Aspen

Aspen Fashion Week 2011 to Begin March 13th

Aspen, CO, the epicenter of winter luxury, has announced plans for the the 3rd annual Aspen Fashion Week (AFW) taking place from March 13th to 16th in various locations around the
top-drawer town. The destination fashion event, designed to showcase and market winter
resort, ski and technical outerwear in the country's most stylish mountain playground, will feature daily après ski fashion shows, in-store presentations, on-mountain events and late night fashionable soirées. Participating brands include Authier, Rossignol, Dannenmann-Pure, NUMBER: Lab, Obermeyer and Burton.

Heidiskis will serve as the ofﬁcial ski partner, while FEED will serve as the ofﬁcial charitable partner, featuring their AFW FEED bag exclusively on-site. Proceeds from the FEED bag will beneﬁt the foundation, and Founder Lauren Bush (recently engaged to Ralph Lauren's dashing son David) will be on hand to host events in conjunction with The Feed Foundation. In addition, William Grant & Sons will serve as the ofﬁcial spirits partner. "Aspen Fashion Week has an intensely exciting schedule this year and an amazing follow up to last yearʼs event," says founder Lisa Johnson. " Weʼre looking forward to an exciting future with the event becoming stronger each year."

Gallery: Aspen Fashion Week

Tags: Aspen, Aspen Fashion Week, fashion shows, Fashion Week, FEED, Lauren Bush, Ralph Lauren, ski, ski resort, skiing, William Grant Sons, winter, winter sports

Fractional Real Estate Offer Delivers Aspen At A Discount

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Aspen for under six figures? The chic and picturesque Colorado ski town isn't exactly known for its discount real estate, after all, it does proudly wear the nickname Glamour Gulch. The Innsbruck Aspen is making it possible selling a 1/12th deeded fractional ownership in a one-bedroom residence for $89,999. The owners of Innsbruck Aspen are specifically focusing on the Denver market creating an 'unlimited enjoyment' ownership module that makes it possible for these Front Range buyers to get the most out of their property. The package includes additional space available nights at low rates and last minute availability for those who live just a few hours driving distance away.

The Innsbruck Aspen is a small, private residence club of 17 residences constructed in 2007 and located in Aspen's West End. It is situated three blocks from Restaurant Row and four blocks from the lifts on Aspen Mountain. For $89,999, owners will enjoy the single largest turn-key one-bedroom residence in the town, with one bath and a full kitchen. Owners may also rent or exchange their Aspen condo on the Registry Collection, an international exchange platform, trading time for vacations at more than 170 resorts worldwide (we've covered some of their offerings including the Pronghorn Golf Resort in Oregon before).

The Innsbruck Aspen is currently adding a game room and expanding its athletic facility with new state-of-the-art equipment. Owners also have access to a private lounge, which can be reserved for private dinners and events, along with storage facilities, concierge and dedicated rental management services. Check out the gallery below for a look at this property.

Gallery: The Innsbruck Aspen

Tags: aspen, aspen real estate, colorado real estate

Audi Wins World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports

Audi's team of aces beat out the Beluga Vodka squad from Russia to capture the World Snow Polo Championship in Aspen the other day after a fierce battle. The conditions at Aspen's Wagner Park were not ideal this year; thin snow cover prevented organizers from being able to properly pack and groom the field with heavy equipment, the Aspen Times reports. "Players spent much of the day at a standstill, trying to dig the ball out of the snow or muffing shots as the half-buried ball refused to budge, even after a hard strike," the paper notes. "Several point-blank scoring opportunities were lost as players were unable to get a clean strike." Bombardier Jets' team took third place. Meanwhile, competition is heating up for the St. Moritz Polo World Cup (above) taking place later this month in Switzerland, which will no doubt offer better conditions.

Tags: Aspen, Audi, Bombardier, equestrian, horses, polo, Russia, Snow Polo, sports, St. Moritz, winter sports

Vision House, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Auctions

Aspen's first Gold LEED- certified home is being sold off through Concierge Auctions live, on-site auction on January 28th through Concierge Auctions. The home was originally listed for $13.975 million but there is no minimum bid required to participate. The sale is being conducted in cooperation with listing agent Wendy Lucas of Wendy Lucas Aspen who states that her clients are "the most motivated sellers in Aspen and are committed to finding a new owner on January 28th."

The 6,750-square-foot residence combines luxury living with green efficiencies. It has six bedrooms and is on 2.33 acres in the W/J Subdivision on McLain Flats, with 360-degree views of Aspen Mountain, Snowmass Mountain, Capitol Peak, Mt. Daly, the Upper Roaring Fork Valley and hundreds of acres of adjacent dedicated open pasture lands.

