BeverlyHills

Beverly Hills Cigar Club to Hockey Haters: Light(en) Up!

Much ado has been made of the cigars ignited by the Canadian Women's Hockey Team in celebration of the gold medal they had earned. Of course, they are not the first to light cigars following a victory, and despite much of the criticism being levied these days, they are unlikely to be the last. Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, wants the team to know that they have his support.

In addition to decrying the International Olympic Committee's suggestion that an investigation may be necessary, he said in a statement:

Every other sport – from the Stanley Cup, the World Cup of Soccer, NASCAR to the Super Bowl -- supports celebrating victories with a bottle of champagne and a great cigar," points out Lee. "The moment is emotional; in the case of the Olympics, it often is the reward of years of hard work and sacrifice. The Canadian Women's Hockey Team should not be chastised for wanting to mark their victory on the ice. They are national heroes.

It would be nice for the IOC to lighten up on this issue ... having already missed the opportunity to light up in support of the Canadian women's team.

And, congratulations on a victory that was certainly earned!

Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, canada, canadian womens hockey team, CanadianWomensHockeyTeam, cigar, cigars, hockey, ice hockey, IceHockey, OlympicGames, olympics

Camacho Cigars Official Sticks of Oscars Style Lounge

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Events

I've heard all over that Oscar parties are supposed to be a big deal this year. While you're donning your formals and schlepping over to someone's house to see who walks home with glory, think for a few moments about what will be going on at the Academy Awards Style Lounge at the Intercontinental Hotel in Beverly Hills. One thing will be certain: the guests will be cutting and lighting Camacho Cigars. At the party on March 6, 2010, Camacho will be the lounge's official cigar.

Says Dylan Austin, Director of Marketing for Camacho, "Camacho Cigars is proud to be a part of the Academy Awards Style Lounge," continuing, "We are excited to be aligning Camacho Cigars with the Oscars, and to be part of this grand celebration in honor of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards."

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Tags: Academy Award, Academy Awards, academy awards 2010, AcademyAward, AcademyAwards, AcademyAwards2010, beverly hills, BeverlyHills, Camacho, cigar, cigars, oscars, Parties

Ron Popeil In Beverly Hills, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

We first heard about this one back in December but never gave inventor and pitchman Ron Popeil's Beverly Hills home the full estate of the day treatment. Popeil become part of American households through his Ronco ads (if you need a reminder, one of his infomercials is after the jump). Popeil sold his company in 2005 for a reported $55 million.

Popeil's gated Beverly Hills retreat is an English country-style house on more than an acre of land that includes a tennis court, a pool with a deck area and a two-story guesthouse. The main house has beautiful wood ceilings, slate floors and skylights. The master suite has a fireplace and French windows which open onto a sun deck with a spa tub. This home remains listed at $5.995 million.

Gallery: Ron Popeil In Beverly Hills

Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, ron popeil, RonPopeil

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Sprinkles: The Original Cupcake Bakery

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Los Angeles, Ca.-based Sprinkles has been nominated for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Cupcake.

Sprinkles is a favorite of Hollywood stars from Tyra Banks, Russell Crowe and Paris Hilton to Katie Holmes, Oprah Winfrey and Teri Hatcher, all of who proclaim love for the sumptuous treats. "I love Sprinkles Cupcakes," says Banks. "I am addicted to them." Ryan Seacrest is a fan, too. "These are not just cupcakes, they're a lifestyle," he says. Barbra Streisand once sent a box of Sprinkle's cupcakes to Oprah Winfrey. Oprah enjoyed them so much she ordered enough to share with her entire studio audience. Sprinkles is also known for its star topped variety served at Oscar parties.

Luxist readers describe the cupcakes this way:

"Amazingly delicious and beautiful with a variety of flavors."
"The best cupcakes anywhere! Long lines, but worth the wait. Their butter with vanilla frosting will change your life."
"The original luxury cupcake store."
"Their entire range of flavors is executed masterfully, from classics like Red Velvet to more exotic editions like chai latte. The cake is light and not too sweet with rich frostings that balance each other perfectly."

