After Florence, Milan, New Delhi and recently Beirut, Italian house of Roberto Cavalli, opened a new Cavalli Caffè in Kuwait City at the Avenues Mall, Kuwait.
Source: cpp-luxury.com
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Fendi opens debut store in Brazil
Italian luxury label Fendi is unveiling its first boutique in Brazil in the city of São Paulo.
Open from June 5, and located in the city’s Citade Jardim Mall, Fendi’s first standalone boutique in Brazil is a 3,800-square-foot space in the booming commercial capital.
Alongside the Fendi men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories, the store will stock limited edition Brazilian items inspired by the country’s colorful flag including the brand’s famous ‘Baguette’ bag and a Brazil-themed scarf.
Despite the warm Brazilian climate, the store will also carry around 20 furs: “there’s a growing appreciation for luxury there,” Fendi’s CEO Pietro Beccari told WWD.
Brazilian customers “travel a lot and they represent a very big potential for us. They buy all categories: our bags, ready-to-wear and furs. It’s about a Fendi silhouette,” he added.
This week the brand hosted 200 guests for a star-studded dinner at the Museum of Modern Art which honored Beccari and designer Silvia Venturini Fendi. On the guestlist were some of Brazil’s biggest fashion names including supermodels Ana Beatriz Barros and Izabel Goulart.
Dita Von Teese for Dita Eyewear
Dita Von Teese has teamed up with luxury eyewear label Dita for a new campaign which also features tattoo artist Mark Mahoney. Shot by Dita Eyewear cofounder and creative director John Juniper and French snapper Lionel Deluy, the new ‘Legends’ campaign dropped this week.
“We’ve always been fortunate enough to tap into our network of friends who happen to have a unique look,” Dita’s other cofounder Jeff Solorio told WWD. “Mark Mahoney, proprietor of Shamrock Social Club in Hollywood, and Dita Von Teese both epitomize sartorial elegance and evoke a time lost when people paid attention to every detail, especially their eyewear,” he explained.
The brand has recently unveiled the Lancier luxury-sport range (set to retail from $800 to $2,000), which feature interchangable sea, land and air lenses for different sporting activities. Founded in Los Angeles in 1995, Dita Eyewear also design and produce glasses for the Thom Browne fashion label.
Lacoste teams up with Fauchon
For the 80th anniversary of Lacoste, the clothing brand’s famous crocodile will be making a special appearance on éclair pastries by French luxury food retailer Fauchon.
The limited edition Fauchon éclairs collection draws its decorative inspiration from the fabric and seams of the famous Lacoste polo shirt. Gourmet consumers will be able to take a bite out of the famous green of the logo, topped with a marshmallow crocodile, or out of a glossy pink version.
The pastries’ creamy middles are flavored in green tea, almond, vanilla, lemon or strawberry. Fauchon’s crocodile éclairs retail for €7 apiece, from June 17 to June 21, 2013.
Mulberry says goodbye to creative director
Emma Hill, the creative director of London-based luxury group Mulberry, is set to depart the label.
“Mulberry confirms that Emma has informed the company that she wishes to leave after a very successful period at Mulberry during which she has built a strong and talented creative team working for her,” the brand announced in a statement picked up Monday by the Telegraph.
“The main spring/summer 2014 collection has been completed and Emma continues to work in the business finalising the London Fashion Week collection which will be launched on September 15, 2013. The timing of her departure is currently under discussion and has yet to be finalised,” noted the label.
Hill has overseen stellar growth for the brand since her first show back in 2008, with shares in the brand growing 14-fold between 2008 and 2012.
Taking over at Mulberry from Stuart Vevers (who departed for Spanish brand Loewe), Hill had previously enjoyed a glittering career in accessories design for Gap, Marc Jacobs and Chloé.
There’s no news yet on a successor, but Hill’s departure will have piqued interest at US luxury label Coach, currently on the hunt for a new creative director after the announcement last month that designer Reed Krakoff would be stepping down from the top job to focus on his own collections.
Mulberry was founded by Roger Saul in his Somerset garage but has seen major Asian growth over the past decade after it was purchased by Singapore-based investor Christina Ong.
How Americans will be spending their summer holidays
When it comes to vacation planning, holidaymakers in the US said their top priority is to immerse themselves in the local culture, followed by shopping and feasting on local cuisine.
