A nude portrait of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni will go under the hammer in New York next month, according to auctioneers Christie’s.
The 13 x 10 1/8 inch gelatin silver black and white photograph was taken in 1993, when Bruni was one of the world’s top fashion models, and is being sold by art collector Gert Elfering.
It is expected to fetch $3,000 to $4,000 when it is sold in New York on April 10, according to the Christie’s web site.
Sarkozy married Bruni, 40, in February after a whirlwind romance that began shortly after his divorce from his second wife Cecilia.
Their relationship has coincided with a sharp fall in Sarkozy’s approval ratings which have tumbled as voters judged that the president’s glitzy lifestyle jarred with his responsibilities and status as head of state.
Sarkozy and his new wife are due to pay a state visit to Britain this week during which they will be hosted by Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle. Via Reuters
Larry Ellison (the founder of Oracle) has a “yacht” so big that he has to dock it where they dock the big ocean liners.
He can no longer cruise into the Harbor at Cannes or Monte Carlo – he’s off in the area where the freighters and tankers are.
To cope with this issue, the people who own these huge yachts, often have a separate yacht they use to get into smaller harbors. They also have helipads as well as other vehicles to use when they are on shore. Continue reading →
Sotheby’s lately sold a Guarneri violin once a lavish possession by the musician Henri Vieuxtemps to a Russian entrepreneur for the maximum auction price ever paid for any musical instrument. Word is around that Maxim Viktorov paid an unrevealed sum, “well in excess†of pre-recorded last auction of the device. The preceding record was inked by a 1708 Stradivarius identified as the Hammer that got sold for $3.54 million at New-York based Christie’s in May 2006.
Whilst the record for a Guarneri was set up during an auction in 1988, when a 1743 specimen from Cremona generated $1,126,088 at Sotheby’s in London. This proud owner of the Guarneri would be adding it to his existing collection of 15 violins. The violin has not been played in public for almost 70 years, but Viktorov assured that the instrument would now be played frequently in public.
Designed by the Benedini Associati, the Ufo stainless steel bathtub is a unique addition to any bathroom. In keeping with a more classic style of bathtubs, the Ufo comes standard with a polished stainless steel interior and exterior. But for those of you like me who enjoy the style but prefer a less sterile feel, this tub is also available with a white enamel interior and black enamel exterior.
The Exmar backrest will keep you comfortable as you fill the Ufo up to it’s 232 gallon capacity for a nice sensual bubble bath. You’ll have plenty of room to spread out too as the tub had a large diameter of 78″3/4 x 19″5/8h. The Ufo can be purchased through local suppliers of Agape bathroom products, so be sure to check out the 125/C light fixtures to add that extra special mood lighting to your evening.
A few minutes before the hour a number rolls down a track and a bell sounds. On the hour a cuckoo sounds and a new number indicating the hour appears at the right end of a row of numbers.
The Mechanism:
Cuckinetic is a true timepiece, run by an AC synchronous motor, like those in an ordinary electric clock. The dial of Cuckinetic is a row of cylinders that roll on an upper and lower track.
Mounted on each cylinder is a weighted wafer bearing a number. As the cylinders roll, the number remains upright and legible. Continue reading →
Movement is the automatic caliber ML127 with 30 jewels (with special complications module designed in-house by ML), blued steel screws, and personalized rotor.
Functions are: Off-centre indication of hours and minutes, retrograde date indication with diamond in a shaped window at 6 o’clock (patent pending), moon phase indication with eccentric disc revealed by a cabochon of moonstone at 3 o’clock (patent pending).
The case is done in 18kt white gold, measuring 38mm, bezel and lugs set with 82 Top Wesselton diamonds, crown set with 9 diamonds (2.15 carats); domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on inside; screwed caseback with sapphire crystal. Continue reading →
Fly to New York with Emirates this autumn and you’ll be able to take a hot shower in midair, but it will cost you more than $18,000.
The Dubai-based airline will become the first airline in the world to offer showers at 37,000ft when it installs the facility in first-class cabins on its new Airbus A380s.
