Super cool movie star Steve McQueen was without a doubt one of the most stylish men of all time. As we've noted in the past, his rugged sportiness, authentic masculinity and innate good taste have inspired countless fashion designers, not to mention scores of other actors who followed in his wake. McQueen fans of all sorts have a lot to celebrate this summer: there are two major new books on the "King of Cool" coming out, as well as a special McQueen tribute edition Ford Mustang, while the star's famous 1970 Porsche, worth an estimated $2 million, is going up for auction.

The first book just went on sale: Steve McQueen: A Life in Pictures edited by Yann Brice Dherbier (Pavilion, $40). The mix of classic and less well-known images of the style icon is artfully put together, but what struck us most about the book was its large format, showing details that you just don't get in smaller versions (see the gallery for a preview). For instance, in this cover image you can clearly see that McQueen is wearing a classic Baracuta jacket from England - which by the way are still sold here at Ben Silver in Charleston, one of the best men's clothiers in the country.

Equally striking and noticeable due to the impressive scale are the identifiable images which have clearly influenced designers like Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors who have built whole collections and ad campaigns around the King of Cool. Lauren in particular is a well-known McQueen fanatic. The index to Michael Gross' brilliant biography of the designer, Genuine Authentic, contains no less than six separate entries for the actor.

Gross writes that Lauren staged shoots based on McQueen's movies - his favorite film is said to be 1968's The Thomas Crown Affair - sometimes with himself in the starring role, and hung photos of the actor in both his houses and stores. If you look closely enough at the photos in Dherbier's book and compare them to Lauren's designs you can see where he copied sweaters, jackets, details on suits, even the carelessly elegant way McQueen always wore his clothes.

The other book, Unforgettable Steve McQueen hasn't been published yet - we'll update you on that when the time comes - but it features a foreword by another McQueen wannabe: Brad Pitt. We'd say he's making a good start at filling the King of Cool's shoes, but he's got a ways to go yet.

At the recent Design Miami/Basel fair in Switzerland, Brad found himself some pricey, artistic furniture pieces perhaps to fill out his new home overseas. The exquisite hollow white marble table was hewn from a single block of Carrara marble by Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven. The rococo styled Cinderella table cost him a whopping $293,000 and is only one of six. He also showed interest in a few other unique items such as a aluminum woven rug and a gold lacquer-coated fiberglass sofa. Seems like no matter what he does with his time, money or talent these days he is always making the news.

Brad (and his ever growing resume) has embraced a new project not on film, but with a hard hat in Dubai. He will be collaborating with an architectural firm there, Zabeel Properties, as well as the firm he currently consults with, LA-based GRAFT, to design a new hotel that will be built sustainably. Zabeel Properties is known for also being socially-responsible with its projects, considering the community's needs as well as its inhabitants seeing the development beyond the walls and through a larger lens. Lending his enthusiasm and expertise, after his experience with Make It Right which is still building homes in the 9th Ward of New Orleans, Brad certainly also creates added interest in any project he throws himself into. The primary fixture of this development project will be an 800-room five-star hotel with American themes and an environmentally-friendly structure. Once again, Dubai is on the cusp of both luxurious and current interests, going green with glamour.

No one seems to know whether they are buying or leasing but various sources agree that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are settling into a chateau on the French Riviera. This is no surprise, the couple has been looking at various spots in the region for at least a year. Now they have reportedly settled into Chateau Miraval, a $70 million estate in the tiny village of Brignol in the Var. The large estate includes a castle with 35 bedrooms, perfect for all the children and the entourage as well as 20 fountains, aqueducts, a lake, a swimming pool, and a thriving vineyard. It's also surrounded by a large forest and has a three mile driveway offering this couple the most valued feature of all, privacy.

Brad Pitt obviously knows when he's on to a good thing. We're not referring to Angelina Jolie in fact, but rather Tom Ford. Wearing head to toe Tom made Pitt one of the most stylish stars at last year's Cannes Film Festival - actually, make that any year - so it's no surprise he's back this season sporting more of the designer's dapper duds.

