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Is It Possible to Wear Shorts in the Winter?

It seems like a crazy question to ask - who would wear a pair of shorts baring their legs to the harsh elements of winter? Most likely no one. But even the dreariest and coldest winter season has mild days where outfitting yourself in a pair of shorts doesn't seem like an insane idea. And with a little sense of adventure, it can become one chic outfit.

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Tags: alexander wang, ankle boots, apparel, blouse, clutch, diane von furstenberg, Falke, Iro, leather jacket, Preen Line, Raphael Young, scarf, shorts, tights, Yves Saint Laurent

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Stuart Weitzman's Red Carpet Shoe Collection

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Stuart Weitzman's Red Carpet Shoe Collection

The Oscars are fast approaching and we are very excited to see the elegant dresses, sparkling jewels and of course the gorgeous heels make their way down the red carpet. And when you think of Oscar shoes, you can't help but to think of Stuart Weitzman and the legendary million dollar shoe. Unfortunately, there won't be a million dollar shoe to gawk over but Weitzman has released the Red Carpet Collection, featuring over 35 lust worthy styles for the Oscars.

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Tags: heels, oscars, pumps, shoes, Stuart Weitzman, Stuart Weitzmans Red Carpet Shoe Collection

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Rembrandt at the Frick: A Case of "True Grit"

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Study Rembrandt's self-portrait, a monumental painting in a new show at the Frick Collection in New York City, and you see a man who looks much older than 52. Rembrandt presents himself as a bear of a man, draped in a luxurious fur cape, a golden pleated smock with a red sash wound around his waist. He holds a silver-tipped cane. He looks indomitable, strong, and resolute. The American painter Kenyon Cox's description of the painting in 1910 says it all: "It is the head of an old lion at bay, worn and melancholy, yet conscious of his strength, determined, and a little defiant." Yet in reality, in 1658, the year he painted the portrait, Rembrandt was morose and troubled. He had declared bankruptcy two years earlier. His family was hounded by debtors. He was forced to sell his many collections and even the house and studio he had occupied since 1639. His reputation suffered. Commissions lagged and his once large group of students and followers had all but abandoned him and in some cases, even his "Rembrandtesque" style.

The monumental self portrait has pride of place in the Oval Room in the Frick's new show, "Rembrandt and His School; Masterworks from the Frick and Lugt Collection." It presents work by the master, his pupils, and followers in a blockbuster celebration of Rembrandt's paintings, drawings, and etchings. Henry Clay Frick (1849--1919) and Dutch art historian and collector Frederik Johannes Lugt (1884-1970) were both great admirers of Rembrandt van Rijn. The precocious Lugt at 12 had started to catalog Dutch and Flemish drawings in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum while Frick once said that the the talents he would most like to have possessed were Rembrandt's. These two admirers were renowned collectors with the eye, the connections, and the deep wallets to buy what pleased them.

Tags: Frederick Johannes Lugt, Frick Collection, Govert Flinck, museum exhibit, museum exhibition, rembrandt, Rembrandts

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Luxist Giveaway: Financial Advice and a $500 AmEx Gift Card

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Services

Enjoying the finer things in life often means spending money but a recent survey conducted by American Express found that a surprising number of people rate finances as a top concern and have questions about how to manage their money. Young people especially are having trouble, with 79% saying they feel overwhelmed by their current financial situation and more than half reporting they're still at least somewhat dependent on their parents or other family members to help pay bills. How do your finances stack up?

ZYNC from American Express wants to help and has launched "The Quarterlife Project," a collaboration between American Express and life coach/Gen Y expert Christine Hassler. It aims to help twenty-somethings navigate the confusing world of finance so they can have the life they want without getting up to their eyeballs in debt. Want some advice on how to best manage your spending? Post your money question in the comments section below and one question will be selected and answered on the site in video format by Christine Hassler. In addition all valid comments will go into a random drawing for a $500 AmEx gift card. Financial advice and free money -- what are you waiting for?

To enter, leave a confirmed comment on this post stating your financial question. See additional rules below.

