This week legendary Italian eyewear brand Persol, a bastion of Dolce Vita style, is debuting its iconic INCOGNITO design exhibition in the U.S. at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The invitation-only opening night celebration will feature a performance by Lou Reed.

Running from June 24 - 28, INCOGNITO by Persol is an interactive exhibition that was designed to "bring to life the emotions and richness" of a heritage born nearly 90 years ago in Turin, Italy and which today remains an icon of Italian design and craftsmanship.

Persol made its big screen debut in 1961 worn by Marcello Mastroianni in Divorce Italian Style, and its U.S. film debut in 1968 worn by Steve McQueen in The Thomas Crown Affair (right). Two of the most stylish stars in the history of cinema, they catapulted the brand onto the international scene.

Other stars who have worn Persols over the years include Jack Nicholson, Richard Gere, Paul Newman, Roberto Rossellini, Cindy Crawford, Nicolas Cage, Pierce Brosnan, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Christian Slater, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Heath Ledger, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Adrien Brody and Daniel Craig, who sported two different styles in Casino Royale.

The tradition, quality, style and design that drive Persol's brand philosophy are embodied in the INCOGNITO exhibition, which involves all the senses. Along a path of images, sounds, colors, and technology, visitors can experience the world of Persol: the quality of the workmanship and materials, the uniqueness of design in the products and collections, the technological evolution and Persol's exclusive patents, as well as the magic and allure of the silver screen idols who made them famous.

Several items of clothing worn by Pierce Brosnan in the James Bond films including his Brioni suits are on offer at Bonhams' Entertainment Memorabilia sale in London on June 16. Highlights include a razor sharp three-piece navy wool Brioni suit with a ticket pocket, estimated at £2,500 - £3,000, and a cream herringbone linen Brioni suit, estimated at £3,000 - 4,000, both from 1995's Goldeneye. The suits have Brosnan's name embroidered on the lining and are accompanied by film stills showing him wearing the items. Other Brosnan / Bond items include a pair of leather jackets, a selection of Turnbull & Asser shirts and ties, and even Kevlar body armor. There are a few articles of clothing worn by Roger Moore as 007 featured in the sale as well.

Of all the countries that I've traveled to, India was among the most fascinating -- and the most intense. I'll never forget the feeling of overwhelm when I landed in Mumbai after a 16 hour Continental flight direct from Newark. I stepped out of the airport, into the hot night and to a sea of cab drivers clamoring for my attention. Suddenly, and somehow, a slim young man appeared in front of the throng, and calmly said "Mrs. Wellner?". He was carrying a Greaves Tours sign and a bottle of water, and at that moment (and many times thereafter, as I traveled throughout the country) I was incredibly relieved to have arranged my trip through that Chicago-based, family-owned company.

There are many countries where you don't need a tour guide or a driver, and India is just not one of them. Greaves arranges thoughtful custom packages with the country's most luxurious hotels, and engages experienced English-speaking guides and drivers so you can relax and take in the total-body sensory experience that is India. One driver that Greaves engaged during my trip observed, as he simultaneously leaned on the horn, steered the van through traffic coming at us in every direction (that included at various intervals elephants, donkeys, people, cows) and smiled, that Formula One champ Michael Schumacher could drive faster than him, but no way could he negotiate the roads of India as well as he could. I do believe he was right.

Greaves is offering several discounts, specials and sales this summer, but if your July is looking a little slow, check out the 10 day 'Royal Deal' package to Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Udaipur. It's being offered at half its usual price, so fly British Air's Business Class from New York, stay at Taj hotels, enjoy top-notch tours and transfers and other perks from $6,885, per person, double. The highlight just may be your stay at the Taj Lake Palace Hotel, pictured here, and which you might recognize from the James Bond movie Upon arrival, as you disembark from the ferry boat, you are literally showered with rose petals. Book and travel by July 21st, 2009.

Fans of James Bond movies have a new place to indulge their obsession. The Bond museum opens this weekend in England. The Bond Museum will host of vehicles and gadgets used in the series of action films. It is located on the site of a former supermarket in Keswick. The museum features a convertible Triumph Stag driven by Sean Connery in "Diamonds Are Forever" as well as the Russian T55 battle tank from "GoldenEye," and the original Colibri gun from "The Man with the Golden Gun." The Lotus Esprit Turbo from "The Spy Who Love Me" will also be exhibited along with a few of Bond's Aston Martins. The owner of the museum, Peter Nelson has been collecting Bond memorabilia for years and also runs the Cars of the Stars motor museum in Keswick and you can see a bit of the collection on that website.

