Heidi Klum

From the WSJ:
--Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey has bought a hacienda-style home in Los Angeles for $18.5 million. The six-bedroom home, which was lived in by Frank Sinatra's ex-wife Nancy Barbato was listed at $22.5 million when we first checked it out back in September. Grey, a Sinatra fan, recently sold his Pacific Palisades home for $21.5 million. His new home needs a bit of updating.

--The Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade has bought a Miami Beach home for $10.6 million. The six-bedroom Mediterranean-style house has 150-plus feet of bay frontage and a tennis court that he's planning to convert to a basketball court.
--The former Beverly Hills home of late television sidekick Ed McMahon was foreclosed on by Dan Schryer, of DCI Technology Holdings, the investor who purchased Mr. McMahon's underlying loan from Countrywide Financial. It had been listed earlier this year for $4.6 million. Schryer bought the home's mortgage in 2009, allowing Mr.McMahon and his wife to remain in the home. Hee decided to foreclose on the home now so he could put it on the market again early next year.


From the NY Post:
--Halle Berry has shown interest in a three-bedroom unit at the Park Imperial building at 230 W. 56th St., the Sean "Diddy" Combs, Deepak Chopra and Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order" all call home.
--Two Trees Farm in Bridgehampton has had a major price cut. The 115-acre property was once $95 million but is now listed for $55 million, which includes development rights. Or you can buy 73 acres without development rights for $20 million.
--A home used in the movie "The Godfather," is up for sale for $2.9 million.
--Chef Marc Murphy has been spotted checking out apartments in the new 535 West End Ave. condo building.
--The buyer of Elie and Rory Tahari's 141 Prince St. triplex is Ted Waitt, the billionaire founder of computer maker Gateway who paid $27.5 million.
-- Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have settled in at 88 Central Park West in an apartment with a 32-foot living room and eight bedrooms. It was most recently listed at $21.5 million.

From CNBC:
--Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's former rental home in Palo Alto, California is listed for $7,850 a month.

From Newsday:
--Former tennis player Ruta Gerulaitis has sold her Centre Island home for $1.965 million.
--Ogden Phipps II and wife, Ashley, have sold their Glen Cove home for $2.25 million, $100,000 less than they paid for the home in 2007. Phipps is the great-great grandson of Henry Phipps, who made his fortune as steel magnate Andrew Carnegie's business partner.


From the LA Times:
--Lisa Marie Presley has sold a ranch-style house in gated Hidden Hills for $5 million.
--Advertising pro Lee Clow, co-creator of Apple's "Think Different" campaign, has purchased a vacation home at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes for $2.2 million.
--Television host and singer Mark McGrath has sold his home in the Hollywood Hills for above its asking price of $1.25 million.
--The personal residence and studio of the late photographer Julius Shulman has sold for $2.25 million in the Hollywood Hills.

From the NY Times:
--A "double-height artist studio" with many original Charles Platt touches has recently gone on the market in the building, at 131 East 66th Street, known as the Studio Building. The listing is here.

The other day we reported that Madonna has borrowed Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich's brand new superyacht, the 377-ft. Luna, while filming the new Duke of WIndsor movie she's directing in the South of France. The yacht is fitted out with two helicopter pads, a covered pool, spa, medical center, hot tub and 40 staff, including butlers and a macrobiotic chef. The middle-aged Material Girl isn't the only celeb cadging a ride on a pal's superyacht this summer, however – everyone from Brad and Angelina to the Beckhams are living it up on the high seas, though some stars are actually paying their way. Here's the full rundown on the famous folk's nautical hijinks:

1. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: the world's most famous movie star couple have borrowed Johnny Depp's classic yacht, the 156-ft. Vajoliroja (above), which as we noted in April is available for charter at $130,000 per week, JustLuxe reports. The mahogany paneled craft features accommodations for 10 guests and a crew of 8, a formal dining room, library, plush salon and outdoor seating and eating areas, all decorated in Depp's signature version of Art Deco Paris meets the Orient Express.

2. David Beckham and Victoria Beckham: Posh and Becks have borrowed their pal designer Roberto Cavalli's iridescent 133-ft. yacht, the RC, which features a leopardskin interior, 15 bedrooms, a gym, whirlpool spa and locker full of fur coats for when the weather turns cool. Supposedly Cavalli only allows clothes he designed to be worn onboard.