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW OVER. THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED!

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before March 4, 2011 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing to receive a $500 AmEx gift card.
* One financial question from the comments will be selected and answered in a video to be posted on the site.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia, who are 18 and older.

See complete giveaway rules here.

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Tags: american express, amex, financial advice, giveaway, luxist giveaway

Fashion Forward Ikats

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Prepare to be dazzled. The 60 ikat robes in Washington D.C.'s The Textile Museum's show, "Colors of the Oasis: Central Asian Ikats," are a riot of sun-splashed color. The rich jewel toned robes, appealingly hung in the round so you can view them from all directions, are from the museum's Megalli Collection. Most are 19th century ceremonial robes from Samarkand, Bukhara, and the silk weaving centers in the Fergama Valley in Central Asia.

Tags: Central Asian textiles, DianeVonFurstenberg, ikat design, museum exhibit, museum exhibition, oscar de la renta, textiles, the textile museum

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The Fashion Statement: Outre In at the Oscars?

by Kristin Young (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Fashion Statement

Blame Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj and consumer confidence: all reasons why Oscar fashion is expected to be dialed way up this year.

Hollywood actresses have suffered a fashion drought for years-showing up in any ensemble that said "conspicuous consumption" was a faux pas in the midst of economic misfortunes. But, now, as consumer confidence rises, so will the ante at this year's awards ceremony, say the experts. Colors are expected to be bolder, silhouettes more distinctive, baubles flashier: In other words, Sunday's red-carpet parade is shaping up to be a good show.

In fashion, one is always emboldened by precedent. "Artists are starting to dress much more crazy, more out there and it has a ripple effect on fashion," designer Marc Bouwer told Reuters yesterday. "While you won't see a Lady Gaga outfit necessarily on the Oscar red carpet, you will see more architectural styles -- an expanded shoulder, a pronounced sleeve. The stronger power woman has emerged, and you cannot ignore that trend."

Last month's Golden Globes, to which numerous luminaries turned out in pink, rose and pale skin tones, is always a good indicator of things to come at the Oscars. But you could see more purples, greens, oranges and indigo blues, too.

Tags: Academy Awards 2011, Diamond Information Center, Golden Globes, Lady Gaga, Natalie Portman, Nicki Minaj, Oscars, Patty Fox

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Dimostra Debuts Digital Portfolios for Car Collectors

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Wealth

Dimostra Debuts Digital Portfolios for Car Collectors

Dimostra is a recently launched service for car collectors that brings classics into the digital age. The company's offerings include portfolio development, virtual showrooms, iconic photography, auction or show marketing, and asset documentation services to owners of the world's finest automobiles. The company is based on the concept that regardless of the size or value of a collection, true car connoisseurs should be willing to share their precious investments with fellow enthusiasts. "As rare collector cars become more valuable, their presence in public will continue to diminish," Dimostra's David Nawrocki tells us. "We hope to bridge this void in the collector car market."

By featuring and celebrating each car's beauty and history in a contemporary environment online with fellow enthusiasts, Dimostra also hopes to educate younger generations on the historical significance of the cars, "ultimately protecting their long term collectability and value." Don't have your own car collection? No problem – for $9.99 / month, you can purchase a VIP subscription to the portfolios on Dimostra's website, some of which belong to well-known collectors. A subscription gives you access to all the photographs, original documentation and a brief narrative about the history of each car, some of which are worth millions. You can check out a preview of some of our favorites in the gallery.

Gallery: Dimosta Automuseo

Tags: bugatti, car collection, car collector, cars, classic cars, collections, Dimostra, Ferrari, investment, Lamborghini, luxury cars, photography, wealth, websites

Up For An Extreme Adventure? Fit For Trips Can Get You Off And Running

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Recently, I wrote piece for Luxist about Abercrombie & Kent's new extreme adventures, five new ones that test the endurance many travelers: including trekking and/or snowmobiling across glaciers, going on road rallies in Morocco, sleeping in tents on glaciers and in deserts, hiking in Bhutan, climbing to the Base Camp of Mount Everest or Mount Kilimanjaro, and the like. It was suggested by Abercrombie & Kent that those who would like to do adventures like these might also like to partake of services provided by Fit For Trips, a company that provides fitness training for these extreme adventures and other, softer adventures as well.