Last week Pitt wore a classic made-to-measure Ford black two piece notch lapel wool suit with a white shirt and solid black silk jacquard tie to the Kung Fu Panda premiere. And on Tuesday he upped the ante with an ultra-elegant made-to-measure black mohair blend single breasted peak lapel tuxedo, black silk moiré bowtie, and 18K white gold and diamond shirt studs and cufflinks from Ford's menswear collection to the Changeling premiere. That's what we call stealing the show.

This group of guys don't just sizzle on the screen together, they are putting their star-power towards a very deserving cause. As co-founders of Not On Our Watch (NOOW), a non-profit which focuses on bringing global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities, they recently gave $500,000 to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP). In an effort to help stem hunger, the WFP uses helicopters to deliver support in manpower and food to the Sudan. These guys also donated $1 million to WFP in 2007. They make philanthropy look good -- really good.

[Thanks, Lana]

I've been hearing rumors about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie looking at property in the South of France for at least a year now but this week the gossip seems to have hit critical mass and it looks like this globe-trotting family may really be picking up a French chateau. The property in question ins located in the village of Eygalieres in Provence, France and has the romantic name of Mas de la Chapelle St. Sixte. US Weekly has reported that the Jolie-Pitts had been looking at the property last year but then decided not to purchase because the locals wouldn't let Brad Pitt but in a motorbike track on the over six-acre property. Now that the couple has gotten approval for the track it looks like the deal is back on.

The Telegraph had a great piece in January that covered the story of Mas de la Chapelle St Sixte and provides a sharp little photo gallery of the home in question. The main stone house was built in 1150 by monks and it was where was where Pope Clement VI stayed during the wine harvest in the 14th century. More recently it played host to Vanity Fair editor in chief, Graydon Carter at the high price of £1000 per day. The current owners are Jennifer and James Butler, a writer and a retired TV producer and art collector who fell in love with the historic ruin in 1990. The house had been empty since 1954 and the couple spent six years and a lot of money restoring it in keeping with local traditions. The couple has listed the home for 14 million euros ($22.089 million) partially because the couple were not sure how to divide the home among their nine children. The home has seven bedrooms and five bathrooms which frankly seems a bit tiny for the Jolie-Pitts, their children and their entourage of assistants but what a lovely place to be a bit cramped in.

[via Bikes in the Fast Lane]

Celebrities and their motorcycles have had a long and enduring affair. From before the iconic movie, Easy Rider, celebrities, mostly men, have taken to the open road. Why the link between the famous and the fast? Certainly wherever there is money there are toys to spend it on but could there be more to the lure. I asked Mike Werner, the man behind Bikes in the Fast Lane Motorcycle News for his take on the link between the two. Mike has an interesting theory. He says there are three basic types of celebrity motorcycle riders: the ones who are riding to look cool and may have many bikes but not so many miles on the bikes, the "real biker" celebs who were into biking before they became famous and now have the money and time to indulge their passion and the ones who started off riding as a fashion statement but then found themselves getting really into motorcycles. Mike Werner cited Robert M. Pirsig, the author of the much-loved book Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance who said that the allure of riding a motorcycle is that you are one with the road in a way you cannot be in a car, you are exposed to the weather and the air and the smell of the road.

Motorcycles also offer an escape from the world of celebrity, the chance to feel free and slip away from the world. It's no surprise that many of the celebrity motorcycle riders are also pilots. Each offers both the exhilaration of potential danger as well as the feeling of mastery, to be both in control and yet aware that you are not completely in control, that the environment you are in also controls you. I suspect that being famous can be similar in some ways, a odd juxtaposition of power and powerlessness.

Paris Hilton, to my knowledge, has never been seen, outside of the red carpet of course, on the $250,000 custom motorcycle she is shown riding in the picture above. The gallery below includes just some of the celebrities famous for loving and riding (at least to premieres) their motorcycles.

