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The Ritz-Carlton Toronto, the Brand's First Canadian Hotel, Opens

Welcome to Toronto! The Ritz-Carlton today announced the opening of their first Canadian property, The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto. Featuring 267 guestrooms, the new hotel is a 53 story addition to the city skyline. After numerous delays (the hotel was originally slated to open last fall) the brand has finally made their infiltration into what many have called the world's most international city.

Want to watch the opening ceremonies, starting at 11:30 AM on Wednesday? The hotel is streaming it all on Facebook, further cementing our view that the Ritz-Carlton is one of the top luxury brand in the social media space.

With unimpeded North or South facing views of the city or Lake Ontario, each guestroom or suite at features floor-to-ceiling windows with heated perimeters, African Anigre wood and Portuguese Estremoz marble, as well as spacious bathrooms with heated marble flooring, dual vanities embedded with 22" HD television screens, private rain showers and soaker tubs.

Opt for a room on the Club Level and enjoy access to the 20th floor Club Lounge, offering spectacular water views as well as complimentary food and beverage presentations and private concierge service.

Gallery: Ritz-Carlton Toronto

Tags: canada, new hotel, ritz-carlton, ritz-carlton toronto, toronto

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Dwyane Wade New Hublot Watches Brand Ambassador

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Star NBA basketball player Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) was recently announced to have signed on with Swiss watch maker Hublot as a brand ambassador. Hublot's CEO Jean-Claude Biver knows how to market his brand very, very well. Though special partnerships, sponsorships, and ambassadorships, he has brought a lot of attention to Hublot. As part of the brand's strong push in America, Hublot is wise to align with popular celebrities and athletes. Hublot already works with a number of such entities all over the world. Hublot is starting to join the ranks of some very large brands who work with major celebrities in the US - the most expensive celebrities around. Hublot will also work to assist Wade's efforts with his charitable foundation called "Wade's World Foundation" that works to support community-based organizations for at-risk youth. Look for not only an Hublot on Wade's wrist, but Dwyane as the face of many Hublot marketing campaigns.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: ambassador, Dwyane wade, hublot, watch

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Moncler Takes Over Grand Central at Fashion Week

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events

Moncler Takes Over Grand Central at Fashion Week

Moncler, the French–Italian luxury sport label founded in 1952 famed for its stylish down jackets, took over New York's Grand Central Terminal on Sunday evening for a "flash mob" themed Fashion Week presentation. 180 models descended on the NYC landmark clad in designs from Moncler's Grenoble Fall 2011 collection for a seven-minute choreographed performance inspired by the work of Bob Fosse and garments that "combine contemporary style with the high performance of the active sphere." The spectacle delighted passers-by, while another 200 performers infiltrated their ranks disguised as fellow commuters.

Key elements of the Grenoble collection for both men and women blend the brand's heritage with ultra-contemporary styling. Tweed is used with a waterproof finish for heat-sealed snowboarding pants and a ski suit, with elasticized panels down the side. The fabrics are warm and light, including stretch flannels, wool denim, worn Ventile cottons with an opaque look borrowed from truck tarpaulins, natural waterproofs, and innovative materials such as trilaminate. Pieces are designed to be layered and incorporate hoods, warm quilting and exclusive technical padding. Colors are full and intense with a retro feel in burgundy red, mustard yellow and green-grey.

Gallery: Moncler Grenoble at Grand Central

Tags: fashion, fashion shows, Fashion Week, Grand Central, Moncler, New York, New York Fashion Week Fall 2011, outerwear, ski

Intelligence Made Visible: Travel + Leisure Design Awards 2011

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, By Design, Architecture & Design

Great design is intelligence made visible, but great travel design must take this idea to the next level -- it can't just look pretty, it has to combine functionality, strength, and ease of use. Those of us who travel do NOT have time for things that don't work, aren't strong, and don't make our lives easier while on the road.

For seven years, the Travel + Leisure Design Awards have rewarded companies, products, hotels, innovators, and innovations of every type with recognition and gratitude in making the travelers lives better and their travel expereience more memorable. In addition, an overall Design Champion is named.

"The 2011 Design Awards underscore and celebrate the significant impact that good design has on travel," said Nancy Novogrod, Editor-In Chief of Travel + Leisure. "Our judges are not T+L Editors. The jurors look for exceptional function, unqiue statement and inventive reinterpretation."

The panel of jurors include:

David Childs, chairman emeritus, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill
Paulette Cole, CEO and creative director, ABC Carpet & Home
Fred Dust, partner, IDEO
Norma Kamali, fashion designer
Danny Meyer, CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group
Nadja Swarovski, creative director, Swarovski Crystal
Henry Urbach, curator of architecture and design, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
T+L's Consulting Design Editor Chee Pearlman was the jury moderator.

