Diego Della Valle

Italian Luxury Label Tod's to Restore Rome's Colosseum

Diego Della Valle, President of Italian luxury label Tod's, and Italy's Ministry of Culture have announced that the Tod's Group will finance a complete restoration of Rome's historic Colosseum with a monetary commitment of 25 million euros, or about $34 million. Mr. Della Valle (above left), Rome's Mayor Gianni Alemanno (right), Culture Undersecretary Francesco Giro and the Government Commissioner for central Rome's archaeological area held a press conference at the Colosseum's arena to announce the project.

Completed in 80 AD under the emperor Titus, the Colosseum is capable of seating 50,000 spectators and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as mock sea battles, animal hunts and executions. The project will proceed in eight phases dedicated to the cleanup and restoration of the architectural icon. "We believe that because the Tod's Group is a strong global representative of 'Made in Italy', it is both an honour and our duty to contribute to the support of our country's image and credibility, as well as its cultural heritage," Della Valle declares.

Tags: architecture, Colosseum, Diego Della Valle, history, Italy, Rome, Tods

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up, 03/28/10

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the LA Times Hot Properties:
--A Connecticut farmhouse-style home in Brentwood designed by Roland Coate for Academy Award-winning director William A. Wellman is listed at $10 million. Wellman won a best original story Oscar for "A Star is Born" in 1937 and directed the silent film "Wings" which won the first best picture Oscar in 1927. The listing for the home is here.
--Actor Jerry Douglas, known for his long-running role on "The Young and the Restless" and his wife, Kymberly Bankier, have sold their Encino home for $2,075,000.
--A Beverly Hills house built in 1934 for "Gone With the Wind" producer David O. Selznick is on the market for $15.9 million. The listing is here.

From the NY Post:
--Billy Joel has bought a two-bedroom $3.3 million apartment in Nolita. It is believed that he is buying it for his daughter, Alexa Ray Joel.
--Diego Della Valle, chairman and CEO of footwear company Tod's paid $1.56 million for the three-bedroom, three-bath unit at the Caribbean in Miami Beach.
--Eduardo ~~Safra~~ Cohen, son of philanthropist Lily Safra, is in contract to buy two apartments that comprise the entire fourth floor of the 2 E. 67th St. co-op building for around $18 million.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Track-and-field star Carl Lewis has listed his home in Pacific Palisades for $2.6 million. Lewis, who has won a total of nine Olympic gold medals, purchased the home for $1.75 million in 2002 and remodeled the kitchen, pool and backyard. The listing is here.
--DHL Worldwide Express delivery co-founder William Armsted Robinson has cut the prices on his two Idaho properties. He's asking asking $14.5 million for his 938-acre horse ranch and $12.5 million for a nearby 600-acre fishing property.
--Art collector John Traina's landmarked San Francisco property, a converted 1893 firehouse once owned by former California Gov. Jerry Brown has sold for $3.36 million. It was listed at $4.4 million when we checked it out as an estate of the day last year.

From the Huffington Post:
A Palm Beach Florida home owned by disgraced and jailed newspaper magnate Conrad Black is on the market. It was listed in 2004 at $36 million but is now for sale for an unlisted price.

Tags: billy joel, Carl Lewis, celebrity real estate, david o selznick, Diego Della Valle, eduardo safra, janice min, john traina, william armsted robisnon, william wellman

Continue reading “Sunday Real Estate Round-Up, 03/28/10”

Tod's Launches Leather Motorcycle Helmets

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Cars & Autos

A set of super stylish leather motorcycle / Vespa helmets is the latest luxe offering from Italian label Tod's, famed for its iconic driving loafers, shoes and chic bags. Featuring a microfiber lining, stainless steel hardware and flip-up plexiglass eye shields, the helmets are priced at about $1,000 and come in glove soft, saddle stitched black, white and vacchetta leather. The helmets are made by hand entirely in Italy, in a painstaking process ensuring their quality and durability, and adhere to rigorous road-going safety standards in a marriage of timeless style and contemporary luxury. Tod's has been expanding its offerings of late and also recently introduced its first line of sunglasses. Meanwhile, the firm's dapper owner Diego Della Valle just published a book titled Italian Touch extolling the virtues of the stylish lifestyle embodied by the brand.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: Diego Della Valle, DiegoDellaValle, helmet, Italian fashion, ItalianFashion, Italy, motorcycle, Tods, Vespa

Gwyneth Paltrow Named the New Face of Tod's

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Shoes

Gwyneth Paltrow has been named the new face of Italian luxury goods brand Tod's in the wake of a short film she made for them which just debuted at Cannes. The ad campaign, shot by Mario Testino in Capri aboard dashing Tod's CEO Diego Della Valle's yacht, portrays "the uber luxurious, outdoors-y life of a beautiful Italian aristocrat from the heady days of the jet-set era," Vogue UK reports.

"Italian style is very sexy, very womanly and what I love is that it seems to have so many different inspirations," Paltrow told the mag. She replaces Sienna Miller, who starred in Tod's ads last year. The Cannes short, which was directed by Dennis Hopper, a longtime friend of Della Valle's, portrayed a day in the life of Gwyneth with her favorite Tod's bag. We have long been fans of Tod's classic driving mocs, probably the most comfortable shoes in the world.

Gallery: Tod's Top Drawer Style