The living room of the home features custom metalwork by Bridger Steel, native rock from the Telluride Stone Company and earthen plaster by American Clay. NanaWall sliding glass doors form two opposite walls of the room, showcasing mountain views. The master suite takes up nearly one third of the first floor and has a walk-in closet and spa bathroom with sunken soaking tub and glass-enclosed shower. The upper level is comprised of four bedroom suites and a media room surrounding a game room and bar.

Energy-efficiency building techniques included spray-in foam insulation, geothermal heating and cooling, Low-E windows and Timberstrand engineered framing systems. On the exterior reclaimed siding, solar hot water panels and steel standing seam roofing add to the home's green cred.

Absentee bidding is available via phone and Internet, and a 3% commission is offered to the buyer's representing broker. See Auction Terms and Conditions for full details. The property is open for preview daily from 1pm to 4pm and by appointment. To schedule a preview call 877-463-5280, or for more information visit www.AuctionAspen.com.

Gallery: Vision House

Tags: aspen, colorado real estate, concierge auctions, estate of the day, real estate auction

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Aspen Contractor Says Abramovich Stiffed Him

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth, Crimes and Misdemeanors

A contractor in Aspen, Colorado has filed a lien against Roman Abramovich, claiming the Russian billionaire stiffed him on work performed on Wildcat Ridge (above), the oligarch's $36 million ranch perched above Snowmass Village. The modern 11-bedroom mansion has a dramatic folded plate roof and a large moss rock wall dividing the east and west wings of the building, and uses geothermal wells to heat the interiors and indoor pool. Vogelman West Associates, a masonry and stone contractor, filed the lien in Pitkin County against Abramovich Roman Trailhead Property Management Inc. after trying to collect on an outstanding $5,000 invoice, the Aspen Daily News reports. Given the relatively paltry amount of the debt, we assume one of Abramovich's minions simply forgot to take care of it; then again, he didn't get rich by writing a lot of checks.

Tags: Aspen, Colorado, ranch, Roman Abramovich, Russian billionaires, wealth, Wildcat Ridge

Aspen Compound, Estate of the Day

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Mountain escape paired with impeccable design depicts this incredible two lot, two acre estate in Aspen, Colorado. Situated on the Ridge of Red Mountain overlooking Aspen Mountain, Independence Pass and the entire valley, this $35 million property for sale is 11,300 square feet complete with five bedrooms, eight baths, four fireplaces, and three-car garage. It also boasts a 1600 bottle wine cellar, gym, movie theater, gourmet kitchen, resistance pool and multiple outdoor decks. In addition to the main house is a 4,000+ square foot guest residence with five bedrooms, five and a half baths, and two-car garage to boot! Plenty of space to entertain, enjoy and escape to the Rocky Mountains in this green-built, unique, gorgeous home.

Gallery: Aspen's Compound on the Ridge

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Tags: aspen, aspen colorado, aspen estate, colorado, compound on the ridge, estate of the day

Unfinished Aspen Property Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

A prime piece of Aspen real estate will be auctioned off in August through Sheldon Good & Company. The site was at one time the location of The Stage 3 Movie Theater and now contains a partially-built, three-story building (rendering shown above) which, when completed could house 30,000 square feet of residential, retail and office space. The building wasn't completed because it has been involved in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Around 15 percent of the total construction, including the basement and foundation, was completed before the owners suspended construction and filed for bankruptcy.

Tags: aspen, colorado real estate, real estate auction

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EXCLUSIVE: Aspen Fashion Week Founder Lisa Johnson's Ten Essential Luxuries

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Wine, Events, Sports, 10 Luxuries

Click above to see Lisa Johnson's 10 Luxuries

The innovator behind Aspen Fashion Week, Lisa Johnson had a hunch that a fashion event combining the chic of skiing, winter and resort with the high energy appeal of Aspen would be a huge hit. As the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, managing the destination marketing funds on behalf of the City of Aspen, Lisa worked with major events and productions like ESPN Winter X Games, HBO U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen and Luxury Spa Finder's Aspen Spa Day. Also as part of her six year tenure with the Aspen Chamber Resort Association, Lisa managed the media relations efforts and served as a de facto film commissioner assisting on film, television and commercial productions of all sizes.

"Aspen is the most recognizable mountain town and the undeniable center of the winter lifestyle," Johnson, pictured above, center, with Lauren Bush and Ellen Gustafson from FEED, tells Luxist. "Most of the major fashion and luxury brands have boutiques here because it caters to a very high-end consumer and has some of the most influential buyers in winter and ski. I strongly felt that Aspen could support a fashion event in which designers and outerwear / ski brands could show collections in a fun, relaxed, high energy format to a consumer with the ability to walk into the stores to buy. And having Aspen Mountain as a backdrop is never a bad setting!" In the gallery are images of Johnson's essential luxuries, from skis to wine to books and bags, along with quotes about what makes them a must.

