Monthly Archives: May 2013

Harrods logo

Harrods to set up shop on Sardinia

harrods

Luxury retailer Harrods is set to create a temporary space on the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.

Arriving in Porto Cervo this summer, the famous green of Harrods will be splashed all over a temporary retail space set to open later this year.

Porto Cervo is a luxury seaside resort on Northern coast of the Italian island. Favored by some of the world’s most jet-set tourists, it featured in the 1977 James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

The Qatari royal family, which has owned Harrods ever since Egyptian business magnate Mohamed Al-Fayed sold the business in 2010, “currently has four luxury hotels along Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda.”

Details are sparse for now, but the development was confirmed by a spokesperson after rumors emerged in the Italian press. The new “crystal and steel” store is set to open its doors this summer.

richard mille panda rm 26-01

Richard Mille RM 26-01 Panda Watch

richard mille panda rm 26-01

At the 2011 Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, Richard Mille presented the Tourbillon RM 026, symbolising a union between fine watchmaking and fine jewellery. In 2013, the RM 26-01, featuring a giant panda, is the latest addition to the RM family of jewellery watches.

The giant panda enjoys worldwide recognition and has incredible appeal, explained in part by its friendly appearance. The panda traditionally lived in the mountainous regions and plains of mid-west and south-west China. Now a protected species, they can be found in the mountainous regions of the provinces of Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu in central China.

The new RM26-01 tourbillon caliber is equipped with a baseplate machined from black Onyx, a variety of chalcedony composed of silicon dioxide (SiO2) from the cryptocrystalline quartz group.

Onyx varieties featuring rectilinear black and white parallel stripes are part of the agate family, whereas entirely black stones are commonly known as black Onyx.

This gem is said to absorb negative energy and bring great emotional stability to the wearer. Black Onyx is thus considered to protect against negative thoughts and incarnate balance and inspiration.

Sculpted in 18K white gold and integrated into the tourbillon, the panda is set entirely with diamonds and black sapphires. It sits in its natural habitat, a bamboo forest, featuring leaves and bark handsculpted from yellow gold and painted by hand.

The RM 26-01 tourbillon is a limited edition of 30 timepieces in 18K red gold and white gold.

Richard Mille Panda

Chef Alex Atala

Alex Atala is reshaping the culinary scene in Brazil

Alex Atala

Brazilian chef Alex Atala has been named one of the most influential people of 2013, the only chef to make the Time 100 list this year.

In a write-up for Time magazine, friend and chef colleague René Redzepi describes the 44-year-old as a giant of chefs for his growing influence on Brazil’s culinary landscape, and for his efforts to preserve South America’s food heritage by using indigenous, Amazonian ingredients.

Atala’s Sao Paulo restaurant D.O.M. is currently ranked fourth on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list.

Take a virtual tour of the chef’s work, and see why Time editors deemed him one of the most important artists of 2013.

Chilled beetroot cream

A dish at D.O.M.

Chilled beetroot cream

Sao Paulo restaurant DOM

D.O.M.

A look at one of the hottest tickets in Sao Paulo

Palm heart fettuccini

A dish at D.O.M.

Palm heart fettuccini at D.O.M. Restaurant.

Inside DOM restaurant

D.O.M. Restaurant

Inside D.O.M restaurant

Priprioca milk pudding

Dessert at D.O.M.

Priprioca milk pudding with lime ravioli and ouro banana, a smaller, sweeter type of banana. Priprioca is a local root.

Pirarucu with tucupi

One of Atala’s signature dishes.

One of Atala’s signature dishes at D.O.M. is Pirarucu with tucupi, a type of white fish with the juice of a root.

Chanel mascara now sold in vending machines

Chanel Vending Machine

Chanel is serving up mascara via innovative vending machines at Selfridges for a limited time only.

Chanel famously first created ‘human vending machines‘ in 2012 at Fashion’s Night Out, but the French luxury label has taken a robotic leap into the future with its latest project.