Winners of these seventh annual awards represent the best new examples of design in a range of categories from hotels and transportation to luggage and travel fashion. They will be honored at the New World Center in Miami on February 23rd.

Below is a list of the Travel + Leisure Design Award winners:

Best Large Hotel: The Yas Hotel (see above) in Abu Dhabi,UAE, is set half on land and half on water, overlooking the Yas Marina & Yacht Club and positioned on the Yas Marina Circuit, which plays host to the annual Formula 1™ Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Tags: 11 11 Lincoln Road Miami, Amangiri, Apple iPad, Ashmolean Museum, Ashmolean Museum Oxford, Bowers Wilkins PS Noise-Isolating Headphones, Brussels, FreeCity Supershop Supermat, Hussen Chalayan, Jambox Portable Speaker by Jawbone, Nissan LEAF, Norwegian Cruise Line Epic Studios, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Pantone Hotel, Pantone Hotel Brussels, Patagonia M10 jacket, Patagonia Ultralight Down jacket, Snow Peak Hozuki Lantern, Table 1 Shanghai, The Nissan LEAF, Travel + Leisure Design Awards, Travel + Leisure Magazine, Tumi Vapor Collection, Urban Mobility Pack by Puma, Yas Hotel Abu Dhabi, Yas Marina and Yacht Club, Yas Marina Circuit

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Betsey Johnson to Show Runway Dresses on Real Girls

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Last year, Marc Jacobs grabbed headlines when he picked a couple of girls off the street to walk his runway show. He just loved their style, much to the envy of wannabe models everywhere. This year Betsey Johnson takes it a step further. How much further? Luxist has the scoop.

We spoke to the amazingly down-to-earth designer at the Diet Pepsi lounge at Lincoln Center this morning, where she stopped by for a brief meet-and-greet. Dressed in her lucky studded New York belt, a draped Alexander McQueen scarf, and quintessential red lipstick, Betsey Johnson was full of a shocking amount of energy after her long week leading up to the tents.

Tags: alexander mcqueen, betsey johnson, diet pepsi, Fashion Week New York 2011, lincoln center

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Affordable Luxury: The Opening of Ravella At Lake Las Vegas

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Dolce Hotels and Resorts' newest property, Ravella at Lake Las Vegas, opened its doors on February 11th. Ravella is a 349-room-and-suite resort, situated on the shores of the largest privately owned man-made lake in the country. Located 17 miles from the Las Vegas Strip on the site of the former Ritz-Carlton® at Lake Las Vegas, Ravella offers kayaking, boating and fly fishing, and the nearby SouthShore Jack Nicklaus golf course. Ravella also features a 24 treatment room, 30,000-square-foot Mediterranean-inspired spa, salon and fitness center, 39,000 square feet of meeting and social event space, Las Vegas's only over-water chapel called La Capella di Amore, as well as multiple lounge and dining experiences. Ravella guests may also access two marinas, near the Village Lake Las Vegas, an enclave reminiscent of colorful lake communities in Italy and France.

Guests will experience a redesigned lobby that serves as a social gathering spot. Its nearby Firenze Lounge spans three distinct activity areas for guests --to relax with something to eat, and/or plug in their laptop, and/or socialize over coffee or cocktails. Ravella guests also have privileged access to The Village Lake Las Vegas and can bill restaurant meals to their hotel rooms. Focused on affordable luxury, Ravella's room rates start at $120 per night. Nevada residents also enjoy a 25-percent locals discount with valid Nevada ID.

In addition, Ravella's environment provides a colorful backdrop for corporate retreats, a vital part of the Dolce Hotel and Resort's corporate identity. Large-scale meetings, weddings and lakeside events are palnned, and can be easily accommodated. Brides-to-be will enjoy the La Capella di Amore, Ravella's over-water chapel located on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. There's also a Florentine Garden, Tuscany Courtyard; and private beach with waterfall.

Tags: Dolce Hotels and Resorts, Jack Nicklaus SouthShore, La Capella di Amore, Lake Las Vegas, Las vegas, Ravella At Lake las Vegas, Ravella At Lake Las Vegas Hotel Opening, SouthShore Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas, Southshore Jack Nicklaus Golf, The Spa At Ravella, Village Lake las Vegas

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Did Abramovich Just Bag a Bacon for $37 Million at Sotheby's?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art, Wealth

Last month when we wrote about an important Francis Bacon triptych being auctioned off at Sotheby's, we predicted it would blast past its $14 million high estimate. And indeed on Thursday Three Studies for a Portrait of Lucian Freud (above) sold for a whopping $37 million, or more than two and a half times the top quote, at the auction house's Looking Closely sale of 20th century artworks in London. In our original post we also put forward Bacon-loving oligarch Roman Abramovich as the likely buyer, since he's in the midst of decorating his new $230 million mega-mansion in London; while Thursday's purchaser was anonymous, we bet the Freud triptych will be hanging on Abramovich's wall before long. The Thursday sale, from works said to have belonged to the low-profile Geneva collector George Kostalitz who died last year, also saw a new auction record for any surrealist work of art – Salvador Dali's Portrait de Paul Eluard, which sold for $21.6 million.

