Alexander McQueen’s already conspicuously acclaimed work for Samsonite’s Black Label business luggage will get two new highlights. The unusual ribcage Hero piece (A11) and the small hard-side crocodile skin textured upside trolley (A12) will get a futuristic limited edition shining silver overhaul.
Truly admirable additions with features like the scratch resistant surface, shipped shoe and laundry bags and a TSA lock. ”Created with Bayer, one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and high-performance plastics, the bags’ shiny silver coating feature a special UV resistant mirror paint that won’t crack.”
The luggage will be available at Samsonite boutiques worldwide from November 2008 retails from $800 to $2,500. If your goal is to freak out innocent bystanders using nothing but your luggage, then this is your bag ^_^
Forbes has just released its annual ranking of the 100 most expensive zip codes in America.
Beverly Hills 90210 for example, barely makes it into the top 10 nowadays with a median home price of $2.41 million, while Bel Air (90077) lags way back at No. 29 with a median price of $1.72 million. New York City doesn’t rate an appearance at all until Tribeca zip 10013 clocks in at No. 14 with a median price of $2.2 million.
The most expensive zip code in the country? 33109, the tiny private enclave of Miami Beach known as Fisher Island (above), where sales prices rose by $525,000 over the last year and which has an unbeatable median price of $3.85 million.
Listed below are the Top 10 zips.
1. Fisher Island, Fla., 33109, Miami-Dade County Median sales price: $3.85 million
2. Alpine, N.J., 07620, Bergen County Median sales price: $3.59 million
3. Mill Neck, N.Y., 11765, Nassau County Median sales price: $3 million
4. Newport Coast, Calif., 92657, Orange County Median sales price: $2.8 million
5. Water Mill, N.Y. 11976, Suffolk County Median sales price: $2.72 million
6. Atherton, Calif., 94027, San Mateo County Median home price: $2.7 million
7. Santa Barbara, Calif., 93108, Santa Barbara County Median home price: $2.7 million
8. Wainscott, N.Y., 11975, Suffolk County Median home price: $2.56 million
9. Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., 92067, San Diego County Median home price: $2.47 million
10. Beverly Hills, Calif., 90210, Los Angeles County Median home price: $2.41 million
You can see a slideshow of the full list here. Via Luxist
LG have released the second iteration of their Prada phone named the Prada II. The Prada II phone is based on the first Prada phone but features numerous improvements.
It boasts of 7.2Mbps HSDPA 850 / 2100, WiFi, TV-out, FM radio, and a 5-megapixel camera. The side-slider also hosts a full QWERTY keyboard.
LG Prada II also has an FM radio and TV output, together with a full HTML browser. It uses a capacitive touchscreen, similar to that of the iPhone, but without multitouch functionality. Continue reading →
Sean Connery stars in a new Louis Vuitton ad, photographed by Annie Leibovitz on a beach near his home in the Bahamas, the iconic actor is propped on a wooden dock next to a waterproof version of Vuitton’s Keepall bag.
“I wish I looked like that at 78 years old,” Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s director of communications said. “He’s sexier than ever.”
The good news is that we get to see Connery’s Vuitton ads very soon, in October, just in time for this Fall’s 007 feature, The Quantum of Solace. Previous famous candidates include Mikhail Gorbachev, Keith Richards, and more recently Francis Ford Coppola and his daughter Sofia.
Celebrating the inaugural SKYCITY Festival of Poker, Amber Peebles wore a specially designed chip dress worth $1 million at the SKYCITY Lee Nelson and Brooke Howard-Smith Celebrity & Media Invitational poker tournament last week.
The dress was made out of 200 casino chips worth $5000 each, and required the MTV presenter to have her own security team following her around.
Amber Peebles said: “When SKYCITY first pitched me on the idea of the Million Dollar Chip Dress I thought it was very Paris Hilton, but how many times does a girl get to wear a million bucks?â€
The dress, weighed more than two kilograms, was made only for this event at the SkyCity Casino in Auckland, and will never be worn again.
The Super Sense Spa, designed by architecture and design studio KUU, a 3-level spa in Shanghai completed in late 2007.
An additional floor in steel was added and the staircase leading up lands at several platforms which are for the spa’s complementary purposes such as consultation, beauty treatment, manicure or pedicure.
