Luxist Awards

For seafarers who cherish the intimacy of small ships, it's hard to top Silversea. With five of its six ships made to accommodate fewer than 400 guests apiece – and boasting elegance to spare – Silversea has been nominated for a Luxist award in the Best Caribbean Cruises category.

For those who don't have the stomach for Arctic expeditions on Silversea's 132-guest Prince Albert II, the Italian-owned company's Silver Shadow, Silver Cloud, Silver Whisper and Silver Spirit convey Caribbean cruisers to a host of delectable destinations. Silverseas offers wine-focused and gourmet food-focused cruises with visiting chefs from top restaurants around the world. Enjoy in-room butler service on all ships from the moment you arrive to find a bottle of chilled champagne waiting in your suite. Your butler will also take care of dinner reservations, laundry and fridge replenishment.

Silversea itineraries include some of the most enticing destinations in the Caribbean with a full roster of activities to boot. Visit 17th century plantations on St. Kitts or bustling seaside marketplaces in Guadeloupe; whale-watch off the coast of Dominica or kayak a tropical lagoon in Antigua; catamaran in the waters off Grenada or go cycling in St. Lucia. Cruises depart from a host of cities in the U.S. including New York, San Diego and Miami, or from the likes of Barbados and Rio abroad.

Caribbean cruises range in length from 7-17 days. Suite-only rates start north of $3,500 for a 10-day cruise and can range as high as $30,000 for an owner's suite during peak season, though free airfare and other discounts can bring down the sticker price.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Looking for a tropical destination for the wedding of a lifetime? Look no further than one of the 18 different Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts located throughout the Carribbean. Sandals Resorts International, which hosts as many as 13,000 weddings each year, is collaborating with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia to offer six different wedding themes. On January 1, Sandal's began offering Sandals Weddings by Martha Stewart, featuring coordinated color palettes, beautifully designed wedding décor, complimentary bouquets, invitations, cakes and favors, along with à la carte items, creating a memorable experience to suit a couple's unique preferences. "We have a fundamental mind set that the wedding day has to be perfect and flawless," says Adam Stewart, chief executive of Sandals Resorts International. "We are constantly trying to find new and innovative ways to deliver that experience for the bride and groom. That road led us to Martha Stewart, who is a visionary. " Watch this video to hear more from Adam Stewart and see a Sandals Wedding by Martha Stewart firsthand.

Gucci has been nominated for the Luxist Awards in the category of Best Leathergoods Line, in addition to a nomination for Best Clothing Designer. Started by one man, Guccio Gucci, in Florence Italy in 1921 it was originally just a small leather goods and luggage shop that combined the master craftsmanship of Tuscan artisans with the refinement of English nobility. Gucci drew from his experience working in London's Savoy Hotel to grow his label that featured bags, trunks, gloves, shoes, and belts. The shop quickly began to attract sophisticated buyers from around Europe and the world.

In the 1940s Gucci got creative when faced with a shortage of standard materials and came up with the iconic 'Bamboo Bag', which is still available today. Then in the 1950s the brand famous 'green-red-green' web was created, and in the 1960s Jackie Kennedy carried the Gucci shoulder bag and inspired the 'Jackie O' name the bag carries today. The brand continued to grow and prosper over the years, becoming a global force of tradition and innovation in luxury goods. In 1995 Gucci became a fully public company, which enabled it to reach even higher heights of success -- including being named 'the most desirable luxury brand in the world' in 2007.

Want to learn even more about the history of this iconic luxury label? A special limited edition Gucci by Gucci is available at Gucci boutiques and offers a 450 page in-depth look into the brand's beginnings and its growth through the years, including previously unpublished product and celebrity photographs.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

Jimmy Choo, a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Leathergoods, was launched in 1995 when Tamara Mellon, Accessories Editor at British Vogue, realized the potential demand for stylish but wearable shoes. Mellon approached Jimmy Choo, a couture shoe maker based in the East End of London who was recognized for his excellent craftsmanship. The pair formed a partnership to start a ready-to-wear shoe company and opened the first stand alone boutique on Montcomb Street. Sandra Choi, Choo's neice, was named the company's Creative Director with Mellon as its president. Joshua Schulman is the company's chief executive officer.

In 1998, the company opened its first boutique in New York, followed by Los Angeles in 1999. The company's name soon became synonymous with the "red carpet" shoe of choice. Choo's shoes were a favorite of the late Princess Diana, worn by Michelle Obama to the Inauguration Ceremony and have also been seen on such Oscar winners including Cate Blanchett, Halle Berry, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman and Hilary Swank, among others.