Those are among some of the findings in the latest “American Express Spending & Saving Tracker” report, released this week, which likewise found that summer travel plans are on the rise this year, up 17 percent compared to 2012. Of the 1,505 consumers polled, 69 percent said they plan to hit the roads or the sky over the next three months.
Priorities among travelers include immersion in the local culture (36 percent); shopping (30 percent); local food and cuisine (26 percent); educational activities (24 percent); and visiting historical sites and monuments (23 percent).
Summer travel expenditure is expected to rise to average $1,145 per person. The report also found that the top destinations this summer will be Florida, California, the Bahamas and New York.
And while the most common form of travel is with the family, the ‘Babymoon’ trend continues to grow. This year, more than half — 53 percent — of affluent parents said they will plan to take a pre- or post-baby vacation with their significant other.
Women-only floor opens at Four Seasons Riyadh
Luxury property the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh is the latest to open a ladies-only floor designed to put traveling women at ease and make them feel “comfortable and secure.”
Dubbed the “Pearl Floor,” the all-female area is fitted with 20 premium and deluxe rooms, as well as two executive suites.
Staff on the 48th floor, which features an express check-in desk, is likewise male-free, manned with all female workers.
To appeal to the female sensibility, the Pearl Floor Lobby highlights a sweeping staircase, bathroom vanities, fine upholstery and linens.
Female guests will have access to free Wifi, complimentary drinks, a ladies-only gym as well as spa services such as facials, body and hair care products, yoga mats, a healthy, in-room dining menu and personalized welcome kit.
Woods back on top of Forbes’ sports earnings list
Tiger Woods, whose four wins this season have seen him return to the top of golf’s world rankings, is also back on top of Forbes’ list of highest-paid sports figures.
An article posted on the magazine’s website this week gives the rundown of the 2013 list, which will appear in the June 24 issue.
Woods had topped the Forbes list from 2001-2011 — staying there despite the loss of some sponsors in the wake of the sex scandal that engulfed him in November of 2009.
But he fell to third last year, behind boxers Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Forbes calculates he is back on top, raking in $78.1 million over the 12 months from June 1, 2012 through June 1, 2013 from prize money, endorsements, appearance fees and golf course design work.
His resurgence on the course has seen him double his prize money from the previous 12 months.
According to Forbes, Woods’s victories have further boosted his income thanks to bonuses tied to wins from sponsors Nike and Rolex, while his course design business is improving after some setbacks.
Swiss tennis great Roger Federer ranks second on the list with earnings of $71.5 million, while Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant is third at 61.9 million.
Miami Heat star LeBron James, the NBA Most Valuable Player whose team is battling to repeat as champion this season, came in fourth with $59.8 million and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed the top five with $51 million.
Mayweather dropped from first to 14th this year — tied with Filipino fight king Pacquiao.
Mayweather had earnings of $34 million from his fight with Robert Guerrero in May, while in the period covered for the 2012 list he fought twice.
Pacquiao netted $26 million from his December fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, according to Forbes, which reckons Pacquiao also pulled in an estimated $8 million in endorsements.
Russian Maria Sharapova was the highest earning woman on the list, in 22nd place. Fellow tennis players Serena Williams of the United States and Li Na of China were the only other women in the list of 100 sports figures.
Forbes based its earnings figures on salaries, bonuses, prize money, appearance fees and licensing and endorsement income for the 12 months between June 1, 2012 and June 1, 2013.
Hermès releases new travel spray bottles
Hermès has added four new colorful options (‘bleu galice’ blue, ‘rose crevette’, ‘vert canopée’ green and ‘jaune soufre’ yellow) to its line of pocketable travel perfume bottles for summer 2013.
The handstiched leather travel cases come in two sizes: a clutch friendly 10ml bottle plus refill (€203) and a larger 75ml bottle plus refill (€223).
The glass perfume refills are also sold separately, with the scent options for the sprays including the classic Voyage d’Hermès, Un jardin sur le Nil and 24, Faubourg.
The pocket sprays are available exclusively at Hermès boutiques.
Tiffany & Co. Spring 2013 Ad Campaign
Tiffany & Co. Spring 2013 Campaign featuring Karen Elson, Doutzen Kroes, Arizona Muse, Shahlom Harlow, Liya Kebede, and Liu Wen.