I am amazed at the way the designer play with the form and function of the wall that creates lighting, niches and even form spaces. Absolutely uplifting and delightful !
The Dow Jones has sunk below 10,000, Wall Street is in turmoil and big banks are disappearing. But that hasn’t stopped Neiman Marcus from mailing its much-anticipated annual Christmas Book catalog this week.
From high-end cars to custom sculptures, The 82nd edition of this world-renowned book is full of fantasy gifts. The most expensive item this year is the Three Chimneys Thoroughbred Racing Package, which is priced at $10 million.
Some of this year’s other extravagant gifts include His and Hers life-size Lego sculptures, a Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium end zone, the M-Velope transformable structure, and medieval and Renaissance-era rings. Also, this year’s featured car is the Neiman Marcus limited-edition 2009 BMW Individual 7 Series sedan. Continue reading →
Colombian designer Miguel Caballero has developed a range of clothing tagged “high-security fashion”, which incorporates an ultra-lightweight bullet-proof fabric that is virtually indistinguishable from regular designer clothing.
A $12,000 anti-ballistic polo shirt has been developed as part of his “Black Collection” line and is available now from Harrod’s of London.
The polo-shirt is able to resist bullet-fire ranging from a 9mm pistol to an Uzi submachine gun, which is really impressive. Continue reading →
Lego Artist Nathan Sawaya – one of the only six certified Lego professionals in the world, three in the US – will do a full-size scale Lego replica of yourself for $60,000.
You just have to order it from Neiman Marcus, send some photographs, and Nathan will build your natural-size 8-bit version.
Nathan uses 15,000 to 25,000 individual bricks in a sculpture, on average and ideally, he needs 16 photos: eight full body photos from 360 degrees, and eight of the face and head from 360 degrees. Continue reading →
Not new but this Japanese ad for Louis Vuitton is just amazing, I love it! While waiting to meet her friends outside of a Louis Vuitton store, Aya’scell phone is eaten by the LV Panda, who then promptly swallows Aya – but the inside of his stomach is gateway to a psychadelic wonderland. Based on characters created by famed superflat artist Takashi Murakami.
The next time I see a Panda I am running in the opposite direction !
When purchasing luxury furniture, you have to think if it’s just for right now or if you’ll want to hand it down through the generations. Though, If you want only the best new luxury furniture for your home, “Manufacture de Luxe“ may have just what you’re looking for and they’ve just come up with a brand new website !
OVO TUTTI FRUTTI – Coffee Table – “Emaux de Briare” mosaic tiles – Leather covered.
I really like their timeless creations that bring together the best of traditional craftsmanship with adventurous contemporary design. Just have a look on their website, they carry a wide range of furniture lines for your viewing pleasure :
TRIOMPHE – Tripod Desk
I love their Cabinets of Curiosities. Pure wonders. and my favourite items are the very sexy “Amor Hot” which sells €12,500 ($18,000) and this other cabinet, fully inlaid with mother pearl and black pearl priced at €15,000 ($21,500)… I also love their amazing chairs, and for my office, I would certainly chose the “Triomphe” (€8,800 – $12,000), a three feet desk which is very contemporary but old-style richly decorated.
FARNIENTE – Sofa
In addition, if you are looking for original pieces to decorate your rooms, they can also make you the most exceptional pieces you can imagine. Whether you already have an idea of the subject to be developed, or you are looking for a new source of inspiration, they will create the extraordinary piece that is missing from your interior.
These exceptional pieces of furniture are guaranteed for life and are also environmentally friendly : )
Designed by Philippe Starck, the Faena Hotel + Universe offers over-the-top elegance in Puerto Madero (a district of the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires), a planned waterfront district. The spacious hotel, which occupies an old grain silo, has everything from a cabaret stage to a hammam, with 110 rooms starting at $425.
The hotel also has a residential section, with properties for sale. These vary in size and price, and 20 of them are available for rent on a nonscheduled basis. Several dining, bar, and entertainment areas are in the lobby and elsewhere. The “Universe” in the hotel’s name refers to these shared elements, open to guests, residents, and the general public, with a philosophy of mingling and sharing ideas and experiences.
The most formal restaurant (above) is all white on white, with unicorn heads mounted on the wall.
I wish I could go there to experience the experience :)
The lunch was organized yesterday (October 10th) at the Louis XV restaurant, at the Hotel de Paris, located Place du Casino – Monte Carlo.
