a women who started from nothing and built her own business,” she told AFP.

“There are many other Brazilians who are richer than I,” Gomes noted, as she nonchalantly sipped a glass of champagne at the luxurious La Villette guest house, which has its own helipad.

Indeed, the Wealth-X report identified 50 Brazilians with net assets of over $1 billion.

According to Forbes Magazine, the richest Brazilian is 73-year-old beer magnate Jorge Paulo Lemann with a net worth of $17.8 billion, followed by 74-year-old banker Joseph Safra with $15.9 billion.

The richest Brazilian woman is 83-year-old Maria Helena de Moraes, with a net worth of $6.2 billion tied to her 25 percent stake in the family-controlled Votorantim Group, Brazil’s largest cement maker and one of Latin America’s largest industrial conglomerates, Forbes says.

Moncler W collection

White Mountaineering x Moncler “Moncler W” collection

moncler w

Italian-owned luxury outerwear label Moncler has worked with cult Japanese brand White Mountaineering on a new capsule collection called Moncler W.

Designed by young Japanese creative Yosuke Aizawa, White Mountaineering was founded in 2006 and focuses on design, utility and technology.

For this new collection, Aizawa worked in different shades of grey, green and khaki, adding his obsessive eye for detail to the winter outerwear.

Moncler was founded in 1952 by Frenchman René Ramillon and grew from a mountain supplies company into one of the most widely known luxury winterwear brands, famed for their down jackets, before the company was brought up by Italian entrepreneur Remo Ruffini in 2003.

The brand collaborates with designer Thom Browne on the Moncler Gamme Bleu menswear collection as well as Italian designer Giambattista Valli on the Gamme Rouge line. They will also be working with

Greek fashion designer Mary Katrantzou on a womenswear collection set to appear this fall.

Set to debut at Tokyo’s Olympic stadium on May 24, the collection will appear in Moncler stores and choice multibrand boutiques around the world from August.

Moncler W

Smart BoConcept

Smart ForTwo BoConcept Edition

Smart BoConcept

Carmaker Smart is teaming up with Danish interior design company BoConcept for a limited edition car and furniture range.

Based on the Smart fortwo two-seater citycar, the SmartBoConcept boasts a matte crystal white exterior with matte brown accents; inside, the cabin has been dressed to reflect modern interior design trends.

The seats, dashboard and door panels are finished in tobacco brown leather with lemon yellow and felt grey detailing. Completing the package are the highest levels of standard equipment available to Smart owners, including automatic air conditioning, ambient lighting and heated seats.

Infotainment is covered by a combined multimedia and navigation unit with a 6.5-inch touch screen complete with CD/DVD player and dedicated iPod support.

smart fortwo boconcept interior

In terms of performance, the Smart BoConcept comes with an 84bph turbocharged engine and a sports package — which includes tweaked suspension and exhaust system, front spoiler and side skirts and special alloy wheels courtesy of German tuning and performance company BRABUS.

However, the partnership between the two companies doesn’t end there. BoConcept has also produced a special ‘smartville’ collection of furniture and accessories that draws on the same color schemes, available to view or order online or from UK BoConcept Stores.

Available to order now, the Smart BoConcept is exclusive to the UK and on-the-road pricing starts from £22,135 for the coupé and £24,515 for the cabrio version.

smart boconcept furniture

Car Shoe 50th Anniversary Lamborghini

Car Shoe For Lamborghini 50th Anniversary

Car Shoe Lamborghini

For its 50th anniversary celebration in collaboration with Automobili Lamborghini, Car Shoe (owned since 2001 by the Prada Group) is launching a new driving shoe.

Hand made with meticulous attention to detail, the classic profile features a pebbled calf leather upper and a notched, rubber studded outsole for added grip. The moccasin is finished with Lamborghini’s iconic logo on the heel tab and metal 50th anniversary logo on the laces.

The collection consists of three different colors – black, red and blue – all reminiscent of classic Lamborghini tones. A limited edition, expect these to arrive at select Prada shops in a few weeks.

Car Shoe was founded in 1963 by Gianni Mostile. The brand soon became best known for its signature moccasin which feature tiny rubber nubs.

In 2001, Car Shoe was assimilated by Prada, which soon opened stores in Milan and Capri in the next two years and introduced the line into over 200 major boutiques internationally.

Car Shoe moccasin Lamborghini

Selfridges logo

Selfridges To Launch Drive-Through Service

selfridges

The British luxury retail giant Selfridges has launched its first click and collect service in all four of its stores across the UK to improve flexibility amid growing demand for convenience.

With click and collect, Selfridges’ customers will be able to shop online every day until 4pm and collect the following day from the dedicated collection point at one of its four stores.

Selfridges is also opening a drive-thru click and collect service at its London flagship store, enabling customers to collect products ordered online without even having to exit their car.

Shoppers will also be allowed to try fashion and accessories on before deciding whether or not they want to complete their order and take them away.

In addition, Selfridges is launching an international delivery service of online orders later this year.

