One of the world’s rising stars of mid-sized luxury yachts made a glamorous entry to Hong Kong with a lavish launch party ! Marquis Yachts, a US-based luxury yacht builder that sports the latest in Italian design, made a dazzling debut to Hong Kong with a sizzling launch party last month, on 3 September at the Aberdeen Boat Club.

Leisure boating aficionados and high net worth individuals gathered at the Club to witness the first public showing of the Marquis 420 Sport Coupé, a 42-foot yacht that’s been winning praise from boat reviewers for the fine work of Nuvolari-Lenard, the Venetian naval architectural firm responsible for the look and feel of the Marquis line.

The chic launch party took place on a terrace just above Aberdeen Boat Club’s main quay, allowing invited guests a chance to look over the sleek Sport Coupé while champagne and canapes flowed. A number of guests took the chance to personally inspect the 420, and were impressed with what they saw. The avant-garde Italian interior and exterior are beautifully complemented by the functionality, which includes joystick manoeuvring, a fully-enclosed cabin with aircon, a retractable roof and extendable rear deck.

Olivier Besson, managing director of Asia Yachting, the regional dealer for Marquis, said that four serious buyers came forward after just one viewing – a very impressive result.

Indeed, luxury sailing yachts and motorboats are becoming the ultimate accessory of the super-rich in China. Out of the just 400 private boats registered nationwide, almost all of them are motorboats. But, Adrien Magnan of Marine Dragon Consulting in Shanghai cites that the amount spent on luxury boats has been escalating upwards by tens of millions of dollars in the past few years. Pleasure sailing, virtually unheard of in China until a few years ago, is becoming increasing popular. Chinese millionaires are willing to spend a fortune on yachts and aircrafts. Looks like the wealthy Chinese customers are seeking a western lifestyle.

Robert VanGrunsven, the president of Marquis Yachts, arrived in a luxurious Maybach limousine, which dropped him off just yards from the speaker’s podium. VanGrunsven commented on the winning combination of European design standards and US build quality and pricing. Olivier Besson addressed the crowd shortly after, saying that the 420 offered Hong Kong boaters “total comfort, total style and total luxury when cruising local islands and bays.”

One of the key highlights of the glamorous night was a watch display by Blancpain, featuring models bearing best of brand products and riding onboard the 420, which executed several turns past the on-looking crowd. Rebecca Yeung, the 2003 Miss Hong Kong, was master of ceremonies at a night that illuminated and exhilarated. Asia Pacific Boating magazine and sister publication China Boating , both published by Blu Inc Media, were media partners of the prestigious event.

I have personnaly spent a day on this amazing yacht and wow, I must say it was very exciting.

This yacht is one of the first boats designed to take full advantage of the space-saving qualities of the Volvo-Penta IPS drive. The huge 60-sq.ft. cockpit with teak sole flows past a bi-folding door into the flush salon (inlaid hardwood) to create one huge entertaining area. No step up! Just one, large flowing deck which will keep cocktail parties mingling instead of breaking into two groups which always happens when the bridge deck is raised to accommodate the inboard engines. Just Check out the video below : )

Marquis Yachts in Asia are available exclusively through Asia Yachting (www.asiayachting.net).

More information on Asia-Pacific Boating can be found at www.asia-pacificboating.com.

Fresh off stints in Tokyo and Hong Kong, Chanel’s UFO-like mobile art pavilion is making a stop in Central Park before being transported over to London, Moscow and Paris.

The curled shiny structure is full of art inspired by Chanel’s iconic quilted leather Chanel handbag - pieces like an enormous Chanel handbag spilled over.

The work has drawn criticism for its cluelessness, and its place in the Park, which the New York Times calls an “instrument of psychological healing for the weary.”

There will be a new limited Absolut series available, soon. Last year’s flashy Absolut Disco series sold almost 3 million bottles ! The Swedish vodka brand, that is distributed by Pernod-Ricard (a French company) from October on, wants to tie in with last year’s success. The result: Absolut Masquerade.

The new limited gift pack Absolut Masquerade is made from 3238 shiny red sequins, and comes with a zipper in the back. When you unzip the wrapping the label states: “In an Absolut world every night is a masquerade.”

The new limited series will be promoted in European club scenes and particularly in London where Absolut Vodka and Daisy de Villeneuve will be transforming the current Maverik Showroom (68-72 Redchurch Street) into the The House of Masquerade – the world’s largest and most luxurious dressing up box.

Freelance TV presenter Mao Kobayashi, left, and sax player Saori Yano appear with a 20-kg gold art object worth 200 million yen ($ 1.9 million), at the Gold Dream Award yesterday.

The awards, given to those　persons who “look good with gold“, are part of Tokyo Gold Week which is organized by jewelry company Tanaka Kikinzoku Group and the World Gold Council to encourage people to be more familiar with gold.

Kobayashi was awarded for the entertainment category, while Yano got the honor for the golden egg section for artists with future potential.

Luxuo is pleased to introduce Luxury Interactive 2009, a corporate event taking place on 16 – 18 March 2009 at Le Meridien Hotel - Piccadilly in London. On this occasion, we are glad to offer a 25% discount code to all the Luxury Retailers.

The event will bring together leading luxury brands to advance the use of interactive media and the online channels to create exceptional interactive customer experiences and drive luxury e-business through interactive learning.

Luxury Interactive helps luxury brands to attract new customers and increase profit margins by learning e-commerce strategies that have already been implemented and have succeeded.

To mark the launch of the all-new 7 Series, BMW presented its flagship model with a unique installation on the Red Square in Moscow, Russia. For two days, a real-life 2009 7-Series was hidden in 180,000 silver balls that filled a giant glass-and-acrylic hourglass, at almost twelve meters high (40 feet), that had been built right in front of the Kremlin on the Red Square of Moscow.

Before the car was officially unveiled, BMW’s all new 7-Series pictures were leaked out on the internet last week. Also, the official day of presentation was supposed to be the 7th of July - 7th day of the 7th month - but it eventually came one day later on the night of the 8th, in an extravagant ceremony !

As 400 invited guests watched, the shiny balls gradually fell down, one by one, thus revealing the BMW’s flagship model, in blue, in its full glory !