3. Simon Cowell: The TV star is one of the few celebs footing the bill for his fun, having shelled out a whopping $975,000 per week to charter the 196-ft. Slipstream. The 12-berth yacht boasts sumptuous leather sofas, mirrors above a giant waterbed, a Jacuzzi, an observation lounge with panoramic views, gym, a sky lounge with a retractable roof and a crew of 14 including a private chef.

4. Paris Hilton: The world's biggest party girl is kicking back on Microsoft magnate Paul Allen's 300-ft. pleasure craft the Tatoosh, which as we recently reported has been put up for sale at $160 million. The yacht, which has a pool, hot tub, cinema, basketball court, recording studio, spa, massage room, gym, games room and helicopter pad, comes with a crew of 30. "The best summer of my life," Paris recently tweeted about the trip. "Our yacht is incredible! I'm in heaven on the water. Definitely the biggest and best yacht everywhere we go. Love it! Huge!" [continued]

I am not sure exactly what model Panerai Luminor Marina watch this is - but it doesn't really matter because Panerai doesn't sell this diamond studded model. This highly diamond encrusted Panerai watch has been seen on Heid Klum's wrist and is more than likely the product of some aftermarket jewelry work. The standard Panerai Luminor Marina case and steel metal bracelet have been redone with dozens and dozens of sparkly diamonds. With a base price of some where between $7,000 - $10,000, tens of thousands or more dollars went into this special modification. Many people perform such modifications to increase the value of their timepieces, as well as ensure that no one else in the building will be wearing the same timepiece.

Klum is known fine watch lover, and typically has a penchant for those timepieces that have precious jewels on them. The last watch I saw on her was an Hublot Tutti Frutti in green with emeralds. The Panerai is a large watch being at least 44mm wide. Large for most female wrists, but Heidi is able to pull it off nicely. Interesting that she wears the watch on her right arm.

Via Zimbio.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com

The impossibly alluring Gisele Bundchen has once again been named as the world's top-earning supermodel, with an income of $25 million for the previous 12 months according to Forbes. The Brazilian bombshell retained the top spot from last year's list with the same dollar figure, proving that the supermodel business is as recession-proof as they come. It's also been a good year for Bundchen in the real estate market; as my colleague Deirdre Woollard reported back in January, she sold her NYC townhouse for $12.95 million. She also reportedly donated $1.5 million to the Red Cross for Haiti, sharing the wealth. In the No. 2 spot on the list is Heidi Klum with $16 million, another carryover from last year, while Kate Moss clocks in at No. 3 with $9 million, Victoria's Secret stunner Adrianna Lima makes No. 4 with $7.5 million, and relative newcomer Doutzen Kroes, yet another VS lingerie lovely, gets the No. 5 slot with $6 million. Check out the full list with a slideshow here.

Heidi Klum -- model, mother of four, and Project Runway host -- is adding "designer" to her list of titles. Next month Klum will launch two maternity collections exclusively for A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity. The lines, called Lavish and Loved respectively, will debut on February 12.

"I chose to call my collection for A Pea in the Pod 'Lavish' because there is no grander name to express everything you want to give yourself and the child growing within you," Klum said in a statement. "For Motherhood Maternity, 'Loved' is a celebration of new life and the love around you and your baby.

"I experienced fashion challenges during my four pregnancies and combined my knowledge of what works in terms of style, comfort and practicality to create these lines," she said. "They are all about making you feel beautiful. Being pregnant shouldn't stop you from being fashionable and feeling great about your changing body. It's an exciting journey."

Lavish will include 15 pieces that feature "iconic style and detailed construction," and Loved will feature 14 pieces that "present comfort, playfulness, and supermodel style" at a lower price point.

[Via US Weekly]

Luxist readers last heard of famed Scottish photographer Rankin when his bespoke bottle for The Macallan single malt Scotch debuted. Now the shutterbug has released a new volume of edgy erotica appropriately titled Rankin's Cheeky.

The book features a foreword by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner and an introduction by Heidi Klum, who has shed her clothes for the photographer's skillful erotic studies on a number of occasions. "I'm never shy with Rankin," Klum says.

Kate Moss has also been snapped by the master in her birthday suit many times; some of the images are featured in the book. "Any time Rankin takes a picture he knows what he wants, and there is really no chance of being anyone but who you are, even if you try," she notes. "You can trust him. I trust him."

