Kate Moss

It looks like Kate Moss came pretty close to being royalty. Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia, Prince of Venice and Piedmont and heir to the now defunct throne of Italy, has admitted to a nearly year-long affair with the supermodel that they apparently kept hidden from the tabloids. The dashing prince says they were introduced by Moss' friend, singer Marianne Faithfull, when they holidayed at his villa in Corsica several years ago. "Who would not fall in love with Kate Moss? She is charming, intelligent and very beautiful," the prince told Italian magazine Chi. "We were together for about eight months and she was a wonderful and fascinating woman, not bizarre or weird at all. Then our relationship ended because that's how things go. But I remember her as a passionate woman." The Prince, who runs a hedge fund in Geneva, is now married to French actress Clotilde Courau.

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."

London fashionistas will have a chance to wear a celebrity's designer gown courtesy of Topshop. The brand has created the Dress Me Up Campaign which features designer dresses owned by stars like Kate Moss, Freida Pinto, Scarlett Johansson, Naomi Campbell and Dita Von Teese. Later dresses will be auctioned off with all proceeds from the rental fee and the auction going to Topshop's chosen charities Age Concern and Help the Aged.

Model and style icon Kate Moss has launched her latest scent, Vintage. This is Moss' fourth scent, her other offerings are Kate, Summer Time and Velvet Hour. Vintage is described as a a fruity floriental fragrance and is meant to be a scented encapsulation of Kate's love of vintage clothes and objects d'art. On vintage objects, Kate Moss says "I am fascinated by vintage pieces because they not only have a remarkable beauty but also an innate sense of history - I love the fact that each object has its own story to tell."

The scent includes notes of pink pepper, white freesia and mandarin with a heart of heliotrope, jasmine and almond flower and base notes of tonka bean, vanilla and skin musks. The bottle was inspired by the Art Deco perfume bottles of the 1920s and 30s. The smoky glass flacon is finely faceted on the front, sides and cap with a rose-gold collar around the neck of the bottle, decorated with vintage inspired filigrees. The print ad shown above was shot by Mert and Marcus. Check out the television and and some behind-the-scenes footage of Kate Moss after the jump.

On October 9th in New York, Sotheby's will stage a stunning sale of photographs including several nude portraits of supermodels, with work from the likes of Chuck Close, Peter Beard, Robert Mapplethorpe, Helmut Newton and more. One of the top lots is a series of six full frontal nudes of Kate Moss by Chuck Close taken in 2003, estimated at $100,000 - $150,000. Another high-priced draw is a portfolio of 12 semi-nude images of Marilyn Monroe taken in 1962 by Lawrence Schiller, estimated at $50,000 - $70,000. Two Peter Lindbergh portraits of Mick Jagger taken in 1995 are estimated at $30,000 - $50,000. And a nude of Stephanie Seymour by Richard Avedon taken in 1992 is estimated at $20,000 - $30,000, while this relatively tame image of Nadja Auermann by Irving Penn from 1994 is also a relative bargain at $6,000 - $9,000.

Kate Moss is set to become the world's richest model thanks to a lucrative new deal she's about to ink with British mogul Sir Philip Green, shown with Kate above, and TV producer extraordinaire Simon Cowell. The 35-year-old supermodel is joining forces with the two men on a new $1.6 billion global multi-faceted entertainment company. Green owns the Topshop brand which Moss recently collaborated with for a new collection. Moss will direct the style and image of the as-yet-unnamed empire, as well as give fashion-related branding advice, under the terms of the deal which could net her up to $80 million based on profit-sharing arrangements, the London Daily Mail reports. The sum would double Moss' fortune giving her a net worth of about $160 million, the paper notes. In essence the plan is to merchandise the hell out of Cowell's hit TV shows both here and abroad. The prospect of Moss getting involved in the music side of the business has also been floated.

On July 1 Christie's in London will auction off a stunning full frontal nude of Kate Moss by Chuck Close in its Photographs sale. Taken in 2003, the artwork is estimated at about $11,500 - $16,000 but could easily go much higher.

If that's out of your range or you don't want to risk being outbid, there's another option for getting Kate naked at your place. Via PhotographersLimitedEditions.com you can now purchase signed limited edition works from some of the world's best known photographers.

The investment-quality pieces come in limited editions of 11-25. One of our favorites is this nude of Moss by British photographer Rankin, taken in 2000. Produced in a limited edition of 25, the photo is priced at about $4,500.

The site also offers several of Rankin's other works including some celebrity portraits, as well as photos by the likes of Antoine Verglas, Arthur Elgort and Marc Baptiste, featuring many other gorgeous nudes.

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.

These days the celebrated French leathergoods company Longchamp is best known for its super-stylish handbags as seen in ad campaigns starring Kate Moss (above). Most people are unaware however that the company, which dates back to 1948, started off selling luxurious leather-covered pipes to Paris' bon ton. The rich heritage of the firm is celebrated in Longchamp, a gorgeous new illustrated history from Abrams by Marie-Claire Aucouturier with photographs by Philippe Carcia, published in celebration of the company's 60th anniversary.