Lamborghini gathering

Lamborghini hits road on anniversary tour of Italy

Lamborghini 50th anniversary

Hundreds of luxury Lamborghini cars powered through Milan on Wednesday at the start of a tour of Italy to mark the 50th anniversary of the company, which started out making tractors.

The 350 sleek roadsters with a combined horsepower of 190,000 formed a four-kilometre (2.5-mile) long convoy that began the tour from the Sforza Castle in Milan city centre and will end on Saturday at the company’s headquarters near Bologna.

The convoy is the most complete collection of Lamborghinis ever assembled with examples of every vehicle the company has ever built, from the original 350 GT right up to and including the current flagship V12 Aventador.

Drivers from 29 countries are taking part in the Lamborghini tour, which includes cars owned by the company and as well as aficionados, organisers said.

The biggest representation was from Britain, with 71 cars, followed by Germany, Italy and Switzerland with 30 Lamborghinis each.

Indonesia, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Singapore, South Korea, Tunisia and Ukraine were also among those represented.

“Lamborghini has been the dream and the symbol of Made in Italy for 50 years,” said company chief executive Stephan Winkelmann, adding that the tour “reflects the global dimension we have attained”.

The tour will cruise through high-end beach resort Forte dei Marmi and Rome, as well as the mediaeval towns of Orvieto and Arezzo.

Lamborghini started out in 1948 as “Lamborghini Trattori”, which has since been sold off, while the luxury car division was founded in 1963.

It now has 120 dealerships around the world and is part of the Volkswagen Group.

Dubai police last month announced they had bought a Lamborghini patrol car valued at $550,000 (418,000 euros) to reinforce an image of “luxury and prosperity” in tourist-heavy areas.

This year also sees Aston Martin’s 100th birthday and the much more reserved British company is also in the middle of a European tour. However, its convoy consists of only three vehicles.

Lamborghini tour of Italy

the great gatsby poster

Hotels offer up Gatsby-gilded deals

The Willcox Hotel

As buzz around the Hollywood release of “The Great Gatsby” continues to build, travelers looking to time travel back to the Roaring Twenties have no shortage of options in the US, where select properties have either preserved or recreated the spirit of flapper chic opulence, jazz and the Gilded Age.

Fans of the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald and the book that made him immortal may want to look into The Inn at Great Neck in New York, for example, the inspiration for the Long Island town of West Egg, points out online reservation site Hotels.com.

Described as the ‘ultimate 1920s-themed retreat,’ the inn pays homage to the Golden Age with art deco period murals which depict scenes from the book, and also offers live music like jazz.

Here are a few hotels that channel the spirit of Jay Gatsby’s Roaring 1920s, as curated by Hotels.com:

The Willcox

The Willcox, Aiken, South Carolina

Until May 31, luxury hotel The Willcox will be offering a special Gatsby-themed package that includes 1920s-inspired cocktails before bed, a copy of the book, live jazz, a deck of cards and poker chips.

A 3-course menu includes retro classics like Waldorf salad and beef filet wrapped in bacon and blue cheese. The stately, grand mansion is also evocative of the decadent era with its majestic white columns.

www.thewillcox.com

Hotel Le Meridien Dallas

Le Meridien Dallas, The Stoneleigh, Dallas, Texas

Built in the heyday of the 1920s, Le Meridien recently underwent a $36 million USD renovation that aimed to preserve its history, but bring it into the 21st century with marble pillars, handblown glass chandeliers, and art deco designs.

www.lemeridiendallasstoneleigh.com

Vanderbilt Grace Newport Rhode Island

Vanderbilt Grace, Newport, Rhode Island

Until September 30, the Newport boutique hotel, built in 1909, is offering the Grace Gatsby package that includes a two-night stay, a five-course dinner menu, a sunset cruise along the Newport harbor.

www.vanderbiltgrace.com

Ambassador Hotel Kansas City

Ambassador Hotel, Kansas City, MO

Built to celebrate 1920s neoclassical architecture, The Ambassador is a boutique hotel updated with contemporary style. For Gatsby lovers, until May 15 the Gatsby Package includes champagne and strawberries, luxury transportation around town, rose petals strewn around the room and breakfast

www.ambassadorhotelcollection.com/kansascity/default-en.html

THE GREAT GATSBY

Missoni

Missoni Founder Ottavio Missoni Dies at 92

Angela Missoni Ottavio Missoni

Italian knitwear impresario Ottavio “Tai” Missoni, whose distinctive colourful zigzag dresses became a global fashion empire, died on Thursday at his home in northern Italy at 92, his family said.

Missoni co-founded the fashion brand in 1953 with his wife Rosita Jelmini and their designs have graced the rich and famous from Jackie Kennedy to the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.

Missoni was born in the then Yugoslavia on February 11, 1921 and started out with a career in track athletics after moving to Italy.

He became a national champion before World War II and took part in the 1948 London Olympics.

During the war, he fought in the Battle of El-Alamein and was held as a prisoner of war.

At the Olympics he met his future wife, whose family owned a textile business in northern Italy.