Company founders Candace and Charles Nelson opened the first Sprinkles in Beverly Hills in April 2005. People thought the couple were crazy to open a cupcakes-only bakery in the middle of "thin city" at a time with low carb mania was at its peak. Despite naysayers, they sold out within hours of opening, and sales haven't slowed since. Today, Sprinkles is known as much for its long lines and devoted fans as for its delicious cupcakes. Sprinkles is credited with inspiring a national cupcake craze as reported by the New York Times, USA Today, the Today Show and Nightline.

Gallery: More from Sprinkles

Sprinkles evokes the memory of European bakeries flooded with the smell of baked goods and awash in natural light, with a modern touch. Its cupcakes are baked in small batches throughout the day, so that they will be as fresh as possible for Sprinkles' devoted customers. The cupcakes are handcrafted from the finest ingredients, including sweet cream butter, bittersweet Belgian chocolate, pure Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, fresh bananas and carrots, real strawberries and natural citrus zests.

Sprinkles offers more than 20 tantalizing flavors (15 or so of which are on sale on any given day), from simple vanilla to creative chai latte. Topped with Sprinkles' trademark modern dots, rich chocolate sprinkles from France or seasonal sugar decorations, Sprinkles Cupcakes are perfect for occasions of any kind.

Sprinkles' famous gift box is a sleek rectangular box that holds one dozen freshly baked cupcakes. The bakery also offers a tray, produced by Heller in a variety of colors, that fits right into the gift box and can be kept to display the cupcakes.

Sprinkles also offers signature cupcake mixes in red velvet, vanilla, dark chocolate and lemon. The mixes are made from the same high quality ingredients used in Sprinkles bakeries and are complete with Sprinkle's trademark modern dots. In addition to Sprinkles shops, the mixes are sold at Williams-Sonoma's 250 stores nationwide and in Canada.

Its original store is two blocks west of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, but today, Sprinkles has six additional locations in Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Newport Beach, Scottsdale and Palo Alto. More locations will be opening soon in Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Denver, Kansas City, London, Las Vegas, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle, Tokyo and Washington, D.C.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best cupcakes. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.

Tags: awards-main, Barbra Streisand, BarbraStreisand, best cupcake, BestCupcake, beverly hills, BeverlyHills, candace nelson, CandaceNelson, charles nelson, CharlesNelson, katie holmes, KatieHolmes, luxist-awards, oprah winfrey, Oprah Winfrey Show, OprahWinfrey, OprahWinfreyShow, oscars, paris hilton, ParisHilton, russell crowe, RussellCrowe, ryan seacrest, RyanSeacrest, sprinkles, sweets-main, teri hatcher, TeriHatcher, tyra banks, TyraBanks

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz in Beverly Hills, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Her ex-boyfriend Ryan Cabrera's house is undercontract and now singer-actress Ashlee Simpson-Wentz has turned to the same real estate agent to list her Beverly Hills home. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that she bought the home in 2007 before her marriage to Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz in 2008. She paid $4.5 million but she's not looking for a profit here, the home is listed at an even $4 million.

The five-bedroom compound offers 7,100 square feet of living space on more than half an acre. It sits on a private street and has nice outdoor space in the form of a courtyard with a meditation garden, fountain and firepit as well as a tranquil hillside pool and two-story guest house.

The main house has cathedral beamed ceilings, wide walnut plank floors and French doors that open to decks with views. The home was built in 1992 and has an eat-in kitchen and an upstairs master bedroom with his-and-her bathroom closets. The lower level offers more bedrooms and an entertainment media room on the way out to swimmer's pool and spa. The listing offers just a few pictures that show a private getaway with a rockstar feel.

Gallery: Ashlee Simpson-Wentz in Beverly Hills, Estate of the Day

Tags: ashlee simpson, ashlee simpson-wentz, AshleeSimpson, AshleeSimpson-wentz, beverly hills, BeverlyHills, california real estate, CaliforniaRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay

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Shadow Hill Way, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

How's this for a pool with a view? The Los Angeles Times Hot Property column reports that this Beverly Hills stunner belongs to Reinout Oerlemans, a former Dutch soap star who founded the Eyeworks television production company. Oerlemans built the contemporary home on a site he bought in 2007 for $7.5 million. The six-bedroom home has walls of glass which can be pushed back to create indoor/outdoor living spaces. A large deck is located near the 80-foot lap pool for maximum enjoyment of the view. This home is listed at $14.9 million.