This season you can spend your holiday family time putting Heidi Klum together. Editions Ricordi has created a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle in the image of a fashion photograph by Ruven Afanador. The image called Couture Banquet appeared in Vogue Spain and shows Heidi Klum displayed against an extravagant feast. The puzzle is a limited edition of 1000 and each is numbered and signed by Ruven Afanador. The puzzle comes in a silk bag packed in a hand-made wooden box with a red velvet interior. The completed puzzle measures 24x36 inches and pieces are printed on high-quality art paper with a velvet back side with golden glitter. It sells for 350 euros.

[via Art Daily]

Every year, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is crazier than the last. This year, at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City, we saw an array of outfits that were by equal turns beautiful and baffling. We love how Victoria's Secret always manages to dress the Angels in elaborate designs that sit just next to their bodies -- giant wings and capes that cover nothing ... you'll see what we mean in the gallery.

Pictured here is the most expensive item of the evening, the diamond-clad three million dollar bra, being caressed by Marisa Miller, who had the privilege of wearing it. Honestly, it's a bit of a yawn, but we'd feel cheated if they hadn't BeDiamonded something. What's really fun is the crazy pictures in the gallery. It's only once a year that models get to dress up like harlots from the future and it's like, a big honor. So check it out.

These outfits speak for themselves, but that didn't stop us. Why did we include some of the most awkward pictures? Because we're jealous. Enjoy.

Persol Eyewear has long been associated with Hollywood's leading men. A pair of Steve McQueen's Persol sunglasses, which he wore in "The Thomas Crown Affair," were sold for $60,000 in 2006. They've also been spotted on Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, George Clooney, Adrien Brody and Brad Pitt, but lately, women are getting in on the Persol action, too.

Julia Roberts (pictured), Angelina Jolie, Hilary Swank, Beyonce, Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson have all recently donned Persol shades, and we can tell you exactly which ones. Julia is wearing #2873, and so can you -- the ladies' styles are in the $300 - $400 range.

Check out the gallery for the models spotted on our favorite celebs -- maybe you'll see the perfect pair for yourself. The sunglasses are available from ILORI, just tell them the style number (included).

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--Singer Rachel Sweet has put her Los Feliz area on the market for $9,995,000. The home known as Los Pavoreales was designed in 1926 by architect Wallace Neff and has been owned by Madonna, Jenna Elfman and Katey Sagal. The listing is here.
--Celebrity artist Steve Kaufman who was once Andy Warhol's assistant, has placed his four-bedroom home in Los Feliz neighborhood on the market for $1.597 million. The listing is here.
--Retired basketball star Alonzo Mourning finally sold his Miami home for $6 million. It was once listed at $10 million and was at $9.5 million when it was our estate of the day in 2007.
--Alan Alda has sold a three-bedroom single-family house in Sag Harbor, N.Y. for $550,000.

