Tokyo is the world’s most expensive city, according to Mercer’s 2009 Worldwide Cost of Living survey released today, with the cost of living up 13.1% from 2008.
Japan’s capital is followed by Osaka and Moscow, which held the top spot in last year’s rankings. Geneva comes in fourth.
The significant changes from last year are due to massive swings in exchange rates, with many currencies at their weakest in years against the U.S. dollar, during the March 2009 survey period.
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Marion Cotillard, who was featured in the advertisement for the Lady Dior bag last fall is set to continue her role in Dior’s advertising campaign.
The next chapter in the Lady Dior advertising saga, sees the Oscar-winning actress continuing her adventures, this time in New York City as “Lady Red.â€
Print ads, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, are slated to break in August fashion titles and be plastered around Paris during fashion week in October.
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Located at one of the world’s most famous intersections at Hollywood and Vine, the W Hollywood will neighbor the world-famous Kodak theatre.
The W Hollywood Hotel & Residences will include a 300 room W Hotel, 143 residences, 374 apartments, approximately 60,000 square feet of retail space, and a 9,200 square foot Bliss Spa.
Residents will have all the benefits of being attached to a W Hotel, including private in-home catering, maid service, room service and more.
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Here is a look at the new collection from Alacria Royal that was designed by Carl F. Bucherer.
The watches have diamonds and either traditional blue sapphires, orange sapphires, emeralds, or rubies.
The cases are in 18k white gold, and delicately reverse tonneau shaped with pretty linked bracelets.
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The granddaughter of legendary painter Henri Matisse has created 5 new unique chess sets for an upcoming exhibit.
Four of the chess sets have their own unique imagery, but they also come together to create a unique design.
Each chess set can be purchased for $16,000 at The Beyond the Border International Contemporary Art Fair, San Diego, scheduled for September 2-4, 2009 at The Grand Del Mar.
Chanel Fall-Winter 2009/10 Ad Campaign stars Heidi Mount and Freja Beha Erichsen. Images by Karl Lagerfeld.
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This beautiful USB dubbed Mnemosyne is made all-aluminum body and costs 1,000,000 Yen.
Created by Italy-based designers Toshi Satoji and Katsuya Masaki, each black cube is constructed with a unique puzzle pattern and carved from a single block of aluminum.
In order to use the USB key you need to completely disassemble the puzzle-like cube to find the USB key in the center, and then re-assemble it when finished.
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Louis Vuitton Japan has created an original game for mobile web SNS and game portal site Mobage Town by DeNA.
The free game, called Precious Cargo, will have a limited run from June 25th to July 7th.
The game invites participants to arrange the brand’s icons in a specific formation to reveal images of the latest products.
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Italian authorities have shut down a historic Roman restaurant days after it charged a Japanese couple $987 for a seafood lunch.
The tourists filed a fraud complaint with police after being surprised with a bill for pasta and lobster with wine and gelato at the Il Passetto restaurant, just off the popular Piazza Navona square.
Health inspectors arrived within days to shut down the 149-year old restaurant – which has served stars ranging from Charlie Chaplin to Grace Kelly – citing hygiene reasons.
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When German tuners Arden revealed the limited edition Arden A-Type AJ at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show, the response was overwhelmingly positive.
Still, the company decided to produce only 13 units of the 460 hp car.
In a strange twist, however, ten years and a whole new model since, the company has announced it will built another five for a few lucky customers.
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Audemars Piguet’s new Royal Oak Offshore Forged Carbon features a forged carbon case made of carbon fiber that has been compressed at high temperatures.
The case measures 42mm with a sapphire crystal and ceramic bezel. It features the exclusive AP caliber 3126/3840 Movement with a power reserve of 60 hours.
Zipping past the inner workings, the face of the watch has a special “mega tapestry†motif with yellow numerals and luminescent hands.
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With 552 hp, a body to die for, and a 0–60 time of 3.2 seconds, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 has little room for improvement.
But there is room for variation, and perhaps the most significant is the new Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni.
The LP550-2 Valentino Balboni is named after Lamborghini’s esteemed test driver, who was hired by Ferruccio Lamborghini himself in 1967, and who has been instrumental in developing the dynamic attributes of every Lamborghini model introduced since 1973.
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Donald Trump’s $95 million Palm Beach mansion sits at the middle of a divorce case, but the Donald is nowhere in sight.
He sold the 33,000-square foot oceanfront mansion to Dmitri Rybolovlev, a Russian billionaire who made his money in fertilizer.
Now his wife, Elena Rybolovlev, says her husband has been unfaithful and she wants 50 percent of the couple’s marital assets, a number she puts between $6 billion and $12 billion.
Forbes reports that Sotheby’s is offering a 1,500-year-old biblical document that includes layers of text and meaning–in three languages.
Known as the Codex Climaci Rescriptus, the piece was written over the span of three centuries and stowed in a sacred monastery until landing in the hands of a pair of British twins by way of local Egyptian dealers.
Now an English college is cannibalizing its library and cashing out, to pay for some building renovations.
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A new concept in executive and luxury travel memberships is coming next month, which will open the doors to a fantasy world for super-rich seeking access to elite air travel.
Called Air Platinum Club, the concept offers its members the access to a wide selection of luxury travel options ranging from private jets to luxury watercrafts.
The fleet of private jets includes the Gulfstream GIV SP, two Bombardier Global XRS planes, the Falcon 2000 and Falcon 50.
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Romantic and modern, the Caresse d’orchidees par Cartier rimless eyewear collection features an alluring flower decorated with sumptuous details, ranging from pink sapphires and diamonds to hand-laid black lacquer.
Cartier’s stylized orchid rests delicately on the sides of these exceptional eyewear creations.
The elegant solid gold frames are available in white, rose or yellow gold.
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