Saskia de Brauw for Karl Lagerfeld eyewear campaign
In the run-up to the opening of his second concept store in Paris, Karl Lagerfeld is releasing new teasers. A making-of for his eyewear campaign with model Saskia de Brauw is already available online.
The stunning Dutch model renowned for her androgynous style and famous Spanish model Jon Kortajarena were chosen for the new Karl Lagerfeld eyewear campaign.
This teaser reveals a few creations from the new eyewear collection — in particular, two rectangular frames. Saskia de Brauw is also seen wearing round sunglasses.
Both models have already featured in spring 2013 Karl Lagerfeld campaigns. Saskia de Brauw has already appeared in campaigns for Lanvin, Fendi, Prada, Giorgio Armani & Saint Laurent just this year.
Bose QuietComfort 20 noise-cancelling headphones
Bose’s latest noise-cancelling headphones make sure listeners can enjoy their music while staying alert to the sounds of the world around them.
The first in-the-ear headphones to feature the Bose technology, the QuietComfort 20 headphones are optimized for use with portable, digital devices and for actively expanding the bass and middle frequencies usually lost through the compression of mp3 and other digital music file formats.
They are said to be the world’s first active internal and external noise-cancelling earbuds — which work by generating equal and opposite sounds to those surrounding the listener rather than acting as earplugs — a tactic that actually serves to amplify internal sounds such as the vibrations created from the wearer’s own footsteps or jaw movements.
The new headphones are also the first from the company to feature an ‘active’ mode which, at the press of a button on the cable, continues to purify the sound quality of a track, but also allows the sounds of the outside world in so that the listener doesn’t accidentally walk out in front of a car or miss an announcement when waiting for a train.
Bose may not be the ultimate audiophile’s choice of headphone, but there’s little doubt that when it comes to acoustic and noise-cancelling technologies that make it easier to enjoy music without external interruptions and without cranking the volume up to 11, the company has no real competitors.
Its technology is so mature and well-developed that auto makers such as Cadillac now use it as part of their in-car infotainment systems to stop engine noise, wind and tire roar permeating their cars’ cabins.
The QuietComfort 20 headphones also feature a built-in microphone and control buttons for taking a call and are compatible with Android, Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry smartphones.
For iPhone, iPad and iPod owners, Bose produces the QuietComfort 20i, which is essentially the same product but with a customized headphone jack specifically for iOS devices.
Powered by a battery that should last 16 hours between recharges, the headphones will still function as standard earbuds if the battery runs flat while in use.
Of course, Bose isn’t the only company to offer noise-cancelling earbud headphones. For the same price, Denon’s AH-NC600 earbuds claim to eliminate external ambient noise by 99%.
Likewise, Sennheiser, the audiophile’s go-to headphone-maker, has its CXC 700 in-the-ear headphones, also offering active external noise cancelling for a fee of $300.
However, what sets Bose’s earbuds apart are their internal microphones for monitoring, cancelling and purifying internal sounds for the widest spread of high and low frequencies.
Another difference is its battery: Denon and Sennheiser’s noise-cancelling units run on a replicable AAA-sized battery, the weight of which can pull the earbuds out of the wearer’s ears, while Bose has finally adopted a lightweight lithium ion rechargeable battery cell to eliminate this problem.
Due to go on sale in the US this summer, the QuietComfort 20 headphones will be available direct from Bose.com for $299.95.
Hermes Birkin Cat Fight at Auction Houses
Two rival auction houses have clashed over which one may have set the record for the sale of a crocodile-skin Birkin handbag by the luxury goods firm Hermes.
Paris auction house Artcurial said last month it had sold a red, orange and pink coloured bag, named after the British-born French actress and singer Jane Birkin, for a record $82,600 on May 21.
But US auctioneers Heritage Auctions disputed the record, saying they sold a red Birkin bag in the US in December 2011 for $203,150, although the claim was quickly disputed by Artcurial which pointed out that the clasp was encrusted with a diamond, meaning it was not a like with like comparison.
Heritage countered that it had also sold a grey Birkin bag in April with a “palladium” clasp for $86,500 and others with unspecified variations for $113,525, $104,500 and $95,600.
Perhaps the record wasset by another bag sold in 2007, according to media reports, for $96,723. But that too had a distinguishing feature: it was owned by Jane Birkin.
Airlines offering ‘all-you-can-fly’ subscription services
Subscription services for extra legroom, increased baggage allowance, and even ‘all-you-can-fly’ programs are making their debuts in the airline industry, in what could become the next trend in flying.