From Cityfile's Buyers and Sellers:
--Marisa Noel Brown, the youngest daughter of disgraced hedge fund manager Walter Noel, and her husband Matt Brown, have found a buyer for their townhouse at 12 East 78th Street. The home, which was $12 million in May, went into contract late last week. The couple purchased the home for $13.5 million in January 2008.
--via the NY Times, the buyer who paid $37 million for Gerhard Andlinger's penthouse at the Time Warner Center was Andrei Vavilov, the Russian financier who agreed to buy two penthouses at the Plaza last year for $53.5 million, but ended up suing the developer.
--via the NY Times, Italian movie mogul Vittorio Cecchi Gori has gone into contract to sell his penthouse at the Trump International for $18 million but the new buyer won't be able to move into the apartment-which Cecchi Gori bought from Donald Trump for $10.4 million in 1997, for a while. The foreclosed apartment has been gutted.
--via the NY Observer, My pick for New York City's most romantic apartment, the St. Urban penthouse owned by architect Lee Harris Pomeroy has had another price drop. It was listed at $16.5 million bit is now listed for $7.75 million. It was our estate of the day last year.
--via NY Mag, how low will the Harlem mansion built by Barnum & Bailey co-founder James Bailey go? It started at $10 million but is now listed for $3.5 million. We checked out this unique structure back in April.
--Software titan Peter Norton has gone into contract to sell his 45th-floor apartment at Trump International for the second time.
--Warren Spector, the former co-president at Bear Stearns has sold his penthouse at 40 Fifth Avenue. The buyer, retired Goldman Sachs executive Scott Pinkus, paid $8 million for the two-bedroom apartment.
--via the NY Observer, billionaire hedge funder Steve Cohen and his wife Alexandra paid $2.7 million for a loft at 99 Warren Street for Steve's 20-something stepson.
--via Christoper Fountain, John McCloy, a Connecticut banker has put his home in Greenwich on the market for $6.495 million. The listing for the three-acre estate is here.
--via the NY Post, An unidentified Texas banker is reportedly in contract to pay $15 million for a 19th-century townhouse at 34 West 10th Street. The 8,000-square-foot home had been listed for $17.9 million.
--Mortgage company founder Steven Schnall and his wife Sherri have dropped the price of their massive townhouse at 2 North Moore Street less than three months after putting it back on the market for $33 million. It is now listed at $29 million.
--Richard Bressler, a managing director at the private equity shop Thomas H. Lee Partners and the former CFO of Viacom, has gone into contract to sell his duplex at 850 Park. It was most recently listed at $13.5 million.
--Dorris Carr Bonfigli one of Bernie Madoff's victims, has dropped the price of her penthouse apartment at 930 Fifth for the second time since listing it for $11.3 million last December. It is now listed at $9.8 million.
-- Tommy Hilfiger is moving into the Plaza duplex he tried to sell for $50 million last fall.
--via the NY Observer, Maddona paid $32 million for her NYC townhouse.
--Michael Targoff, the Loral Space & Communications CEO who paid $10.25 million for a penthouse at 778 Park Avenue last year, has finally sold off his townhouse at 211 East 61st Street for $6 million
--Miami real estate developer Tibor Hollo and his wife Sheila have paid $2.1 million for a 38th-floor apartment at the Trump Plaza on 61st Street.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--A couple who sold their classic prewar co-op at 333 Central Park West during the peak of the market have now listed their Central Park North penthouse condo. Neil Breslau and Nancy Fire Breslau bought the penthouse at the 111 Central Park North new development for $4.975 million in May 2007 and have listed it for $6.4 million. The listing is here.
--Real-estate investor Michael Hirtenstein is selling his listed-for-$20 million Gramercy Park townhouse to newlyweds Lauren Davis (a Vogue contributor) and Andres Santo Domingo (a billionaire Colombian heir). He is living in a four-bedroom triplex penthouse at 25 Bond St, a rental that had been listed at $60,000 a month and is unofficially on the market for around $30 million.
--Brokers haven't gotten a peek at Ruth Madoff's apartment. The brokers need to appraise the homes before the feds can sell them.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Emmy-winning producer and writer Gary David Goldberg has sold his Brentwood estate for $15.15 million. It was first listed back in January for $19.95 million.
--Actress Brynn Thayer and her husband manager-writer-producer David Steinberg, have sold their longtime Pacific Palisades home for $2.995 million.
Actor-turned-producer David Ladd and his wife, actress Dey Young are listing their Beverly Hills Post Office area home for $5.995 million. The listing is here.
--L.A. Police Chief William J. Bratton and his wife, lawyer Rikki Klieman, have listed their Los Feliz-area home at $1,875,000. The listing is here.
--Actor-composer-artist Michael Toland and his wife, Stephanie, have sold a 1921 Mediterranean in the Los Feliz area for $2.5 million.

The modeling industry, as with other luxury-linked businesses, has been struggling in the sluggish economy. Agencies and designers alike are more cautious with their spending making a coveted modeling contract even harder to get these days. But for the elite models, top earners as measured from June 2008 through June 2009, the modeling world does not hold any obstacles. Still making millions, gaining new contracts and diversifying their stakes between endorsements, catwalks and reality shows, such well-known models as Gisele Bündchen (#1) and Heidi Klum (#2) haven't lost anything in the changing marketplace.

These top-models can be likened to professional athletes whose contracts and million-dollar-checks don't decline with the fluctuating economy. A-Rod and Kobe Bryant won't see a decrease in their earnings just because Wall Street is fickle. I would doubt Hollywood's top earners are affected either. It seems when it comes to celebrities, whether cover girls, sports entertainers or the silver screen's finest, matters of the world economy just don't hit home. I bet those millionaires who made their wealth through investments, business transactions and real estate are wishing they could have been blessed with long, lean legs and dynamite smiles right about now.