George Clooney is quite a pal. According to Hello magazine, the movie star just lent his lavish $6 million villa on Italy's famed Lake Como (above) to soccer superstar David Beckham and his wife Victoria. Beckham, whose taste for the finer things in life has been often noted here, is being fought over by two soccer teams, the LA Galaxy and Italy's AC Milan. The Beckhams will take some relaxing time out at the villa while waiting to see the if LA Galaxy will release him from his contract and allow a transfer to AC Milan, the magazine reports. "George has really taken David under his wing since the transfer trouble started," they note.

The luxurious villa, which has played host to many of Clooney's superstar pals, is just half an hour away from the Beckhams' base in Milan. Clooney, 47, and Beckham, 33, became friends after being introduced by Giorgio Armani, (whose underwear ads the Beckhams star in), at the Met Ball in New York last May. Luxe Lake Como, where scenes from the last two James Bond movies were shot, has long been a favorite retreat for Italy's rich and famous and the international jetset. As we mentioned last month, the contents of late designer Gianni Versace's villa there are being auctioned off by Sotheby's in March.

As a supplement to my colleague Deidre Woollard's rundown on red carpet fashions at the Oscars, I offer my own pick for best-dressed man: nouveau James Bond Daniel Craig. Craig, above with girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell, who was a presenter at the ceremony, wore a midnight blue shawl collar tuxedo with satin facing on the lapels and turned-back cuffs and an elegant trim black satin diamond point bow tie and white silk pocket square, all by his favorite designer Tom Ford.

The smaller bow tie in an unusual shape was a welcome change from the alarming trend toward oversized, clownish bows, while the vintage-inspired look of the dark blue shawl managed to be distinctive, classic and extremely elegant, a bit of a departure from the usual without going too far. Ford, who provided suits for Craig to wear in Quantum of Solace, also made Brad Pitt's tuxedo for the Oscars, though Craig looked the best.

Earlier this month, nouveau James Bond Daniel Craig floated the idea that his successor in the famous role need not be white. "I think the role could easily be played by a black actor, because the character created by Ian Fleming in the '50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated," Craig said at a Quantum of Solace press conference. "After Barack Obama's victory I think we might have reached the moment for a colored 007."

Rap mogul, designer and aspiring actor Sean "Diddy" Combs (above) apparently not only agrees, but has determined the Bond role should go to him. Combs just spent $750,000 of his own money shooting a sort of audition / calling card which he sent to Bond producers in an effort to convince them. The video, full of Bond-like action sequences, was shot in the South of France. "This is my audition tape for the next James Bond," Combs tells the London Daily Mirror. "There is a black President and it's time for there to be a black Bond."

Last month we mentioned the upcoming auction for the 1976 Lotus Esprit from one of the best 007 movies over the years. Recently, a private collector in the U.S. purchased the iconic car from the 1977 James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Sir Roger Moore and Barbara Bach. Bond's car was expected to fetch up to £120,000. The bid for the 1976 Lotus Esprit was made over the phone during the Bonhams sale by a self-proclaimed Lotus and Bond aficionado in Atlanta, Georgia. If you never saw 1977 film it was the third of seven Bond films Moore starred in and his action-packed scene from land to sea in his amphibious Lotus Esprit is pretty impressive. Too bad Mr. Atlanta won't be able to use his new purchase underwater like Bond did.

[via Luxury Launches]

Omega may now be the official watch of the James Bond films, but offscreen, nouveau 007 Daniel Craig is a diehard Rolex fan. In the original books, Bond creator Ian Fleming wrote that "[Bond] could not just wear a watch. It had to be a Rolex." In the early Bond films, Sean Connery sported a Rolex Submariner, and Craig has said in interviews that he favors the identical model. Over at the Rolex Blog, Jake Ehrlich has done some impressive sleuthing into the James Bond / Craig / Rolex connection, examining quotes, photos and other clues.

In a 7-part series of posts, he determined that Craig usually wears a Rolex Submariner on a NATO spec, striped nylon strap (sold as the "James Bond" model). It is in fact not exactly the same as the one Connery sported in Goldfinger, as his was on slightly different regimental stripe strap. Most recently, Craig has been spotted wearing an understated stainless steel Oyster Perpetual (above), so he obviously has more than one Rolex in his arsenal.