The popularity of adventure travel has grown exponentially in recent years, due to many socio-economic factors: the Gen X/Y population and Boomers who want to experience places they have only seen in movies or read about, those who want to combine sports with adventure, those who want to include sports, risk, and adventure, and those who want a far out and far away, once-in-a-lifetime-experience.

"The consensus is there would be double or triple the number of people who would be up for these adventures if they felt fit enough to go, and this is where we come in," Marcus Shapiro, Founder of Fit For Trips, told Luxist recently.

In a perfect world, or even in a semi-perfect one, the many who wanted to do adventure travel would indeed be fit enough -- to cycle, climb mountains, hike all day, swim lakes, and ford rivers, ride horses, and camp -- but that seems not to be true. Many do not feel fit, many have had sports, accident, and just simply, life injuries. This is why Fit For Trips was created -- to partner with travel operators, like Abercrombie & Kent, so that people who wanted to take extreme adventures actually could.

Marcus Shapiro, founder of Fit For Trips, is by nature and education, a fitness trainer, world traveler and adventure enthusiast. After receiving his degree in Exercise And Sports Science, he traveled the world, and began conceptualizing two (then) diverse ideas -- fitness and adventure travel. He realized that in order to fully enjoy adventure travel, the traveler had to be fit, or fairly fit -- else he or she would be suffering from rolled ankles, torn meniscuses, rotator cuff injuries, and that once-in-a-lifetime adventure would REALLY become one, mainly because the traveler would never want to go on another adventure again.

Tags: Abercrombie Kent Extreme Adventures, AbercrombieKentExtremeAdventures, Adventure Travel, Adventure Travels, extreme adventure travel, Fit For Trips, fitness adventure travel, Marcus Shapiro, popularity adventure travel

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RSVIP: Notes from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week--Part II

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events

Parties, if one has the energy to attend them after viewing collections all day, are a mainstay of New York Fashion Week. On Valentine's Day, Victoria Beckham, right, feted Allure magazine's 20th anniversary at a tony bistro called Minetta Tavern. She unexpectedly showed up with David Beckham, her husband, who had on a dark plaid suit and wide tie. "He looks like he just stepped out of an ad," offered a reveler in the bar area, jammed with well-known faces.

Kiefer Sutherland and his delightful gal pal, Siobhan Bonnouvrier, a fashion editor at Allure, were squeezed into one corner. Author Simon Doonan and his boyfriend, Jonathan Adler, the interior designer, chatted with Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelo. Iman, looking as youthful as the first day she arrived in New York, stood catty-corner beside designer Tory Burch.

Linda Wells, Allure's alluring Editor in Chief, later seated beside the Beckhams at dinner, dinged her glass and made a speech about "loving" her 20th-anniversary cover girl, Victoria Beckham. Did RSVIP mention that the steaks were enormous and delicious? Fun fete.

Tags: betsey johnson, calvin klein, georgina chapman, gwen stefani, isaac mizrahi, marchesa, michael kors, Monique lhuillier, naeem khan, new york fashion week fall 2011, Oliver Theyskens, rsvip

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Kimberly Ovitz Fall/Winter Presentation

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Kimberly Ovitz Fall/Winter Presentation
Bold new designer Kimberly Ovitz at only 26, proves that talent is not wasted on the youth. With her new collection, presented against a stunningly colorful background at Pace Gallery, this gifted lady is turning major heads in the fashion world.

If you haven't yet seen Tron, the 3-D film with a dubitable storyline but with epic impact on modern fashion and music, you're missing out. It was the first thing we thought upon entering the gallery. Finally these sharp cuts, powerful colors and easy-wearing fabrics seen on the silver screen are coming to life. Ovitz admits that her collection was not influenced by the film, but they do share a common interest in looking ahead to the future.