Gallery: Aspen Fashion Week Founder Lisa Johnson's 10 Luxuries

Tags: Aspen, Aspen Fashion Week, Colorado, fashion, fashion show, FEED bags, Lisa Johnson, resort, skiing, winter sports

The Aspen One Skiing Glove And Watch

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Watch brands come up with some fantastic things to liven up their brand or products. Here for instance is a high quality skiing glove with a "porthole" for your watch. This is offered with timepieces sold by Aspen Watches, a Swiss luxury brand of Skiing themed watches with the name of the popular Colorado skiing destination. The brand's watch is customizable and known as the Aspen One. The Aspen One gloves, come as a set - and you can even specially order the right glove to have the porthole if you wear your watch on the other wrist. I first discussed the Aspen Watch brand here.

I first wrote about Aspen Watches here, but since then have had the ability to check out the pieces. They are attractive watches, with simple designs that often appeal to American buyers. The dial has the time and a chronograph, with the large watch containing a Swiss ETA 2894-2 automatic movement. The nifty watch holds a secret and the case opens up revealing a compass. While open, you can see the watch movement through an exhibition caseback crystal. There are many styles of the Aspen One watch to choose from. Even a DLC coated case and of course, diamonds.

When shell out the money to get a limited edition Aspen One watch, the brand wants you to feel as though you are part of an exclusive club. As such, you get your name on a little plate attached to an Aspen One monument. Where is the monument? Located high up on Aspen Mountain at 3,267 feet. There is also a special series of indicators around the compass that can be specially uses to locate things while being on Aspen Mountain with the Aspen One watch. Just ask yourself, how much do you love Aspen, watches, and skiing? If you are a fervent fan of the three - this might be a watch for you. Around $40,000.

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

Gallery: Aspen One Watch

Tags: Aspen, aspen monumen, aspen watches, gloves, One, time piece, watch, watch gloves

The Macallan Winter Scotch & Ski Escape at Ritz-Carlton Aspen Highlands

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Sports

Famed Speyside distillery The Macallan and the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club at Aspen Highlands (above) have teamed up on a tantalizing Scotch and ski package combining the ultimate in single malt whisky, luxe accommodations, and winter sports - The Macallan Winter Escape. Eden Algie, The Macallan's Brand Ambassador, is inviting fellow enthusiasts to enjoy one last ultra-premium adventure both on and off the slopes before the snow melts, from March 20-26. The Winter Escape Package Includes: a private one-on-one Macallan tasting experience with Algie; luxurious accommodations at the Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands; ski in / ski out access to Aspen Highlands; personal 24-hour concierge service; unlimited use of all the Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands amenities; a decadent progressive dinner experience featuring limited-edition expressions paired with The Macallan-infused food pairings from Executive Chef Jami Flatt; and more. A four night package including one complimentary night is available for $3,036 and a seven night package including two complimentary nights is available for $4,585; both get you a two-bedroom Club residence. Click here for more info.

Tags: Aspen, Ritz-Carlton, Scotch, single malt, skiing, The Macallan, whisky, winter sports

Aspen Fashion Week Set for March

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Events, Sports

In the wake of a successful inaugural preview last year, the 2nd annual Aspen Fashion Week has been slated for March 14 – 19, showing that the ultra-chic Colorado resort is truly recession-proof. Designed to showcase and market winter resort, ski and technical outerwear in the home and playground of the country's most stylish mountain winter town, the occasion will feature slopeside runway events, daily après ski fashion shows, in-store presentations, on-mountain events and late night fashionable soirées. Expect world class designers, emerging fashionistas, brands with unique art programs, film screenings, music and models galore. W magazine will kick-off the festivities with an opening night party. Labels getting in on the action include Burberry, J. Crew, Helly Hansen, Victorinox, Calypso, Authier and more.

Tags: Aspen, Aspen Fashion Week, AspenFashionWeek, Colorado, fashion show, Fashion Week, FashionShow, FashionWeek, ski, skiing

The Classicist: The Very Best of Polo

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

Continuing our sporadic series looking back at highlights from the first year of The Classicist, the weekly column devoted to timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance, we present the pick of the crop devoted to polo, the sport of kings. Polo is "the original 'extreme sport," as Polistas founder Johnny Lynn told us, and has been played for centuries in a wide range of locales from Mongolia to Persia and India, as we learned from photographer Aline Coquelle's gigantic and brilliant book Polo: The Nomadic Tribe. And though it's undeniably an aristocratic pursuit, more people are getting into the game; some even play it on elephants and snow.