Tags: art, auctions, contemporary art, Francis Bacon, London, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, Salvador Dali, Sothebys, wealth

Mauro Lecchi & Fenice Milano Team Up to Build Lamborghini-Inspired Motoryacht

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

When we first saw images of Mauro Lecchi's design for a Lamborghini motoryacht, we were suitably impressed, but we didn't think it would ever grace the water. Turns out we were mistaken, because the first example has been commissioned and is currently under construction.

The design takes its cues from Lamborghini sportscars and translates them into a 50-foot express power yacht – and an impressive one at that – made out of lightweight carbon-Kevlar. Fenice Milano – the same outfit responsible for those guilded Fiats and Rolls-Royces – has been brought in to work the interior, so you know it will be as outlandish as the exterior is menacing. We've updated the image gallery below with additional renderings as well as pictures of the vessel under construction, so why not take a look for yourself.

Gallery: Lamborghini poweryacht concept by Mauro Lecchi

Tags: fenice milano, lamborghini, Mauro Lecchi, motor yacht, powerboat, yacht

James Bond's New Bentley

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Books

It may be a while before everyone's favorite spy is back on the silver screen, but fortunately for Bond fans, there's a new series of books to keep our interests piqued. But while 007 drives an Aston Martin in the latest movies, in the books (old and new) Bentley is his ride of choice.

The latest book Carte Blanche is set to launch in the UK on May 26, but its author Jeffery Deaver recently stopped by its setting in Dubai to check out the new Bentley Continental GT in white over red which Bond drives in the book. Not a subtle choice, to be sure, but neither is Dubai. See for yourself in the image gallery below.

Gallery: Jeffrery Deaver & the Bentley Continental GT

Source

Tags: 007, bentley, bentley continental gt, bond, carte blanche, dubai, emirates, james bond, jeffery deaver, uae

Larry Ellison Buys Porcupine Creek

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

One of the homes on our biggest price drops for 2010 list has found its new owner. MyDesert.com confirms that Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison has snapped up Porcupine Creek, a 249-acre golf course estate in Ranch Mirage, California, for $42.9 million. This home originally hit the market for $75 million but last fall it had a price cut to $55 million. Ellison already has ties in the area. In 2009 he bought the nearby Indian Wells Tennis Garden and BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament. Ellison also owns property in Woodside, California, on Malibu's Carbon Beach and last year he purchased the Astor's Beechwood Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island.

Pourcupine Creek was formerly owned by Yellowstone Club founders Tim and Edra Blixseth before an acrimonious divorce got the better of them and their global collection of properties. Porcupine Creek was most recently in the hands of a holding company related to the Yellowstone Club. Blixseth sold the Yellowstone Club last year to CrossHarbor Partners. Porcupine Creek includes a golf club and golf course, a huge 18,400 square-foot main residence, eight guest houses, a pool, spa, gym and an amphitheater. It has hosted many benefits and charity events and in an email to MyDesert Edra Blixseth expressed hope that the estate might serve that function again.

[Thanks, Spec.]

Gallery: Porcupine Creek

Tags: edra blixeth, larry ellison, oracle, porcupine creek

Killy, Luxe Ski Wear from a Stylish Olympic Champion

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style

Killy, Luxe Ski Wear from a Stylish Olympic Champion

Jean-Claude Killy won all three ski events at the 1968 Winter Olympics, worked as a stuntman in James Bond films, appeared in Rolex ads, raced sports cars and was tapped as one of GQ's 50 most stylish men of the last 50 years. Until now we didn't know that he also has an eponymous line of luxe ski wear. Born in the French Alps, elegance, comfort and performance are the key focuses of the Killy brand. French designers, cutting edge fabrics, sporty laser cuts and color hits adorn what are otherwise very practical weatherproof garments for both men and women. The quality and style of each Killy ski piece is designed to "embody the exacting demands and spirit of Killy, the man himself." Recently merged with the leading French outdoor group Lafuma, which also owns the famed Le Chameau boot brand, look for Killy to make even more of an impression in the future.