Earlier this week United Airlines launched a new service that would allow subscribers to book seats which offer extra legroom at the front of economy cabins for a flat fee of $500 a year.
Their new baggage subscription service also allows flyers to check up to two bags for free on all United flights for a rate starting at $349 a year. Currently, travelers on domestic flights pay $25 for the first bag and $35 for the second bag. On international routes passengers are allowed to check one bag for free and must pay $100 for their second suitcase.
Meanwhile, Santa Monica-based airline Surf Air has launched an “all-you-can-fly” subscription service that would allow members unlimited flights within the US for a flat rate that starts at $790 a month.
The private jet service is operated on a Pilatus PC-12 with BMW-designed leather interior seats which can accommodate eight passengers.
And in addition to personal concierge services, a monthly subscription entitles members to bring additional guests onboard for free, provided reservations are made two weeks in advance.
To begin, routes serviced will include the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Barbara, and the Los Angeles Metro Area before expanding to to the rest of California and nationwide.
Kim Jong-il spent $700,000 every year on cognac
A riveting interview with the personal chef of North Korea’s late leader Kim Jong-il reveals fascinating details about his extravagant taste for French cognac, Iranian caviar, and McDonald’s Big Macs.
Penned by American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Adam Johnson for GQ magazine, the lengthy piece has drawn attention around the world for offering a rare glimpse into the stubbornly reclusive man’s eccentric and outrageous lifestyle.
According to Japanese sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto — a pseudonym for the man who’s now living as an escapee in Japan — Kim was a man of extravagant taste.
During his 11 years as his personal chef, Fujimoto says he was sent to France to supply the ‘Dear Leader’s’ $700,000 cognac habit; to Iran for caviar; Tokyo for fish; Denmark for beer and ham; and, for the occasions when his boss was feeling less high-brow, to Beijing for Big Macs — to go.
Kim demanded nothing less than the best. That means a staff of 200 was hired to make sure every grain of rice was perfectly shaped — no cracks, no chips.
He was a veritable gourmand, who could talk for hours about foie gras, truffles and Kobe beef. His favorite cooking show was “Iron Chef.”
The magazine article, meanwhile, was written as part of a six-year research project for Johnson’s next novel. The full article can be found at http://gqm.ag/11krn69.
25 Best Wines for Summer
With the promise of summer just around the corner, liquor retailers are giving more shelf space to light, crisp, fruity and bubbly wines as people seek out thirst-quenching varieties to accompany al fresco dinners and the heady, sweltering heat.
It’s time to put away the rich, complex reds and oaky whites and stock the wine fridge with lighter wines, particularly rosés which get their star turn during summer, and bottles of bubbly.
Sparkling rosés have become increasingly popular as the ideal summertime drink, combining the light fruity notes of a blushing wine with the effervescence of champagne or sparkling wine.
Many of France’s top champagne houses have released blushing pink versions of their bottles, notably La Maison Duval-Leroy, Veuve-Clicquot and Pol Roger.
Meanwhile, here’s a selection of wines deemed ideal for summertime sipping by experts at premium organic retail chain Whole Foods, and Food and Wine magazine that come from California, Washington, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal.
– Mont Gravet Cotes de Gascogne
– Donnafugata Anthilia
– Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc
– Vinum Cellars Chardonnay
– SeaGlass Santa Barbara Pinot Noir
– Monte Velho Red
– Icardi Barbera d’Asti
– Lamatum Ribera del Duero Crianza
– H&G Washington State Merlot
– Chateau Grand Claret Cotes de Bordeaux
– Cupcake Vineyards Riesling
– Pizzolato Moscato Dolce
– 2010 St. Supéry Sauvignon Blanc
– 2009 Sokol Blosser Pinot Gris
– 2007 Masi Campofiorin Veronese
– 2007 Bodega Norton Reserva Malbec
– 2010 Leitz Dragonstone Riesling
– 2010 Commanderie de la Bargemone Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Rosé
– 2008 Genesis Syrah
AMI for Mr Porter Capsule Collection
Net-A-Porter’s menswear offshoot, Mr. Porter, has worked with hip young Parisian designer Alexandre Mattiussi of AMI on a new capsule collection launched Tuesday.