London beauty fans are now able to get their hands on Chanel’s first volumizing mascara via exclusive automated vending machines at the Selfridges department store.

The mascara is available in three shades: ‘Noir’, ‘Prune’ and ‘Bleu’, and the applicator features a unique ‘snowflake’ brush designed to lengthen and separate lashes as it coats them with quick-drying mascara for a volumizing effect.

From April 25 to May 8, customers will be able to use the machines at the central London store, with eye makeovers supplied by Chanel’s beauty experts.

Hublot LaFerrari Watch

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Hyper Watch

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari

A limited edition watch has been produced by Swiss watchmaker Hublot as a tribute to the LaFerrari.

The MP-05 LaFerrari watch features an in-house movement made with 637 components, a tourbillon, and an exceptional 45-day power reserve thanks to its 11 barrels arranged like a spinal column.

The watch has a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal face and also features red aluminum, titanium and carbon fiber in its construction.

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari watch

Only 50 of the MP-05s are being produced, making the watches rarer than the LaFerrari. The MP-05 LaFerrari timepiece is priced at 300,000 Swiss francs, or about $322,000.

Hublot is the current timekeeper for both Ferrari and its racing division Scuderia Ferrari, having inked a five-year deal back in 2011 to become the fourth watch company to have the honor.

state banquet buckingham palace

Job For Top Chef At Buckingham Palace Advertised

Queen Elizabeth II homemade scones

If you’re an experienced chef who has worked in five-star establishments, aren’t daunted by having to prepare luncheons for some of the most powerful heads of state in the world, or thousands of canapés for parties of 800, Buckingham Palace wants you.

The Royal Family has posted a job vacancy for a sous chef, a salaried position that pays around £23,000 (about US$ 35,000) a year for 45-hour work weeks.

According to the job description, the candidate will be primarily based out of Buckingham Palace but may also be required to spend three months away from London, working from other royal residences.

And while the minimum job qualifications include a City and Guilds catering qualification; “substantial experience” within a five-star establishment at the sous-chef level; fine dining experience, and proficiency in all four sections of the kitchen — larder, vegetables, sauce and pastries — when it comes to the daily routine of feeding the Queen, some days may simply entail opening a box of Cornflakes.

Because according to Darren McGrady, a former chef to the Royal Family, the Queen is a woman of simple and modest tastes who will start the day off with a bowl of Cornflakes or Special K. On other days, breakfast may entail a boiled egg, toast and marmalade and a cup of Darjeeling tea.

Other recurring meals in her menu repertoire include grilled sole over wilted spinach for lunch, roasted game meats like pheasant for dinner, and afternoon tea sandwiches of cucumber and smoked salmon or egg and mayo — crusts cut off, of course.

Candidates take note: Accommodations are provided, and a preference will be given to those with a “real passion for food.” The deadline to apply is May 10.

Shaun Mason

Brian Atwood to launch made-to-measure bridal shoes

Aurora bridal shoe by Brian Atwood

Luxury shoe designer Brian Atwood is tapping into a new marital market with his latest collection.

Already a red-carpet footwear legend, New York City based shoe designed Brian Atwood is now launching a range of bespoke bridal footwear.

The line consists of 13 different customizable footwear styles, and one clutch (encrusted with Swarovski crystals). And they’re not cheap! Prices for these once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully) shoes start at $895, while the most spectacular pair hit around $5,295.

Founded by the eponymous designer in 2001, the Brian Atwood label has grown a cult following for its statement heels, embellished with luxurious python skin, jewels and fringing.

Atwood picked up the Swarovski Perry Ellis Award for Accessory Design at the CFDAs in 2003, and in Fall 2011 he launched the diffusion line B Brian Atwood. Atwood also created bespoke heels for The Muppets leading lady Miss Piggy.

The Brian Atwood Bridal Collection will be available at the brand’s New York City flagship, and online from June this year.

Brian Atwood

Hermès Pavilion at BaselWorld 2013

hermes pavilion baselworld 2013

La Montre Hermès joined forces with architect Toyo Ito to create its BaselWorld 2013 pavilion located in the heart of the venue.