The service will initially be available on daily flights from Dubai to New York from October 1, but the carrier aims to offer it across the entire fleet of 50 A380s. Continue reading →
Australia’s most expensive cow has been sold in southern Queensland.
With a price tag of $70,000, a Charolais cow named Maxine has set a new record, for the sale of a female of any cattle breed.
Breeder David Bondfield, from the Palgrove Charolais Stud at Dalveen, near Warwick, says the price paid was a huge jump on the previous record of $43,000.
“She herself was the interbreed champion supreme exhibit at the Sydney Royal in 2003 and then went on to win the supreme beef female at Beef 2003 at Rockhampton”, he says. Continue reading →
A Francis Bacon painting depicting a man attacked by vultures may fetch a record $70 million when it is auctioned in New York in May, Sotheby’s said.
Bacon’s 1976 triptych, painted while he was living in Paris, is being sold by a European collector who has owned it for more than 30 years, the auction house said in a statement today.
Sotheby’s set the current record for a work by Bacon in May 2007, when “Study from Innocent X, 1962,” sold in New York for $52.7 million. Continue reading →
The Yohji is the new bag produced by the French Maison Hermes. The bag already boasts a prestigious primacy: this is the first creation designed by Hermes joinlty with a designer…and what a designer! As the bag´s name suggests, the project was carried out by Yohji Yamamoto.
The Yohji bag made its debut at Yohji Yamamoto’s Autumn-Winter 2008 show in Paris recently. “Yohji” features a simple and flowing style, to the extent that it might be considered as an unisex item. As for the fabrics, the bag was manufactured with precious Barenia calfskin, though those presented at the Paris Fashion Week were also made of crocodile leather.
This limited made-to-order bag will only be available at the Hermès flagship stores in Paris, Tokyo and London, and comes in three different sizes of 35, 38 and 41 cm. Prices range from €4,100 to €7,100 (US$6,330 to US$10,960).
If you are looking for a luxury shower system that not only saves energy and water but also promises to give you the ultimate showering experience, then take a look at the Methven’s Satinjet Tahi Shower System.
The ergonomically designed shower system emits a waterfall of 3000 droplets per second and consumes only nine liters per minute while the hand shower with twin jet performance consumes only 7.5 liters per minute.
Obviously, you save on the energy used to heat the water when the consumption is less.
The intrinsic versatility of the ‘Tahi’ construct, enables the user to totally personalize their shower combination and experience by adding components such as textured footrest and shelving units, hand shower with massage spray option to give you the ultimate showering experience.
One of the new generation of skyscrapers central in Moscow’s International Business Centre is close to topping out.
Named the City Of Capitals the project consists of two multi purpose towers called Moscow and St Petersburg in reference to Russia’s two capital cities. They will stand at heights of 284 metres and 242 metres the towers are designed by American architectural firm NBBJ.
Inspired by the Russian constructivism of the 20th century the towers display a distinctive geometric form, which not only looks interesting but offers structural strength and gives large floor plates allowing for spacious apartments and offices which have stunning panoramic views.
The only drawback with City of Capitals which are big and dazzlingly modern enough to stand as landmarks in their own right in any other city in Europe is not their own design but that of some of the neighbouring towers such as the Russia Tower that are to distract the eye of a tourist.
The podiums the towers rise from feature rounded lines and concertinaed glass roofs, these will house retail and entertainment spaces. As the towers rise in a series of squares the vertical lines are highlighted with mosaics of dark and light terracotta adding both colour and texture to the facades, these are also used to emphasize the residential parts of the project.
Luxury is the watch-word in this project with the well being of workers, residents and visitors to the towers being paramount. They will be able to enjoy restaurants, cafes, cinemas, a 25 metre swimming pool with panoramic views of the Moskva River, spa and beauty facilities as well as high tech gym equipment.
The offices have been specified to a Grade A standard and apartments range from a Deluxe apartment approximately 1,019 square metres – 1,060 square metres to the President apartments which are approximately 2,155 square metres – 3,347 square metres.
Car parking will be arranged on several underground levels and offices will be accessed by the embankment, car park and retail levels, possibly to tempt workers into spending their hard earned wages before they have even earned them.