While Tron's futurism lays within the deep recesses of a video game, Ovitz draws her futurism from the works of Oscar Niemayer, a man credited with bringing modernism to South America. Niemayer is an architect who was never interested in lines or angles, but rather in curves found in the landscape of his own country or of the body of a woman, and representing those curves in his buildings. In her collection, "The setting is Brasilia," Ovitz tells Luxist. "A friend of mine passed away in Brazil, so I was very preoccupied with the country."

Tags: andrej pejic, benefit cosmetics, camilla skovgaard, kimberly ovitz, new york fashion week fall 2011, Oscar Niemeyer

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RSVIP: Notes from the Tents at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week--Part I

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events

There are tents within tents during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York, curtained-off rooms backstage and in secret hallways, where models whip their clothes off and change into their first look; where they have their hair snipped and sprayed and teased; where Gwen Stefani's two little boys, Kingston and Zuma, were able to play in private; and, of course, the Diane von Furstenberg-designed "Star Room," where Mercedes-Benz served miniature cupcakes, fresh sushi, and fine cheese to swells.

The sexiest scene RSVIP noted was backstage at the Tommy Hilfiger show on Sunday, right, where the well-known new youth models, Arizona and Jordan, among many others, had their hair wetted as jugs of water were poured over their heads into a large plastic trash can backstage before they began drying their own tresses.

Tags: calvin klein, charlotte ronson, derek lam, diane von furstenberg, g-star raw, lela rose, new york fashion week fall 2011, peter som, rosario dawson, rsvip, tommy hilfiger

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The Classicist: Is the Royal Warrant Losing Its Lustre?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: The Classicist, Wealth

A recent decision by two venerable British brands to drop the Royal Warrants from their packaging has occasioned some hand-wringing in the UK over whether the much-coveted distinction has lost its lustre. The Classicist calls it a tempest in a Royal Doulton teacup; read on to find out why. Only three royals are entitled to grant warrants – the Queen of England, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales – to firms who supply their royal requisites for at least five years, though most warrant holders have ties to Britain's royal family dating back several decades or more. Of course, Prince William will one day be granting his own.

Holders of the Royal Warrant include many of our favorite luxury brands – Asprey, Aston Martin, Bentley, Barbour, Burberry, Fortnum & Mason, Gieves & Hawkes, Holland & Holland, Hunter Boots, Jaguar, John Lobb, Johnnie Walker, Land Rover, Laphroaig, Lock & Co., Swaine Adeney Brigg, Smythson, Tanqueray and Turnbull & Asser – along with a host of lesser names, such as After Eight mints and Jacob's Cream Crackers. It is the latter two that have now decided to do without their warrants – though no insult is intended to the royal family, as it was when former Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed burned his last year. That coupled with the results of a new survey showing that only 13% of respondents thought that warrants make any difference have called their usefulness into question, the London Guardian reports.

However, "It's hard to say that interest in royal warrants is conclusively on the wane," Vicky Bullen, chief executive of Coley Porter Bell, tells the paper, "because there is no existing data with which to make a comparison. However, consumers' apparent indifference to the royal warrants has surprised us. We can only surmise there could be a number of factors at play." Said factors, Bullen says, include "that we live in a less deferential society in which the royal family enjoys less prestige and political support." That of course is not exactly new, though the upcoming Royal Wedding may give them a boost. [cont'd]

Gallery: Holders of the Royal Warrant

Tags: Asprey, Aston Martin, Barbour, Bentley, British royalty, Burberry, Fortnum and Mason, Harrods, Holland Holland, Hunter Boots, Jaguar, John Lobb, Johnnie Walker, Land Rover, luxury brands, Mohamed al Fayed, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Queen of England, royal family, Royal Warrant, Royal Wedding, royalty, Smythson, Swaine Adeney Brigg, Tanqueray, UK

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Edith Piaf's Riviera Retreat, Estate of the Day

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Edith Piaf did not lead "La Vie en Rose." One of France's greatest popular singers, she died at only 49 in 1963 at her hilltop villa in Plascassier on the French Riviera. She had suffered many injuries and the death in a tragic accident of her lover. It could be that in her last days she found solace and comfort in her beautiful house and gardens.