Gallery: Killy Ski Wear

Tags: clothing, France, GQ, Jean-Claude Killy, Killy, Le Chameau, Olympics, Rolex, ski, skiing, sports, winter sports

Rare Early Disney Animation Cel Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Animation cels have become popular collectibles, combining art with a heavy dose of nostalgia. Cels are transparent sheets which the images are drawn and painted and they were used for early traditional animation. They are available at a wide range of price points from around a hundred dollars to many thousands depending on the complexity of the image and the significance of the final work that it is part of. Disney cels are often among the most prized with the flagship mouse, Mickey, being particularly important. Disney discontinued the use of cels in favor of computer animation several decades ago.

Heritage Auctions is selling off a Mickey Mouse animation cel, that they term the world's most valuable. The Band Concert Production Cel Animation Art, Walt Disney, 1935 – will be part of Heritage Auctions Feb. 24-25 Signature Comics and Comic Art Auction. The Band Concert is a funny, short cartoon, showing Mickey's orchestra of colorful characters playing, no matter what is happening around them. It is estimated to sell for $100,000 and is thought to be the only production setup in existence from the first Mickey cartoon that features Mickey and the entire band. The image area measures approximately 12" x 9.5", matted and framed to an overall size of 26.75" x 22.75" and has been professionally restored. The cel comes to Heritage via the Kerby Confer Collection. Confer is known to be one of the most serious collectors of original Disney material. Confer bought the cel in 2001. The cel appears on a list of most expensive animation cels which says that it sold for over $400,000 back in 1999.

"This cel is, in many ways, the ultimate Mickey Mouse item a collector could ever hope to acquire," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations of the Comics category at Heritage. "The Band Concert was the very first theatrical Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, and has long been cherished by Disney fans worldwide."

Tags: animation cel, animation cels, disney, heritage auction, heritage auctions, mickey mouse

Louis Vuitton Launches First iPhone App

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Famed French luxury goods house Louis Vuitton has just launched Amble, designed to be the ultimate iPhone app for chic travelers. The Amble application, Vuitton's first, interacts with a dedicated Amble website, enabling travellers to prepare their luxe journey on their computer or iPad. According to the company, Amble is "an invitation to explore the world at a leisurely pace [and] make serendipitous discoveries", which you can then record on your iPhone in photo, video, audio or note format in the "My Amble" section of the application. The app draws on the treasure trove of information provided by the acclaimed Louis Vuitton City Guides.

Addresses are provided free with Amble for various cities covered by the guides, while the full Louis Vuitton City Guide content can be purchased from iTunes for selected cities. In addition, at any time users can click on the "Around Me" icon, an ergonomic interface using the GPS iPhone facilities, in order to discover places of interest near to their position. The app also offers users the opportunity to share their favourite "spots" along their journeys with their friends via email, Facebook or Twitter, as well as to submit them to Louis Vuitton, where they may be published on the website. Amble can now be downloaded free of charge from the Apple App Store.

Tags: app, Apple, apps, iPad, iPhone, Louis Vuitton, luggage, luxury goods, luxury travel, technology, travel

Ranking The Luxe Car Super Bowl Ads

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi all advertised in the Super Bowl this year, and all three took very different creative strategies.

Mercedes-Benz ran a 60-second ad that tried to call attention to its entire current lineup of vehicles by juxtaposing them against decades of classic Mercedes-Benzes. In the ad, classic Mercedes vehicles start themselves and drive themselves en masse to a place where they can see the new Mercedes vehicles. Hip Hop star Sean John appears in the ad, having had his silver Mercedes start-up on its own and leave his driveway.

BMW ran two ads, one that showcased its all-new X3 crossover, and the fact that all X3 are built at the company's Spartanburg, SC plant. The other ad featured BMW's clean diesel vehicles, contrasting them to the image many have of diesel cars--sooty, stinky and loud.

Audi ran an ad for the new A8 sedan (pictured) depicting a prison break in a fictitious prison for the white collar criminals who are mostly the epitome of affected wealth. Audi, which likes to use comedy in its Super Bowl ads, hired Kenny G for a cameo as a riot suppressant warden.

Tags: audi, bmw, clean diesel, mercedes-benz, super bowl ads, Super Bowl XLV

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Alfa Romeo Plans New "Affordable" Coupe: Could Come To U.S.

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Alfa Romeo reportedly has plans to build a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive coupe that would become the brand's halo car, according to Automotive News Europe.

Alfa, owned by Italian automaker Fiat, plans to show a concept version of the car at next month's Geneva auto show next month, one of Europe's two big auto shows this year.

The concept is set to be built as the 4C GTA and go on sale for about $55,000), the trade weekly reported. Alfa has not had a truly affordable rear-drive car of significance since it discontinued the Duetto Spider (pictured) in 1994.

Tags: Alfa-Romeo, Duetto Spider, Fiat, Geneva Auto Show

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