The 13-piece collection is titled ‘les bords du Canal Saint Martin’ (the banks of the Canal Saint Martin), and was inspired by the hip Parisian neighborhood which runs through the city’s 10th arrondissement.
“I always project the clothes with someone in mind; I just imagined a guy at a ‘terrasse de café’ in summer having a break with friends. It is pieces that you could wear easily — timeless pieces you could wear for a long time,” explained Mattiussi.
“We have worked with Ami since the label launched in 2011 and have always appreciated Alexandre’s elegant take on modern menswear,” said Mr Porter buyer Sam Lobban. “Each piece stands out on its own, and together they make a thorough, wearable and distinctly chic summer wardrobe,” he added.
Mattiussi was previously a designer at Givenchy, Dior and Marc Jacobs before starting his own label AMI. His simple, luxurious basics have won him fans around the globe, and AMI will be in 120 points of sale by this fall. Prices start at €85 for a t-shirt and run to €860 for the suede bomber jacket.
Dior Fall 2013 at the Opera de Paris
Dior’s fall 2013 ready-to-wear campaign stars Daria Strokous, Anastasia Ivanova, Iselin Steiro and Marie Piovesan. The girls were photographed by Willy Vanderperre in the Opéra Garnier in Paris.
Gucci artisans heading to New York City
In one of fashion’s latest trends, luxury brands are opening up their secret ateliers for hands-on masterclasses. Gucci is joining in with a new three-day “artisan corner” at Bloomingdale’s in NYC.
June 6 to 9, Bloomingdale’s on 59th street in New York City will be welcoming craftsmen and women from the label’s ateliers to assemble handbags, personalize silk scarves and monogram leather bags including the popular New Bamboo, Soft Stirrup and Soho bags.
Bloomingdale’s executive vice president Francine Klein was excited by the partnership; the event “will bring this unique and time-honored craftsmanship to customers outside of the house’s own store for the first time,” she said.
It’s a growing trend: just this month, French luxury brand Hermès hosted a free “Festival des Métiers” at London’s Saatchi Gallery, which saw the company’s artisans picking apart the secrets of their trade.
Porsche launches anniversary edition 911
The 911 50th Anniversary Edition will be unveiled this September at the Frankfurt Motorshow, the venue where the original Porsche 911 made its official debut in 1963.
The special edition will boast a 400hp 3.8-litre flat-six engine enabling a 0-62mph (100km/h) acceleration in 4.5 seconds with a manual transmission and in 4.3 seconds with Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch paddle shift system. The car will top out at 186mph (300km/h).
Clearly conceived and built for 911 purists, the 911 50 Years Edition will forgo four-wheel drive — despite the power on tap — in favor of rear-wheel drive.
However, keeping that pendulous back end in check are a number of physical, mechanical and electronic systems, including active sports suspension and Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) with rear limited slip differential.
In terms of outward appearance, the anniversary model combines the best design elements from the current Carrera S model but is 44mm wider across the wheel arches (like the 4-wheel drive Carrera 4).
Other unique exterior touches include specially built 20-inch diameter, five-spoke alloy wheels, chrome trim on the engine compartment grille plus enhancements to the front air inlets that will tell those in the know that this is not an everyday 911.
Available in specially mixed (light) Geyser Grey, (dark) Graphite Grey, or black, each of the 1963 examples that rolls off the production line will carry a numbered plaque, prominently displayed in the interior, and a 911 50 badge on the rear engine lid.
The 911 50 Years Edition is available to order now for delivery in September. Prices start at $140,000.
Lancôme x Alber Elbaz Short Film Released
Lancôme has released an animated film made by Alber Elbaz in the runup to the June 15 launch of his first-ever line of mascaras and eye shadows for the French luxury cosmetics house.
The animated “Hypnôse Show” begins with what seems to be a typical Parisian fashion show. But as the lights dim to welcome the models, it’s the many eyes of the audience, and eyelashes everywhere you look, that become the stars of this humorous polychrome animé.
“Our job is to tell stories. It all starts there,” explains Alber Elbaz in a press statement. “It all stems from the incredibly rounded and curvaceous mascara bottles. The moment I saw them I thought of women’s bodies. There’s something of Cinderella and her magical carriage in this idea of fairy-tale metamorphosis.”
The Alber Elbaz & Lancôme collection, including mascaras, black and multicolor eye shadow palettes, and false lashes, will be available in a limited edition from June 15.