Its design is a testament to Hermès’ values: craftsmanship, a commitment to work carried out by hand and to the noble elegance of natural materials, and an appreciation of precision and innovation.

Toyo Ito has imagined a two-storey box measuring 34 metres long and 19 metres wide, with a total area of 1,040 sq.m. Its steel framework is clad with 624 wooden strips, some straight, some curved.

hermes pavilion baselworld 2013

These interlocking slats form an outer mesh, and this façade covers a second inner structure made of wood, glass and metal. Between these two “skins”, 167 plants form a corridor of greenery.

The design is organic, brought to life with movement akin to the swell of the sea. It appears to tremble in the wind. Its skin of wooden slats, hanging like a skirt, moves with broad and dynamic undulations.

With its entrance positioned in the corner, the pavilion appears to cut through the waves like the bow of a ship. As they enter, visitors will sense the serenity of the atrium. A staircase in wood and metal takes visitors up to the mezzanine. Naturally dyed fabrics, so evocative of the world of Hermès, line the spaces like the bark of a tree, giving them a sense of warmth and intimacy.

hermes baselworld 2013

Finally, glass cases dotted around the edge of the room and within display Hermès latest watch-making creations. Blossoming like metallic flowers, they take their place in the perpetual creative cycle.

Hermès booth at Baselworld 2013 is located at Hall 1.1, Booth B55 – Source: Cosmone.com.

hermes baselworld pavilion lounge

Virgin Galactic spaceship

Virgin Galactic tourist spaceship breaks sound barrier

Virgin Galactic tourist spaceship

Virgin Galactic‘s passenger spaceplane, which is designed to take tourists to the edge of space, flew its first rocket-powered test flight Monday, breaking the sound barrier at high altitude.

SpaceShipTwo ignited its engine after being released by WhiteKnightTwo, a plane that carried it to 47,000 feet (14,000 meters) above California’s Mojave desert. The rocket burned, as planned, for 16 seconds — enough to propel the spacecraft to 55,000 feet at 1.2 times the speed of sound.

“For the first time, we were able to prove the key components of the system, fully integrated and in flight,” said Richard Branson, who observed from the ground.

He predicted the successful test would pave the way to “full space flight by the year’s end.”

Next time, the company plans to keep the rocket going longer, to bring SpaceShipTwo to an altitude of more than 328,000 feet (100 kilometers), on the edge of space.

During the rocket-powered flight, pilots Mark Stucky and Mike Alsbury commanded the SS2, which, after just 10 minutes, landed safely on the runway of the Mohave Air and Space Port.

More than 500 people have already reserved seats — and paid a deposit on the $200,000 ticket price — for a minutes-long suborbital flight on SS2.

Branson has also said that he’ll bring his family on one of the flights to show his confidence in the safety of the spacecraft. SpaceShipTwo can carry six passengers.

Rolls Royce Wraith Harrods

Rolls-Royce Wraith debuts in Harrods Window

Rolls Royce Wraith Harrods Window

Rolls-Royce’s new luxury sports coupe, the Wraith, will be on show in London’s iconic Knightsbridge department store Harrods until May 4.

In what for many will seem a match made in heaven, the exclusive department store, among the most famous in the world, is playing host to the first Rolls-Royce Wraith to arrive in the UK.

The car, which caused a sensation upon its official unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March, is no doubt bound to turn heads in the English capital and could even add to the city’s already heavy congestion as motorists slow down and even stop to take a closer look.

By far the sportiest car to be built by the company since it was acquired by BMW, the Wraith boasts a V12 engine that is capable of catapulting the car from standstill to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, yet its ride is so smooth that the acceleration doesn’t threaten a spill of the rear occupants’ cocktails.

Rolls-Royce is already taking orders for the €245,000 car and the first examples are expected to be delivered to their owners before the end of 2013.

Rolls Royce Wraith Harrods