Beginning with the deluxe pipes, which became a favorite of Elvis Presley (pictured smoking one in the book), the company built a brand as a bridge between the very social equestrian world and the world of luxury travel. Named after Paris' famed Longchamp racecourse where Napoleon III presided over the Royal Enclosure, the company adopted a horse and rider as its logo. The pipes were soon followed by cigarette cases and other leather accessories for smokers, then expansion into small leather goods in the 1950s, followed by the opening of the first Longchamp boutiques in the 1970s and '80s.

The first in a line of luxurious luggage soon followed. Longchamp thrived where many firms failed by catching on early to the importance of the Asian market. In the early 1970s, Philippe Cassegrain, Longchamp's founder, designed a line of bags called "LM," destined for the Japanese market, recently re-released for the anniversary. Its success gave Longchamp a solid reputation as a creator of women's handbags and enabled the company to expand further. In 1993 Cassegrain introduced the Le Pliage collection of foldable travel bags made of colorful vinyl with luxurious leather trim, an instant smash; two billion of them have been sold since.

While many high-end boutiques are experiencing a severe downturn, L.A.'s "luxury erotic emporium" Coco de Mer is busier than ever, with an increasing quotient of sex-starved celebs. The Melrose Avenue shop sells a wide range of goods including lingerie, books, oils, housewares and luxurious sex toys and accessories, including a $10,000 14kt gold and diamond vibrator. Angelina Jolie was spotted shopping there just the other day (though we don't know what she splurged on). Other celebs including Madonna, Kate Moss, Salma Hayek and Sienna Miller have also been by to pick up something saucy for, ahem, entertaining at home.

The shop is owned by Justine and Sam Roddick, daughters of Body Shop founder Anita Roddick, who opened the original Coco de Mer in London in 2001. The shop's clever, opulent design features a "Confessional" room attached to the dressing room providing a private view of your partner trying on lingerie. All of their products are made in consideration of the environment and human rights, and their policy is to invest in the work of local talent as well as small Fair Trade projects or cottage industries. The Roddicks are "committed to enabling individuals to use sex as an instrument to transform their own existence."

Kate Moss is back on the block at Bonhams Urban Art auction in London later this month. Banksy's images of Kate Moss as Marilyn Monroe are up for sale again. The six prints, each one signed and dated in pencil and numbered 02/20 are estimated to sell for : £100,000 - 150,000 and will be for sale on February 24. Banksy's prints of Moss as the modern Marilyn sold for £96,000 at the Bonhams Urban Art auction in February 2007 and a set of the six prints sold for around $94,000 back in 2006. Will the prints experience a similar upward bounce this year? I'd say these will come in for the low end of the estimate or maybe even below it despite the ongoing popularity of Kate Moss as art muse.

[via Vogue UK]

Kate Moss stars in a variety of ad campaigns, but she has also inspired many artists.

The just barely recognizable Moss shown here is part of artist Yuko Nasu's upcoming solo exhibition, John Doe at the Arts Gallery in London. John Doe is a series of imaginary portraits inspired by gossip magazines and discarded newspapers. The blurb on Yuko Nasu, who is from Japan, states that she is "unfamiliar with the cultural references or celebrities in contemporary British media stories" and therefore free to develop her own interpretations.

Vogue UK reports that Moss's boyfriend, Jamie Hince, has picked up one of Nasu's earlier works.

The unstoppable Kate Moss is more gorgeous than ever in her latest ad campaign, for Fred Joaillier, the Parisian jeweler established in 1936 and now part of LVMH. The ad (above), shot in beautiful black and white by famed photographer Patrick Demarchelier, shows Kate at her most classic sporting a small fortune in diamonds. We have to say it bears more than a little resemblance to Moss' ads for rival jeweler David Yurman, which are shot by Peter Lindbergh, though on the whole Fred exhibits more taste. Last month we reported on Moss' new ad campaign for French fashion house Longchamp, and it's shaping up to be another banner season for the timeless temptress.

Last summer we told you about Kate Moss' cinematic ads for French fashion luxury leathergoods house Longchamp. Now the supermodel is starring in Longchamp's newest campaign, alongside a sexy Russian lookalike named Sasha Pivovarova. That's Kate, above, on the left, and Sasha on the right, sporting matching hairdos and outfits from Longchamp's spring ready-to-wear line. The new ads were shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot in Los Angeles. In January, Longchamp will debut a video about the making of the ads on its website.

Last week we wrote about Christie's Nov. 19 photo auction starring a slew of naked supermodels including Albert Watson's 1993 nude of Kate Moss in Marrakech, which was estimated at $23,000 - $31,000. On Nov. 26 in London the auction house is staging another photo sale, with another equally appealing (in our opinion) photo of Kate in her birthday suit. The photo (above), taken by one-named lensman Tesh in 2005, may not have the pedigree of Watson's pic, but at only $1,500 - $2,000, it's a real steal. There are some other good deals to be had in the London sale, including portraits of Marilyn Monroe, Coco Chanel, James Dean, Andy Warhol and more.