Fortis, which was bailed out on Monday, sent an invite for 50 to participate in a ‘culinary event’ at the most expensive three-Michelin-star restaurant where the bill runs in most cases to over 3000 euros ($4,500) per person. Continue reading →
The men’s wardrobe does not offer a wide spectrum of refinements. Especially masculine accessories are limited, but fortunately apart the tie, cufflinks once again vanquish as an necessity. Watch-Cufflinks.comoffers the most original cufflinks available by creating stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces from vintage jeweled timepieces. Each piece is hand made from specifically selected watch movements of the finest craftsmanship from Switzerland, France and across the globe.
Ricky Wolbrom, the proprietor and designer behind Watch-Cufflinks takes time pieces to the next level by displaying the artistry behind the watch face. Just take a look at the pictures and you’ll understand the quality and craftsmanship that went in these pieces.
The cufflinks you see here were once the heart of mechanical masterpieces. Now they will add instant class and uniqueness to your shirt and your suit.
Priced at $985, the pair of Girard Perregaux (below) is perhaps the most beautiful cufflinks they have created though.
“Girard Perregaux is a fixture among the top luxury watch brands and has been for a very long time. Their finely crafted timepieces are not only examples of brilliant craftsmanship and beauty, but also as highly coveted collectables that only increase in value. The company dates back to the late 1700’s in Geneva and in 1867 made an indelible mark on the horological world: Constant Girard presented his Tourbillon with three gold Bridges after years of research into the functional use of gold in watch movements. This masterpiece was awarded the gold medal at the Universal exhibitions of Paris in 1867 and 1889, but declared ineligible in 1901 because it could not be equalled.” (Courtesy of The Watch Guy)
As many of these items are unique, hand-crafted pieces, all items come with a certificate of authenticity signed by the artist. Cost: $85-$985 @ Watch Cufflinks
Every year during the holiday season Evian, the World’s Most Luxurious Natural Spring Water, teams up with a European artist to create a special bottle. Over the years the pieces have become real collectors pieces.
Last year for Paris Fashion Week Evian partnered with Christan Lacroix and this year they worked with high fashion designer and Hermès Creative Director Jean Paul Gaultier.
He uses two unique creations – a “Prêt-à -porter” and an “Haute Couture” version – to crystallise the very essence of Evian water with his wonted talent Continue reading →
Courchevel ski resort has teamed up with Lacroix to present a pitara full of skiing essentials.
This elite set comprises a pair of Courchevel Ski Exclusive, a pair of Lx Smatrack, carbon sticks, leathered gloves, a ski mask and two empty leather pockets.
All this is encased in a luxury leather trunk that is exclusively signed by Pinel and Pinel.
A drawer on the bottom provides additional storage space. Fitted with wheels, the case can be easily tagged along.
Only 10 such cases will roll out for a whopping price tag of 50,000 euros (about $70,000) and they will be available at Lacroix boutique at Courchevel . You can also check out their website lacroix-skis.com
According to The Daily Mail, Johnny Depp will be paid £32,000,000 (about $56 million) for the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 4. This would make Depp the highest paid actor in film history.
Tom Hanks supposedly made an estimated $50 million for the Da Vinci Code follow-up Angels & Demons. Keanu Reeves holds the record of the highest paid actor of all time after the fact. Reeves made $20 million plus 15% of the gross for the two Matrix sequels, which equals out to an estimated $194 million (or $97 million a film).
But Depp is the franchise. Like Harrison Ford with Indiana Jones, this isn’t a film series where the actor is interchangeable to the character and Disney is smart enough to realize that.
However, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom would not be back for the sequel but there are talks of Captain Jack having a brother in the next movie, possibly to be played by Sacha Baron Cohen or Russell Brand. Also, the new movie might kick off a trilogy, which would revolve around Captain Jack’s search for the Fountain of Youth.
Geoffrey Rush and director Gore Verbinski are apparently both planning to return, but Tim Burton might direct instead : he might have the ability to make the new franchise as fresh and exciting as it was when the first movie came out.
The first three Pirates of the Caribbean films grossed over $2.68 billion worldwide. By that reckoning, $56 million for Depp would be a bargain, as another film is essentially like printing money !
Pirates of the Caribbean 4 is currently aiming for a May 2011 release.