Gallery: Shadow Hill Way

Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, california real estate, CaliforniaRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, los angeles, LosAngeles, reinout oerlemans, ReinoutOerlemans

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Elizabeth Taylor Misses House of Taylor Opening Due To Illness

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Design

The flu kept Elizabeth Taylor from attending the opening of a Beverly Hills jewelry boutique which features her House of Taylor jewelry. Taylor was expected to be at the opening of Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills and the AFP reports that guests waited three hours for her until her spokesman announced she would not be arriving.

It's been a rough few years for both Taylor and her eponymous brand of couture jewelry. Taylor has suffered several health crises and the loss of beloved friends including Michael Jackson. Her jewelry line began in 2005 when Mirabelle Luxury Concepts and Techline Jewelry merged with entities owned by Kathy Ireland and Elizabeth Taylor to form House of Taylor Jewelry. The new company struggled to gain footing and eventually was delisted from the Nasdaq in 2008. In November 2008, House of Taylor Jewelry, Inc. filed a voluntary petition for liquidation under Chapter 7 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, Los Angeles.

The House of Taylor opening was attended by Marilu Henner, Maria Conchita Alonso, Kevin Sorbo and Frances Fisher among others. The jewelry remains on display at the Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills store.

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Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, elizabeth taylor, ElizabethTaylor, house of taylor, house of taylor jewelry, HouseOfTaylor, HouseOfTaylorJewelry

Halle Berry in Beverly Hills, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Actress Halle Berry is another of Hollywood's busy real estate buyers. She has bought and sold a variety of homes in Los Angeles and the Real Estalker reports that she owns a home in Malibu, Frankie Muniz's former Beverly Hills home, a getaway in Canada and this place in Beverly Hills which is now on the market. It's yet another Southern California Mediterranean but this one has a more rustic and distinctive look than most due mainly to its rough stone walls. The two-bedroom home is on 1.3 acres in the hills.

The home was built in 1948 but has been heavily modernized but has details like wide plank wood floors, wood-beamed vaulted ceilings, antique wooden doors and wrought iron banisters. The chandeliers and wood cabinets give the home a vaguely Medieval look. The master bedroom has a fireplace and glass doors out onto a terrace. The master bathroom includes a large stone bathtub and crystal chandelier. Outside the grounds include gardens, a dining and seating area, fire pit and a stone spa set up against the hillside. This home is listed at $5 million.

Gallery: Halle Berry In Beverly Hills

Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, halle berry, HalleBerry

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Ten Champagne and Cigar Pairings for the Holiday Season

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Wine

Nothing compares to the perfect pairing of champagne and a cigar. Too often, cigars wind up with dark liquors, their natural partners. Rum, port, scotch and cognac are the norm for an after-dinner smoke -- not champagne. With the holiday season coming, of course, the preferred beverage will likely bubble, so finding the right cigars for the top libation will be crucial.

Fortunately, Vin Lee, CEO of the Beverly Hills Cigar Club, has agreed to help us out. As you prepare for the new year, take a look at the cigar and champagne pairings that he recommends, with both ubiquitous and rare products on the list. Lee says, "In this day and age, not everyone can afford a $50 cigar and a $300 bottle of champagne," said Lee. "Complementing a wonderful glass of champagne with a great cigar for the holidays is something everyone should be able to enjoy."

BHCC's 2010 Top 10 Champagne and Cigar Pairings are:

Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, bollinger, champagne, chandon, cigar, cigar aficionado, CigarAficionado, cigars, cigarshop, cristal, davidoff, deutz, domaine carneros brut rose, domaine chandon, DomaineCarnerosBrutRose, DomaineChandon, fuente, fuentes, moet, moet and chandon, moet et chandon, MoetAndChandon, MoetEtChandon, montecristo, perrier jouet, PerrierJouet, rocky patel, RockyPatel, veuve clicquot, VeuveClicquot, wine enthusiast, wine spectator, WineEnthusiast, WineSpectator, zino davidoff, ZinoDavidoff

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Trousdale Lair, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate isn't just a house, it's a lair, a true Los Angeles home for entertaining. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that nightclub mogul David Cooley, who started the Abbey Food and Bar in West Hollywood in the early 1990s, owns this four bedroom home in the Trousdale area of Beverly Hills. The home was built in 1964 but has been rebuilt and expanded by Cooley's real estate partner Scott Unger for indoor-outdoor living. City views can be seen through walls of class and the home sits on nearly half an acre so it has a little privacy. The master bedroom suite is a 2,000-square-foot space with a sitting room and cocktail bar, a massage room and dual walk-in closets. Outside there is a swimming pool and an outdoor wet room. It is listed at $9.195 million.