This soak is strictly for those who can afford not only to read about the most expensive stuff but all indulge in some. Earlier we have mentioned about the limited edition and pricey edible water, Evian. But that was for guzzling down to quench your thirst.
This time it’s a dip in about 1000 liters of Evian Natural Spring Water that sums up to the Most Expensive Bath. Folks at Hotel Victor have bought to our notice that at $5,000 a pop and available exclusively in the $6,000 per night penthouse suite of the hip Miami Beach hotspot Hotel Victor, the Evian Experience is the world’s most expensive bath for $11,000.
And this package also takes care of your appetite for luxurious food as well as customized spa services. Roll over to know more about the EVIAN BATH… Continue reading →
Yves Saint Laurent has been making fine leather shoes and purses, as well as haute couture since 1962, they are known for their refined and modern elegance. This seasons must have sandal is the YSL Tribute Sandal. These woven leather, open toe, brown sandals are versatile enough to wear with jeans or a breezy sundress. YSL doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to comfort and quality, like all their shoes, these have a padded insole on top of that sexy 4 inch platform heel. Tribute sandals are available on Barneys.com for $780.
So, how would you like your fireplace to be – retro styled, contemporary or Swarovski studded? Yes, you read it right. I am talking about the Swarovski crystal studded fireplace designed by Justen Ladda.
The one pictured above was custom designed for a fireplace in a late 19th century building. Since fireplaces vary greatly in size and configuration, the firm custom designs them to suit the needs of uber-rich.
In the case of this model, the two bay windows form a door that allows easy loading and cleaning of the fire pit. Continue reading →
Perfectly sized and butter soft the Rodeo tote bag is made from a supple velvet calfskin leather, characteristic for this line, with an patent finishing.
The calfskin leather bag is trimmed with cowhide leather and has metallic zippers giving the bag an more modern and edgy look.
This bag has an convenient zippered front pocket and two zippers giving more space to the bag on the sides. Continue reading →
This is a collectors dream and could just be the perfect material for a real Porsche fanatic meant straight for his garage.
Forget pride, this is your chance to make those envy who believed that a Targa from the early nineties in their possession was just about perfect to bear a retro collectors repute.
It belongs to an era where six-cylinders were literally unheard off and those who knew about its ability were baffled by the cost involved. Continue reading →
Monaco-based Wally Yachts has designed the ultimate in luxury yachts; the WallyIsland a 99 meter (325 feet) “gigayacht”. This super cool waterbaby can be fitted with pools, tennis courts, mini soccer fields, or the gardens and have space to house 40 crew members and 24 guests. A helipad and two 45-foot speedboats are deployed at the back.
Coinciding with London Fashion Week, Parisian haute-couture house Balenciaga has opened a flagship store in Mayfair. The store is a collaborative project between Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière, French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and lighting designer Benoit Lalloz. Previously the three creatives worked together on Balenciaga’s New York flagship store.
With the latest technology in mind, the creative team came up with a futuristic interior featuring plasma screens, silver walls and all white changing rooms. The ceiling is covered in bright coloured pixels and complements the coloured clothing rails.
With the shop design, Balenciaga leave the traditional set up of a store far behind. Normally an architect and marketer would be the creators of a store, but this new shopping space is the result of a close collaboration between a designer and artist.
The modern world offers a stunning array of man-made islands, but although most of the focus has been on Dubai, Spain, Tokyo and Russia, another gorgeous paradise named Eden Island resides in the Seychelles archipelago region in the Indian Ocean.
While the man-made islands most people think of are like big communities that feel like small countries, Eden Island is a more private escape for the most affluent seekers of privacy. The beaches are secluded and the marina is capable of harboring some of the world’s most enormous luxury yachts so you can cruise in and out in style.
“Eden Island is a 99-acre residential marina development that sports a minimum of 480 luxury freehold apartments, mansions and private villas,’ according to IntListings.com. “Homes are spacious, with large verandas and high-pitched red roofs. They feature breathtaking views over mountains, ocean, forests and nearby islands like Cerf and Ste. Anne.â€