Already a tourist hot spot Bangkok is now unlike any time in the past, as the readers of Travel and Leisure just acknowledged by voting Bangkok the “World’s Best City, 2008”. Being a city so rich in sights and sounds, seemingly everywhere, Bangkok can feel overwhelming at times. Luckily Bangkok hotels have made enjoying the city’s wonderful madness a little easier, by creating outstanding viewpoints to enjoy this vast city. Agoda.com salutes Bangkok and proposes top 10 hotels to check out some of Bangkok’s amazing views.
Today, Bangkok sprawls in every direction, extending beyond the horizon. Still a massive network of streets and sois, the city now bristles with skyscrapers, mega malls, elevated expressways and sky trains. The ubiquitous food stalls, markets, world class shopping and nightlife still attract tourists in droves, but it’s the elegance and modernity of the city that consistently surprises.
Michael Kenny, CEO of Agoda.com says “Bangkok is a city full of energy and beauty. It’s also a city with an eclectic mix of contradictions. The food stalls, markets, shopping and culture; all this activity happens in surroundings that are both classically Thai and ultra-modern. The churning Chao Phraya River lined with ancient temples set against a modern skyline is truly a unique sight. Bangkok hotels have embraced the city’s diverse nature, creating rooftop bars, restaurants and viewpoints that rival anyplace in the world. Those who get to live in Bangkok experience all its delights on a daily basis. It looks like the rest of the world has finally started to take notice. Bangkok deserves this award.”
Agoda.com is an Asia-based, worldwide online hotel bookings company, renowned for its expertise in the Bangkok marketplace and offers hotel reservations with 300 Bangkok hotels to choose from. The staff at Agoda has chosen the top 10 hotels where tourists can indulge in some amazing views of Thailand’s “City of Angels”.
Agoda’s Top 10 hotels showcasing Bangkok’s amazing views are:
1. Lebua at State Tower, Sirocco-Located on the 63 rdfloor of The Dome at the Lebua at State Tower, Sirocco is the world’s highest al fresco restaurant. Also one of Bangkok’s most coveted dining choices, the experience never fails to leave one mesmerized. This award-winning restaurant offers breathtaking views of Bangkok and the Chao Phraya River.
2. The Banyan Tree, Vertigo Grill & Moon Bar – Located on the 61stfloor, Vertigo is one of the landmarks of fine dining in Bangkok. The top floor of the Banyan Tree Hotel offers spectacular panoramic views of Bangkok. Even without trying the decadent menu, just witnessing the sunset at Vertigo is an unforgettable experience. The slow melt of the sun into darkness, ultimately revealing the sparkling lights of the Bangkok night, leaves guests awestruck.
3. Centara Grand at CentralWorld, A gourmet dining & grill restaurant, Fifty Five is dramatically perched on the 54 th& 55 thfloors, with amazing views of Bangkok, set to serve the very best Thailand has to offer. Red Sky a chic, urban bistro and lounge with breathtaking, al fresco vistas of Bangkok, located on the 55 thfloor. Both scheduled to open in September 2008.
4. The Dusit Thani, D’Sens – A graceful French restaurant, D’Sens is located on the top floor of the hotel. The large windows allow guests to gaze out onto all the early evening activity of historical Lumpini Park and the hustle and bustle of Silom, Bangkok’s city center.
5. The Landmark Hotel, RR & B Bar- A roof-top steakhouse and bar, RR & B is located on the 31 stfloor, offering breathtaking views of the city’s skyline and one of Bangkok’s best grills.
6. The Westin Grande Sukhumvit Hotel, Horizon Sky Lounge and Karaoke- Follow dinner with drinks, music and questionable karaoke at the Horizons Sky Lounge and Karaoke with its panoramic views of Bangkok’s sparkling lights.
7. The Baiyoke Sky , Thailand’s tallest hotel with 3 fantastic restaurants located at its peak. The Bangkok Sky Restaurant on the 76 th&78 thfloors, the Crystal Grill on the 82 ndfloor and the rocking Roof Top Bar & Music on the 83 rdfloor, Thailand’s highest entertainment venue.
8. The Oriental Hotel , The Verandah – With a massive patio extending out onto the Chao Phraya River, the elegant Verandah is the perfect spot to enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner. Renovated in 2005 the Verandah serves delectable Asian and Western cuisines in subtle Thai surroundings. The majestic Oriental Hotel was just ranked number 14 in Travel and Leisure’s Top 500 Hotels.