Gallery: Trousdale Lair

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Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, david cooley, DavidCooley, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, the abbey, TheAbbey, trousdale estates, trousdaleestates

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Mohamed Hadid's Short Sale Situation

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

After my colleague Ann Brenoff reported that Mohamed Hadid had chopped $13 million off of one of his properties I knew times were bad but I had no idea just how bad. Another Hadid property, a Balinese-styled spec house in Beverly Hills, is now listed in the MLS as being a short sale situation. The property was once listed at $16.5 million. It was at $12.9 million when we checked it out as an estate of the day last year. Now it can be yours for $7.995 million on a listing that says "must sell" in big capital letters. The 12,000-square-foot home has a Balinese design with bamboo, exotic Asian woods and other materials imported from around the world. This is opulence on a grand scale with heavy doors, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and three separate master suites among the six bedrooms. There is a Balinese-styled home theater, wine cellar and a gorgeous infinity pool with unobstructed views. The furnishings are included in the price.

Gallery: Bali in Beverly Hills

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Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, mohamed hadid, MohamedHadid, real estate, RealEstate, short sale, ShortSale

Groucho Marx Estate, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

In New York City, the most oft-dropped real estate name might be Rosario Candela. In Los Angeles its Wallace Neff. The archetypal Southern California architect died in 1982 but the legend lives on in a series of great homes which remain sought after. Brad Pitt and Diane Keaton are just two fans of Neff homes.

You might be a little hard-pressed to find the Neff in today's estate though. This Beverly Hills home was built by Neff for Groucho Marx but has been renovated so that, as the LA Times Hot Property column puts it, the footprint remains. The sprawling single floor home has city views and has been given a very thorough pepping up. It's still gorgeous and the decor is magazine-worthy. The five-bedroom home now has modern bathrooms complete with those currently popular glass box showers. Large rooms feature huge windows and doors that open out to a neat patch of perfectly manicured lawn surrounding a turquoise pool. A wood-shelved library offers a bit of a respite from all the bright and white. This home is listed at $12.9 million and I suspect that even at that price it will get picked up pretty quickly.

Gallery: Groucho Marx Estate

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Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, groucho marx, GrouchoMarx, wallace neff, WallaceNeff

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Christopher Guy Coming to Beverly Hills

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Christopher Guy, the eponymous maker of home furnishings, is coming to Beverly Hills. Or rather, a 2,000-square-foot flagship boutique is coming to the home of Rodeo Drive, and will house new collections downstairs and an upper lounge for design confabs with architects. Having kitted out rooms for celebrities, hotels and resorts, and a few film sets like Ocean's 13, Casino Royale, and The Devil Wears Prada, we can only wonder what took Guy so long to move to star central.

One of the new collections you can expect to see will be the Silk Cut line of dining tables and upholstery pieces. Fitting right in with Guy's contemporary-classic ethic, the pictured Silk Cut chair also employs Guy's "Chris-X" -- crisscross, get it? -- leg design. His Canopy and Bird's Nest collections make cameos as well, and feature carved mahogany and velvet.

Christopher Guy opens on October 8, 2009, at 9699 Wilshire Boulevard.

Gallery: Christopher Guy Coming to Beverly Hills

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Tags: beverly hills, BeverlyHills, christopher guy, ChristopherGuy, decor, furnishings, furniture

The Classicist: The Best of Luxe Books

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Yachts & Sailing, Books, The Classicist, Wealth

For your reading and viewing pleasure we present the second in a 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. For our second installment we sum up the best in luxe books, featuring our favorite subjects ranging from high equestrian style to classic architecture, historic estates, high society, jetsetters, megayachts and more. No truly luxurious library is complete without these volumes.