Brad Pitt's Make It Right foundation is geared towards helping hurricane Katrina victims rebuild in New Orleans. Brad is putting a call out to all American families to be generous and giving this Christmas season by donating to the cause and helping New Orleans families as they fight "the fight of the their lives." The biggest focus of the efforts is rebuilding the homes that were lost, and doing it in a speedy and environmentally conscious way.

Donating to the cause is a great gift, either as a straight monetary amount given in a loved one's name or through giving them a t-shirt or hat to promote and support the cause.


Via psfk

Very few celebrities have only one home -- owning multiple residences in locations around the world is key to keeping any sense of normalcy and routine in their lives. But although first homes are usually in cities like New York and LA to be close to work, where do celebrities like George Clooney, Johnny Depp, and Oprah choose to buy vacation homes? Where do they go when it's entirely up to them and they want to relax?

Well for Clooney it's a waterfront villa in Lake Como, Italy, for Depp it's a 50 acre farmhouse in France, and Oprah prefers her ocean-front ranch in Santa Monica. Where would you live? Check out this list of celebrity summer homes and see who's taste is closest to your own.

How much would you spend on a wedding if money were no object? For most celebrities it isn't, and the result is wedding costs skyrocketing into the hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars. Forbes recently compiled a list of the 20 most expensive celebrity weddings, going back as far as 20 years. Whether paying for 50,000 exotic flowers or renting an entire island to escape the paparazzi, celebrities spare no expense when it comes to having exactly what they want. The top 5 spenders, in order, are:

• Liza Minelli and David Gest: $3.5 million
• Paul McCartney and Heather MIlls: $3 million
  
• Elizabeth Hurley and Arun Nayar: $2.5 million
• Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes: $2 million
• Elizabeth Taylor and Larry Fortensky: $2 million

Others on the list of 20 include David and Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, and of course Donald Trump and Melania Knauss.

Sadly, 40% of the couples on the list are now divorced (including obviously Brad and Jennifer above), so feel free to check out this list of the most expensive celebrity divorces -- a few made both lists!

A report has reached our friends over at Gadling that Brangelina is buying a ginormous Italian yacht. According to "sources," the couple have ordered a 240 ft yacht from Privilege Yard on the Mediterranean near Rome. Currently, the yard is confirming that a large order has been placed, but isn't saying whether or not it's for the famous couple. The yacht in question features a 6 suites, a swimming pool, and Helipad.

Personally, I doubt the validity of this story. I think that if Brangelina was in the market for a boat, they would be looking at container ships and/or Noah's Ark to fit their ever growing family.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reportedly sold the rights to the first picture of their as-yet-unborn child for $4.9 million (£2.6 million) to an unnamed American weekly magazine. The money will be donated to the children's charity, UNICEF. Knowing that the paparazzi are likely to try to snap pictures of the baby as soon after it is born as possible, the couple "figured they might as well use the opportunity of one child being born to help a lot of others." Angelina's due date is supposed to be in early June.

Rumor has it that Brad Pitt has spent some time looking around the Dominican Republic for a summer home. This has meant a boost in tourism, which we mentioned before, but Brad won't be headed to the resorts if he's looking to buy. The north side of the island country is known for its beautiful coastline and private beaches, and that is where he seems to have been looking. Now, he apparently wants it to be similar to his old house in Los Angeles, we have to ask whether he wants a similarly large property of a property in the same price range. He probably will build a custom home if he does end up in the Dominican republic, but here there are certainly more than a few existing properties to choose from.

 

The latest rumor regarding the real estate purchases of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has her buying into the World. Various sources are reporting that Jolie will be picking up the man-made version of Ethiopia in the Dubai development.  They say that Jolie will turn her fake Africa into a real fair-trading paradise for Africans. Brad and Angelina did visit Dubai last year but this rumor still sounds far-fetched to me.