The Missoni brand quickly earned a reputation for testing new boundaries in the 1960s and was kicked out of the Pitti fashion shows in Florence when its models did not wear bras on the catwalk.

Missoni was a self-effacing, jovial man who told one interviewer that the geometric patterns on his dresses “were like that simply because we had machinery that could only make straight lines.”

But the company kept up a reputation for innovation in recent years and was the first to delve into the mass market through a successful partnership with US mega-store chain Target.

It also followed other major Italian fashion chains in setting up branded hotels in different cities including Edinburgh and Kuwait.

LaFerrari thumbnail

Is Ferrari planning an even more exclusive hypercar?

LaFerrari

Ferrari has confirmed that all 499 examples of its latest flagship, the LaFerrari, are already spoken for as biggest rival Porsche reveals mixed fortunes with its latest flagship offering, the 918 Spyder.

Ferrari’s parent company, Fiat, is examining other opportunities to extend the car’s production run in some way with the most likely outcome being an even more limited edition but with even more power and extreme performance. Each of which could change hands for as much as $3 million.

LaFerrari interior

Reusing the car’s platform and V12 petrol engine (but not its electric motors) in order to create a Maserati hypercar is also under consideration. The last Maserati hypercar, the MC12, was actually a Ferrari Enzo in disguise but with a slightly de-tuned engine.

The news highlights not only the strength of the Ferrari brand and the loyalty and trust of its existing client base – a member of the public is yet to officially test drive the 949bhp car – but it also underlines the success of the Prancing Horse in this particular segment, compared to McLaren or Porsche.

The LaFerrari, McLaren P1 and the long-awaited Porsche 918 Spyder all have three things in common — they use a hybrid powertrain (a combination of a petrol and an electric motor); they all have a strictly limited production run; and they each cost more than $1 million.

McLaren P1 supercar

However, only Ferrari can claim that its hypercar is sold out. Mclaren has managed to sell 275 of its 375 P1 hypercars after little more than six weeks on the market.

Porsche, whose 918 Spyder has been on display in concept and prototype version for two years now, is still trying to sell many of the 918 examples it intends to build — despite the fact that it is $300,000 cheaper than the McLaren and $600,000 less than the Ferrari yet offers similar performance.

2014 Porsche 918 Spyder Picture

Etihad Airways staff

Etihad named top Mideast airline

Etihad Airways aircraft

Etihad Airways emerged a big winner at the Middle East edition of the World Travel Awards this week, sweeping up awards in categories for leading airline, best first class service and top cabin crew.

Held in Dubai, the regional awards for Middle East handed out gongs across dozens of categories recognizing the best in hotels, spas, rental car companies, travel agencies and tourist destinations.

While Etihad took the top prize in airlines, Emirates wasn’t far behind as it also snagged a trio of awards including best airline rewards program, best website and best business class service.

Last year, Etihad Airways was also voted the World’s Leading Airline for the fourth consecutive time and will be looking for a fifth win at the international awards in Las Vegas later this year — an impressive feat given that the airline launched in 2003.

The flagship carrier of the United Arab Emirates also pulled off a strong showing at the Skytrax World Airline Awards last summer, where it took home titles for best first class, best first class seats, and best first class catering.

Recently, the airline partnered with professional networking site LinkedIn to create an interactive mapping tool meant to serve as a power networking service for users traveling through the region.

The airline has also upped the ante in the airline industry launching premium services for passengers that include bringing personal, onboard chefs into its first class cabin, and installing ing-flight showers on their aircraft.

Meanwhile, the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in Abu Dhabi took the title of Middle East’s Leading Hotel, while Raffles Makkah Palace took the title of leading luxury hotel.

The next regional edition of the World Travel Awards, known as the Oscars of the travel industry, will be the Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony, May 12 in the Maldives.

The grand finale will take place in Las Vegas later this year.

Lacoste L1212 Noir fragrance

Lacoste announces new ‘Noir’ men’s scent

Lacoste L1212 Noir

The French lifestyle label Lacoste has announced a new men’s fragrance, set to hit stores this summer.

In 2011 the brand released three scents inspired by its famous polo shirts, followed by a fourth fragrance, Rouge, which came out last year. Now Lacoste has added a fifth scent to the line-up, Noir.

According to Carla Liuni, vice president of fashion brands for P&G Prestige, Noir “still remains in the fresh olfactive territory, but it’s a bit more intense,” reported WWD.

The bottle, like its brothers in the five-strong ‘L.12.12’ range, is partially textured to evoke the brand’s classic polos and features the famous Lacoste crocodile logo.

Noir will be launched in May in the US and UK, the Middle East and parts of Europe.

It will then get a July release in France, Spain, Benelux, Germany and Asia before finally hitting Russian and Latin American markets in August.

The 30-ml eau de toilette spray will go on sale for €40 (about $52) and a larger 100-ml. version will retail at €67 (around $87).

Founded in 1933, the Lacoste brand is celebrating its 80th birthday this year, and has created a special site to celebrate the history of the iconic René Lacoste piqué cotton polo shirt.