Gallery: Best of the Best: Books 2009

1. Equestrian Style: Home Design, Couture, and Collections from the Eclectic to the Elegant by Vicky Moon (Clarkson Potter)

Moon divides her volume into different facts of the equestrian experience: In the Field, On the Farm, At the Track, In the Ring, On the Move, and Down the Road, focusing on all facets of horsiness and everything that goes along with it. The emphasis is on authenticity, not affectation; she notes all that's really required is a "basic love of horses" but opines that actually riding them gives one a much stronger connection. True equestrian style, she writes, is "more than a feisty, wet Jack Russell terrier, a pair of Wellington boots and a tweed jacket. It goes beyond hanging a hunting print in the dining room wall to actually leaping over a stone wall on your favorite hunter. An unspoken equestrian philosophy surpasses wearing an Hermes scarf; it celebrates riding over jumps in an Hermes saddle."

Gallery: Equestrian Style

Racing tropy from Bonhams Sporting Sale.

2. The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills by Jeffrey Hyland (Rizzoli)

A meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated history of 50 magnificent estates in three world-famous enclaves of the ultra-wealthy - Beverly Hills, Bel-Air, and Holmby Hills - this is a definitive history of the area's most famous estates, "the architecturally spectacular homes and lavish grounds that have been home to countless celebrities and the world's richest families for almost a century." Aside from the purely visual pleasure of the photographs both old and new, Hyland explains the history and architectural importance of each estate, and tells the fascinating stories of the many famed owners, from their "passionate involvement in the design of these costly properties, to their intrigues, triumphs, calamities, and romances."

Gallery: Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills

3. Great Estates: The Lifestyles & Homes of American Magnates by William G. Scheller (Universe)

This oversized, lavishly illustrated volume celebrates the history of 40 of America's true barons of business, from the 1700s through this year's Forbes list, and opens the door into their private palaces along the way. Great Estates follows the "restless careers of our most brilliant and driven merchants, industrialists, and financiers as they mastered a new economic world of textiles, railroads, oil, and steel." Men of great fortune erected massive monuments to their success, inclduing Henry Clay Frick's Manhattan mansion, now a magnificent museum; William Randolph Hearst's San Simeon in California, aka Hearst Castle; and one of our personal favorites, railroad magnate Jay Gould's gothic castle on the Hudson River, Lyndhurst and more.

Gallery: Magnates' Great Estates

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (former Carnegie Mansion)

4. Luxury Toys: Mega Yachts from teNeues

In the rarefied world of mega yachts, the ultimate achievement is to have one designed by a certain Norwegian genius named Espen Oeino. The world's top star in naval architecture, Oeino's megabucks creations "combine the precision of fine machinery with indulgent finishes and the high-end amenities of a palace." When German luxury publisher teNeues opted to focus a volume in its amazing Luxury Toys series to the world's greatest yachts, it was quickly decided to dedicated the entire book to Oeino. The book showcases 20 of his stellar creations, including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's 413-ft. Octopus, the 8th largest yacht in the world and the second largest superyacht that is not owned by a head of state.

Gallery: Luxury Toys: Mega Yachts

Continued after the jump.

Tags: architecture, Assouline, Beverly Hills, BeverlyHills, equestrian, high society, HighSociety, library, mansions, megayachts, Rizzoli, San Simeon, SanSimeon, Stanford White, StanfordWhite, teNeues, yacht

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JeanRichard Launches New MV Augusta Watch

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Events

On June 13, Swiss watchmaker JeanRichard launched its latest watch amidst a gathering of over 50 exotic MV Agusta motorcycles at the David Orgell jewelry boutique in Beverly Hills. The Chronoscope MV Agusta Brutale (above) was produced in partnership with the legendary Italian motorcycle brand. The design of the watch reflects the signature features of MV Agusta's Brutale motorcycle. The large case is clothed in a highly resistant rubber that gives the watch a lighter touch. The dial is clad in carbon fiber highlighting three counters inspired by the motorcycle's dashboard. Several red accents also echo the classic colors of MV Agusta motorbikes. Also at the event, MV Agusta previewed its 2009 Brutale 1078 model to a large group of MV Agusta enthusiasts who lined up their motorcycles along Rodeo Drive.

Tags: Beverly Hills, BeverlyHills, JeanRichard, motorcycle, MV Agusta, MvAgusta, Rodeo Drive, RodeoDrive

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