Classic luxury Italian fashion brand Brioni, best known for outfitting Pierce Brosnan during his tenure as James Bond (right), is looking to sell a 25% stake in the business. "This is a family company. We need to think about the future and ways to develop the brand," Brioni CEO Antonella De Simone tells WWD.

The company, founded in Rome in 1945 and named after a resort on the Adriatic Sea, makes ready-to-wear and bespoke men's suits costing from $6,000 - $36,000, and has a women's line as well. Some of its luster may have been lost when James Bond switched to Tom Ford, but the brand is undeniably valuable.

The one-of-a-kind gold and platinum plated, diamond studded Aston Martin DB7 (above) that my colleague Laura Malesich wrote about earlier this month has been put up for sale in London with a pricetag of £95,000, or about $140,000, the UK Auto Trader reports. The car was originally created for Prince Francesco Ruspoli of Italy by London-based company Alchemist, and took six craftsmen one month to complete. In addition to its precious plating, the Aston, conceived in homage to James Bond, has a black and grey leather interior and golden burr walnut dashboard.

On December 1, Bonhams in London will auction off the famous white 1976 Lotus Esprit driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (one of two made). Next to the classic Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger, the Lotus, which was amphibious in the movie, stands out as the iconic Bond vehicle. Estimated at about $160,000 to $190,000, it does not unfortunately come equipped with the gadgetry deployed by Moore in the film during his eventful ride with the beautiful Barbara Bach, including a cement sprayer, sea-to-air missiles, front-mounted torpedoes, ink-cloud dispenser and mine launcher. However it does afford the purchaser a chance to join the Ian Fleming Foundation, which my colleague Deidre Woollard wrote about the other day.

[via Men.Style]

Another James Bond movie is headed to the theaters and James Bond fans all around the world are lining up to see Daniel Craig in action as 007. Part of the lure is the long history of the movies and the books written by Ian Fleming which create a whole world of superspy adventures with beautiful women, fast cars, yachts and gadgets. I've seen Bond-related vehicles come up for auction before but I didn't know, until I saw a recent article in the Chicago Tribune, that there is actually an Ian Fleming Foundation, a group of owners of some of these vehicles. The foundation is a charity of seven board members who use their Bond vehicles to help non-profits raise money. The charity will loan out vehicles for a fee or a percentage of the money brought in and that money goes toward the foundation's operating budget. Their end goal is to have a museum of Bond vehicles that raises money that can be donated to a scholarship for a writer or filmmaker.

Some of the vehicles including the Lotus submarine car used in the 1977 film 'The Spy Who Loved Me,' the Aston Martin Volante used in the 1987 James Bond film 'The Living Daylights,' and the Ford Mondeo used in the 2006 film 'Casino Royale' are on display at the Beaulieu National Motor Museum in New Forest between Bournemouth and Southampton in England. The James Bond Experience also includes props and apparel from the movies. The exhibition was created with the Ian Fleming Foundation.

The long-awaited release of Quantum of Solace later this month will add two more members - Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton - to that illustrious club of only-in-your-dreams femininity: the Bond Girls. Since 007 first walked onto the silver screen in 1962, he's rescued, bedded and battled with scores of young lovelies, without whom the secret agent would never have made it to his 22nd movie. After careful consideration of all their charms, Men.Style has presented the top picks of this pulchritudinous pantheon, including Maude Adams and Britt Ekland (above, left to right, in 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun). You can vote for your favorite; at the moment the original Bond Girl, Ursula Andress, is in the lead, but that could change.

Hotlist: Bond Girls [Men.Style]

The Aston Martin DBS isn't the only high-performance means of transport to have a starring role in the new 007 film, Quantum of Solace. UK-made Sunseeker yachts also appear in the movie, which features one of the biggest ever boat chases in a Bond film, shot in Panama last March. Among the Sunseekers featured in the film is the Superhawk 43, from the company's high-performance range, as well as the 121-ft. M4 superyacht (above), the largest semi-custom production motoryacht ever to be built in the UK. Bond also rides in a classic vintage Sunseeker Sovereign 17 motorboat from 1970 at one point during the film. Sunseeker yachts have appeared in the last three Bond movies.