In 2001, Jimmy Choo expanded significantly and introduced a handbag collection. Today, Jimmy Choo encompasses a complete luxury lifestyle accessory brand with women's shoes, handbags, small leather goods, sunglasses and eyewear. Its products are now available in tknumber of Jimmy Choo freestanding stores as well as in prestigious department and specialty stores worldwide. The Jimmy Choo store network now encompasses more than 100 locations in 32 countries.

The brand received the 2009 "Designer Brand of the Year" award from the British Fashion Council, the 2008 ACE award for "Brand of the Year" from the Accessory Council and the 2008 "Brand of the year" from the 22nd Annual Footwear News Awards in New York.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

The Britain-based Topshop is one of fashion's fastest-growing names. With 300 new styles each week, it's also one of the most up-to-date. Hungry customers devour its offerings to the tune of 40,000 pairs of shoes per week, 2500 dresses per day, and eight underwear sets per minute -- and our readers have nominated Topshop for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award in the Best Boutique/Department Store category.

Topshop has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time, especially when compared to its 19^th Century-born peers. The company started out in 1964 as a single boutique in the North of England, buried in the basement of a department store called Peter Robinson. Later that year, Topshop scored a spot in the chain's London location and soon became a standalone retailer.

By 1994, Topshop had grown so much that it expanded to fill the entire 90,000 square-foot space and became the retailer's flagship. The store now attracts more than 200,000 people per week, while Topshop.com attracts an average of 700,000 visitors per month, according to the company's website. There, customers can browse outerware, handbags, jewelry, and just about anything else one could wear, including collaborative collections with fashion luminaries such as Kate Moss and Celia Birtwell.

Topshop currently operates 300 stores in the U.K. and 100 abroad, including a new fashion emporium in New York's trendy SoHo shopping district -- a long way from a basement in northern England, indeed.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

Votes have been cast for the best-of-breed in lighting, furniture, antiques resources, dishware and glassware. The Luxist Readers' Choice Decor Awards winners are all leaders in their respective industries.

Niermann Weeks, the winner of the Readers' Choice for Best in Lighting, is a family-owned and operated company that produces lighting that radiates beauty from every angle. Joe Niermann's design style extrapolates the traditional form within its historic constraints.

The winner of the Readers' Choice for the Best in Furniture is Roche-Bobois. The French-based company is a global leader in design and distribution of fine home furnishings. Its original artistry ranges from the avant-garde to ethnic and traditional.

The Readers' Choice for the Best in Glassware is Baccarat. Each of its fine crystal pieces are handcrafted in the village of Baccarat in Lorraine in eastern France. They are extravagant and elegant.

Haviland Limoges is the winner of the Readers' Choice for Best in Dishware. It is estimated that there are as many as 60,000 unique Haviland china patterns. For over a century, Haviland china has remained a standard for elegant tables.

The International Fine Art & Antique Dealers Show is the Readers' Choice winner for Best Antiques Resources. The New York-based show is an annual destination for serious connoisseurs, collectors and museum curators who are in search of the best.

Luxist has launched the Luxist Awards, sponsored by Cadillac, to honor the very best in fine living.

During the year-long program, the Luxist audience will nominate their favorite businesses, destinations or products. A different category -- and subcategories -- will be featured each month, ranging from decor to travel to entertainment. New categories will be introduced at the beginning of each month with winners for "Reader's Choice" announced at the end of the month.

Our first category, Best in Decor, will run through the end of October. Luxist "Editor's Choice" winners will be determined by the Luxist editors, writers and experts, who will conduct extensive research to determine the best in class in each award category. Winners will be crowned "The Cadillac of..." in their respective categories. "Editor's Choice" award winners will be announced during the last quarter of the program.

Along with the Luxist Awards, the Cadillac-ipedia will be launched serving as a resource for Luxist viewers who want to explore the finer aspects of life. The Cadillac-ipedia provides useful tips, hints and guides about a wide variety of consumer lifestyle pursuits. All entries will be searchable by category and location, providing the Luxist audience with a valuable tool for finding luxury businesses and products throughout the world.

So if you have opinions about extraordinary dishware or glassware or know of a luxurious piece of furniture that is a work of art, we want to hear from you, as the Luxist Readers' Choice Decor Awards will be awarded based on your nominations and voting.

We're currently seeking nominations for the best-of-breed in the following categories:

Antiques Resources
Dishware
Glassware
Furniture
Lighting

Submit your nominations and comments about your favorite home decor items and we will compile a list of those that are the most popular, along with related articles. One nomination per category, please. Submissions can be filed until October 15th, 2009.