9.The Millennium Hilton Bangkok – Three Sixty Lounge- Sitting 32 floors up and chilling out to a little jazz, the Three Sixty Lounge provides the perfect setting to take Bangkok all in. A relaxed, romantic setting with an extensive cocktail list, this jazz bar is quickly becoming a city favorite.
10. The Peninsula Hotel , Thiptara Restaurant – Thiptara literally translates to ‘heaven on water’ and the Thiptara Restaurant is just that, set on the picturesque banks of the Chao Phraya River nestled under a huge Banyan tree. The Peninsula’s new Thiptara Thai restaurant offers authentic, Thai home-style food served outdoors, in teakwood, Thai-style pavilions. Bangkok’s outstanding Peninsula Hotel was just ranked number 17 in Travel and Leisure’s Top 500 Hotels.
La Grande Dame comes in a special casket that has been designed with a posh look by Andree Putman, interior designer. The casket doesn’t just carry a cubist aura but is also practical since it doubles up as the ice holder (The Veuve website has a video with Andree Putnam as she explains her theory in creating the box).
La Grande Dame from Veuve Cliquot is as luxurious as it comes. The fine bubbly, casing and even the price is going to leave you breathless : the item is only available in a limited edition of 2,000 and the box along with a bottle of the champagne sells for around $500.
Many people keep their valuables in a safe. But only a few can say they keep their valuables in a Bentley !
The exclusive German safe manufacturer Stockinger the first name in luxury safes — has teamed up with Bentley Motors Ltd. to produce two limited edition lockboxes, each the definition of style, security and extravagant waste.
The Continental and Arnage safes are designed in the same way as all Stockinger safes and designed to be impenetrable and feature numerous security mechanisms such as built in alarms and GPS trackers. To make it clear that your safe is a luxury vault, the handle features the landmark Bentley “B†right in the center !
The Continental is designed for jewelry, while watch collectors will want the Arnage which comes equipped with state-of-the-art watch winders, whose noiseless movement is guaranteed to be maintenance free for life.
Each and every bespoke safe is carefully constructed in an 18-stage process which takes several weeks to complete. The safes are available in all standard Bentley exterior colours and you can choose from one of ten interior leather hides and three wood veneer panels.
Only two hundred of each model will be available to order exclusively through Stockinger. Exclusivity isn’t cheap. The Arnage safe costs $180,000, while the Continental safe retails for about $168,000.
This week Ducati North America launched a limited edition Ducati Hypermotard with luxury retailer Neiman Marcus. The limited production motorcycle is featured in the Neiman Marcus Fall Men’s Book and can be ordered through the Neiman Marcus website.
It features a Termignoni full exhaust system with performance ECU, Ducati Performance race seat, a specially designed “Tricolore“ color and graphics package and an array of carbon fiber accessories – all conceived and executed by Advanced Motorsports, one of the premier Ducati dealerships in North America. Production is limited and each unit carries an individually numbered plaque signifying its exclusivity.
Each Limited Edition Neiman Marcus Ducati Hypermotard begins its life as a Hypermotard 1100 in Ducati’s Bologna, Italy factory and is then hand crafted in the US by one of the foremost authorities on Ducati performance. These special bikes are built to order and will be delivered to the Ducati dealership of your choice.
It’s priced at $17,995. But can the additions and the supposed exclusivity brought by the limited numbers justify the $6,000 premium? Neiman Marcus is hardly an aspirational brand these days, and with only a few accessories added to stock bikes, these are unlikely to become collector’s items…
Alexander McQueen’s already conspicuously acclaimed work for Samsonite’s Black Label business luggage will get two new highlights. The unusual ribcage Hero piece (A11) and the small hard-side crocodile skin textured upside trolley (A12) will get a futuristic limited edition shining silver overhaul. 
The Dow Jones has sunk below 10,000, Wall Street is in turmoil and big banks are disappearing. But that hasn’t stopped Neiman Marcus from mailing its much-anticipated annual Christmas Book catalog this week.
Lego Artist Nathan Sawaya – one of the only six certified Lego professionals in the world, three in the US – will do a full-size scale Lego replica of yourself for $60,000.