That home and its manicured gardens are now for sale for 6,890,000 euros. The seller is a successful business executive whose children attend the nearby international school in Mougins less than five miles away. The owner has done extensive work on the house, especially on the gardens. The kitchen is totally updated and attractively modern. The living room is spacious with a traditional fireplace as you would expect in a house almost 200 years old. The master bedroom suite has a private terrace and is linked to a large study. In total, the house has seven bedrooms each with it own bathroom. A pool and pool house, tennis court, summer kitchen, garages and a large caretaker's house dot the property. For details: www.estatenetfrance.com.

Tags: edith piaf, estate of the day, france real estate, french riviera, Mougins, Plascassier

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First Taste: Scion Pre-Phylloxera Port

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

As the room of tasters, a veritable varsity squad of New York wine writers, took their respective places, the publicist for Portuguese port house, Taylor Fladgate, announced that this was a first: not a single invitation offered to the morning's event had been declined. It wasn't out of courtesy. The 17th-century port purveyor was here at Manhattan's Eleven Madison Park to taste through its line-up of vintage and tawny ports, culminating in a rare treat, an 1855 pre-Phylloxera port called Scion.

Christie's Head of Wine-Asia, Charles Curtis MW, made some opening remarks about Taylor Fladgate, port wine and the auction market before handing the host duties over to Adrian Bridge. The CEO of Taylor Fladgate, Bridge cut an English gentleman's mien as he guided the assembled group through such bottlings as a vintage 1992 (sweet and earthy with slightly tannic finish), vintage 2003 (like a big Cabernet, with dark fruit and a huge nose) and a 30-year-old tawny (fig cookie, bitter orange and lightly floral).

Tags: christies+auction, christiesauction, Eleven Madison Park, first+taste:+scion+pre-phylloxera+port, firsttaste:scionpre-phylloxeraport, http://www.luxist.com/2011/02/18/first-taste-scion-pre-phylloxer, New York, Port Wine, Scion, scion+pre-phylloxera+port, scionpre-phylloxeraport, Tasting, Taylor Fladgate, taylor+fladgate+scion+port, taylorfladgatescionport, Wine

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First Taste: Highland Park 50 Year Old Single Malt

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

With gale-force winds that would make Mount Washington shiver, and scant winter sunlight, the northern Scottish islands of Orkney provide little reason to spend much time outside, unless it's for the annual game/riot of Ba'. But while not ideal for sunbathing, those conditions do lend themselves to other pursuits, namely, distilling whisky-which is what Highland Park has been doing since 1798. As we told you last October, Highland Park announced the release of the oldest island region single-malt yet, a 50 years old bottling housed in five kilos of hand-made silver designed by fellow Scot, Maeve Gillies.

Gillies, along with Highland Park's Martin Daraz and Gerry Tosh, were in town recently to share a dram of the precious release, which the US will only see five of this year, currently priced at $17,500.

Having spent a half-century in Sherry oak casks, the nose and palate evidenced the pleasantly expected notes of almond, clove, and candied orange. And while mellowed by age, I nonetheless picked up a healthy amount of vanilla and wood, which Daraz pointed out was most likely due to the fact that after 50 years in cask, the liquid moves beyond the portion seasoned by the Sherry and deeper into the wood staves. At just 2% peat concentration-which Highland Park still cuts by hand-the smokiness hovered at the periphery of the tongue, never feeling intrusive.

While obviously meant for the collector, both in terms of aesthetics and content, Gillies pointed out that her bottle design holds a reward for increasing the ullage: When viewed from behind, a rose window design becomes visible on the reverse of the Highland Park sandstone emblem as the level drops. "So you can pray to God for more," quipped Tosh.

Tags: Highland Park, scotch, scotland, single malt, tasting, whisky

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