Russell James has what is indisputably one of the best jobs on Earth - photographing naked supermodels for lots of money. The Australian lensman has shot numerous ad campaigns for Victoria's Secret as well as sizzling spreads for Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue. His amazing new XL monograph is just out from teNeues, publishers of the beloved Luxury series. Gisele Bundchen (on the book's cover, above) and Heidi Klum start stripping at the mere mention of his name, it seems. Aside from the eye-popping images, however - we wish we could show you some - James' story is also inspiring, as told in his introductory essay, "Trash Cans to Supermodels in Nine Easy Steps." Actually it's a lot more complicated than that. You can order a copy here.

Whether you've never heard of the MCM brand or you remember it from the 80's, MCM is making a new start in the United States.

The brand left the U.S. a number of years ago due to hush-hush reasons having to do with their previous owner, Michael Cromer, but stayed alive and well in Europe and Asia (you've seen these designs -- think supermodels' luggage). They have since changed their name from Michael Cromer Munich to Mode Creation Munich, and are running under new leadership: one of the most famous businesswomen in Asia, Sung-Joo Kim.

As the Plaza in New York City completed their renovations this winter, MCM moved in their first American shop in decades. We headed right down to 58th and Fifth Avenue to check out the exciting new store, which has already been visited by Heidi Klum and Ivanka Trump!

At the Victoria's Secret fashion show in Miami on Friday, some very special things were worn by some very special women in some very special places.

I'm talking about Adriana Lima in a $5 million Black Diamond Fantasy Miracle Bra with white and black diamonds and rubies, and Heidi Klum in a sexy red bra and panty set laced together with strands of diamonds and adorned with giant red sequined wings.

As you can see, it was a glamorous show flanked with silver palm trees and many of the most beautiful women in the world. There were 68 outfits in total, each with its own spectacular theme. See our ten favorites in the gallery here.

The Victoria's Secret fashion show will be on CBS on December 3rd.

[via StyleList.com/blog]

Puppy love is in the air. It's in the White House (or will be soon enough), it's on the big screen, and now it's online in the new original series from Sex & the City writer-producer Amy B. Harris.

Hosted by Lexus's just-launched L Studio, home to original films, interviews and musings on everything from high heels to desk design, Puppy Love is all about New Yorkers and their dogs -- dogs who might be gay, dogs who warrant more attention than their owners, dogs as stand-in boyfriends (in Famke Janssen's case, a boyfriend who doesn't let a real man get in the way).

Actors including Janssen, Ally Sheedy and Janel Moloney jumped to be part of the series once they heard Lexus would donate $50,000 to the ASPCA on their behalf.
In fact all the actors, writers and directors on the show donated their time to the project in support of the ASPCA.

I chatted with the show's creator, Amy B. Harris, about developing the show and working with her dog, Oscar, shown above.

How did you come to collaborate with L Studio on Puppy Love?
I thought the series would work best on the web, as it's a shorter form of storytelling. [Each episode hovers around the 10 minute mark.] L Studio was very generous with its donation to the ASPCA, and everyone said they loved working on the project, even the crew who loved their dogs, and my production partner who had just lost her dog and was excited to express her puppy love.

How has it been different to work on the web as opposed to television or the big screen?
I'm still trying to figure it out -- the medium is very interesting for me. I explain it by saying, there's no opening weekend. In film, you know exactly what the numbers are. With the web, people can find it whenever they want to, and I'm adjusting to that thought process. I kind of love it.

New York featured so prominently in Sex & the City. Does it do so again in Puppy Love?
I could have shot either in New York or LA, but it was very important for me to do it here. It's surprising in a place with no backyards that so many people have dogs. The city can become very anonymous, but having a dog, suddenly you know people by their first names. When I first got Oscar [who stars in two webisodes and is pictured above], I didn't speak to one neighbor. Now everyone's coming to talk to us when I'm walking him in my pajamas.

New episodes in the 10-part series are added to the site each Tuesday. And the finale? That's when we'll see Heidi Klum and her pup in a mockumentary of New York fashion week -- for dogs. Be sure to watch straight through to the end of every webisode -- one of the best parts of the series is the When Harry Met Sally-like post-show interviews asking the actors how they fell in love with their dogs.