Gallery: The Best of Polo

Snow polo was first introduced in 1985 in Switzerland's swank St. Moritz, and caught on immediately among the bon ton. It's no surprise that swells in equally upscale Aspen, CO decided to stage their own snow polo tournament nine years ago, the World Snow Polo Championships, the only one of its kind in the United States. The tournament recently got some unwanted press when it was discovered that White House party crashers Michaele and Tareq Salahi had scammed the organizers of last year's event. Of course some changes to the game are required for playing on snow. For one thing, the polo ponies are shod with special cleated shoes to provide better traction in the snow, and the ball is larger, lighter, and painted bright red to accommodate winter conditions.

Gallery: Snow Polo

Tags: Aspen, equestrian, horses, Johnny Lynn, JohnnyLynn, Nacho Figueras, NachoFigueras, Polistas, polo, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, snow polo, SnowPolo, The Classicist, TheClassicist

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Zai Skis Filled with the Spirit and the Granite of the Swiss Mountains

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Sports

When I first opened the Zai web site I was greeted by a poem written by Leo Tour "In the beginning was the mountain". I was sure that I was going to learn about a new bottled water from the purist of mountain springs or possibly even a zen retreat. I was in fact entering a kind of temple, a secular one, where the worshipers follow not a god, but snow and a the sport of skiing.

The word Zai means "tough" in the little know dialect of Sursilvan which is spoken in the mountains of Switzerland and specifically in the town of Disentis where the Zai skis are crafted. As seems fitting, the town lies below an ancient Benedictine monastery. The personal dream of Simon Jacomet, who insists that his skis be made by people who have skiing and the mountains in their heart and soul, the company produces some of the finest and most technologically innovative ski equipment on the slopes. The skis are produced in a small and tightly controlled production plant using state of the art machinery and assembled by hand.

All of the Spada skis are limited editions, only 111 pairs of each model are made. The newest innovation just out for this winter season is a special ski that uses a carbon-stone-technology with a rubber exterior. Zai was the first manufacturer in the world to use a stone core in their skis and is still trendsetting in their product development being the first to use a natural rubber surfacing. It is not just rhetoric that the skis are "of the mountain" as each pair has Grisons granite in the core of the ski. As with all carefully thought out designs the skis themselves are beautiful too, they will definitely not get lost in the pile on the ski racks outside the lodge at lunch.

Available in the United States exclusively at the high end winter sports retailer Gorsuch whose stores in all the nicest ski areas of Colorado, such as Beaver Creek, Vail and Aspen, sell the Zai Spada skis for $5,900.00 a pair.

Tags: Aspen, Gorsuch, skiing, skis, switzerland, winter travel, WinterTravel, wintertravel-pedia, Zai

Mexican Architecture in Aspen, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

It's always a bit risky to brand anything as "in the style of" and architecture is an area where it seems particularly fraught. I've seen far too many faux Frank Lloyd Wright homes. This home in Aspen, Colorado takes its inspiration from Mexican architects Luis Barragan and Ricardo Legorreta. We've seen the work of each of these architects before. The Campbell Divertimento is attributed to Barragan while Ricardo Montalban's home was a Legorreta.

Looking at those two homes one can definitely see the inspiration. This five-bedroom home offers clean, squared spaces, flat terracotta walls and an interesting use of water features. The overall effect is a lot more Southwestern than anything usually seen in Aspen. The home is on 5.73 acres and has two master suites, a media room with cherrywood cabinetry, professional kitchen, a large central gallery for displaying art and a fitness room, air conditioning. The use of Colorado sandstone floors and earth tones creates a tranquil feel. Windows of varying sizes from tiny squares to floor-to-ceiling view watchers make the most of the available light. This home is listed at $13.5 million.

Gallery: Mexican Architecture in Aspen

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Tags: aspen, colorado real estate, ColoradoRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay

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Hotel Jerome Facing Foreclosure Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I'm sorry to hear this news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that another grand resort has hit hard times. Aspen's historic Hotel Jerome, has been scheduled for an auction. The hotel, which opened way back in 1889, was purchased in 2007 by a pair of investors, Elysian Worldwide LLC and Lodging Capital Partners LLC. The deal was financed with a $48 million mortgage provided by Morgan Stanley Mortgage Capital Inc. Now an entity identified as Jerome Property LLC has said that the owners failed to pay the mortgage's $36.3 million balance. The foreclosure filing was recorded on September 24 and the foreclosure auction will be held in January unless something changes.

Meanwhile, the hotel, which is managed by Rock Resorts, remains open and is preparing for the busy ski season with a bunch of special offers and packages. The hotel is one of Aspen's most beloved landmarks and the J-Bar is a popular destination famous for the Aspen Crud, a milkshake and bourbon concoction that is a bit like a Mudslide that punches you in the gut.

Gallery: Hotels In Transition