Moscow

Naomi Campbell's Sexy Apartment Commercial

Britain's Daily Mail leads us to Naomi Campbell's latest ad campaign, a Russian commercial for a new luxury apartment complex in Moscow. The Legend of Tsvetnoy complex belongs to her boyfriend billionaire Vladamir Doronin. The steamy commercial shows Campbell lounging around the building and stretched out in a bed in lingerie at one point. Other images show her working out in the gym and taking a dip in the swimming pool which has panoramic views over the city of Moscow. The commercial ends with Campbell looking out a window and saying: "I listen to your heart, Moscow. Now you know where I stay.''

Tags: legend of tsvetnoy, lxury apartment complex, moscow, naomi campbell, Vladimir Doronin

Lamborghini Sesto Elemento for Sale at $2.5 Million

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The super-cool Sesto Elemento concept car unveiled by Lamborghini at the Paris Motor Show in September has been listed for sale by a Moscow exotic auto dealer via online global luxury marketplace JamesList for about $2.5 million. Though not exactly street legal, that's of no consequence if you're an oligarch with your own a private racetrack, of course. The name Sesto Elemento stands for the sixth element in the periodic table, i.e. carbon, and references Lamborghini's mastery of carbon fiber technology.

The supercar weighs only 999 kg making for an impressive power-to-weight ratio of just 1.75 kilograms per hp in conjunction with the V10 powerplant producing 570 hp. It can do 0 – 62 mph in just 2.5 seconds and hit a top speed of nearly 190 mph, though with lower fuel consumption and thus lower emissions than a heavier vehicle. The carbon fiber theme carries over to the interior as well, finishing the doors, cockpit and center console. Lamborghini has said that the car may go into a limited production run of 20 examples for track use only, but that will likely take a while.

Gallery: Lamborghini Sesto Elemento

Tags: carbon fiber, concept car, JamesList, Lamborghini, Moscow, Sesto Elemento, supercar

Hunt with Eagles on Dunhill's Luxury Adventure Tour

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Men's Style

Famed London luxury goods firm Dunhill is collaborating with UK adventure travel firm Black Tomato on a new series of excursions replicating a famed Dunhill journey in 1930. In that year Dunhill's Clement Court traveled overland from Paris to Japan to secure the very finest Japanese lacquered goods for the firm. Dunhill and Black Tomato are now offering modern versions of Court's epic journey, with appropriately luxurious accommodations and adventuresome activities along the way. The excursions are designed to demonstrate that "luxury is something more discerning, more elusive and more unique than just a price tag", as they put it.

The concept of discovery and exploration has been a hallmark of the Dunhill brand since 1893, as reflected in its most recent collections. The luxury packages are priced from about $4,500 and include destinations such as Paris, Moscow, Mongolia and Japan. Experiences include a private tour of the Louvre in Paris while the museum is closed, a flight in a Russian fighter jet above Moscow, learning eagle hunting in Mongolia (above) and bathing in Japan's oldest mineral hot springs. Guests can also opt to recreate Court's entire journey, including 10 days in a private cabin on the Golden Eagle Trans Siberian railway, starting at about $44,000.

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Tags: Black Tomato, Dunhill, hunting, Japan, London, Louvre, luxury goods, luxury travel, Mongolia, Moscow, Paris, Russia, train, travel, UK

Maradona Scores $500,000 For Charity With Hublot

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Hublot's new charity spectacle series involves soccer and "giving." The first such event was held in New York City where members from the UK's Manchester United team attempted to kick soccer balls into small targets (I wrote about that here). The accuracy of the kicks defined the amount of money Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot was to donate to charity.

As the first event was successful enough, Hublot did it again. This time in Moscow, Russia featuring legendary Argentinean 'football' player Diego Maradona. Maradona is a well-known Hublot watch lover, and famously wears a watch on each wrist. Maradona was faced with kicking a soccer ball at 10 targets of various sizes. Each had a dollar amount value, and if Maradona hit all 10 targets, Hublot would donate a full $1,000,000 to the Raisa Gorbacheva Memorial Institute for Children Hematology and Transplantation. Maradona nicknamed the event his "Russian Challenge."

Wearing his duo of Hublot watches, Maradona aimed for the targets at a distance of 10 meters in front of a public audience. Maradona raised a total of $500,000 for the children's charity, and hit the smallest of all targets with the ball - which carried a value of $300,000. In celebration of the event and for Russia's Hublot watch fans - Hublot will also release a limited edition watch to commemorate Maradona's "Russian Challenge." It will be known as the Hublot Maradona Gold & Ceramic watch, and will be limited to just 100 pieces. The watch will be in polished red gold with a black ceramic bezel. The dial will be in black, and bear Maradona's signature in a blue. Look for more details on this limited edition piece soon.

The real winners here are the charities that benefit from events like this designed to offer PR pushes to Hublot, as well as the brand's fans who enjoy seeing Hublot active in the media.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: charity, hublot, maradona, moscow, russia, watch, watches

Abramovich Could Be Moscow's Next Mayor

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Russian news service RIA Novosti reports that Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich could be appointed the next mayor of Moscow, an incredibly influential position, following the incumbent's ouster.

Russian president Dimitri Medvedev gave Yuri Luzhkov his walking papers this week in the wake of a long-simmering feud. The job is unlikely to be maintained in its present form and may be divided into two posts to avoid a repeat of Luzhkov's power concentration.

If the free-spending 43-year-old billionaire does get the job – though we're not sure how he'd have the time given his many other interests, from football clubs to megayachts – it wouldn't be his first foray into politics.

Abramovich served as governor of Chukotka (an impoverished region in the Russian Far East) from 2000 to 2008, and was credited with improved living standards, restoring schools and housing and attracting investment, RAI notes, and he is currently the chairman of the Chukotka Autonomous District Duma.

Tags: Dimitri Medvedev, Moscow, politics, Roman Abramovich, Russia, Russian billionaires

Moscow Plans Vodka Selling Changes To Curb Drinking

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Moscow's drinkers will have to remember to buy their vodka early come September. Starting next month it will be illegal for Moscow's supermarkets, shops and kiosks to sell alcohol with more than 15 percent alcohol content from 10pm to 10am. Beer, wine and lighter alcohols can still be sold and bars can still serve whatever they want around the clock. This is just the latest move to try and curb excessive drinking, other moves have included setting a minimum price for vodka and reducing the legal limit of alcohol in the blood allowed for drivers.

This is Russia's strictest stance on drinking since 1985 when President Gorbachev made it so that vodka could only be sold from two in the afternoon to seven at night. That decision was disastrous causing nationwide panic and deaths when people drank other hazardous substances like perfume to get their hands on some alcohol. Current President Dmitry Medvedev has called Russia's drinking problem "a national disaster."

Tags: Dmitry Medvedev, moscow, vodka

Want A Hotel Room? You'll Spend The Most In Moscow

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Once again Moscow is the city with the most expensive average hotel room rate in the world. Bloomberg reports that a survey by business travel agency Hogg Robinson Group Plc showed that the average rate in the city in the first half was 256.83 pounds ($407). The rest of the top five were Geneva at 199.11 pounds, Hong Kong at 197.61 pounds, Paris at 197.13 pounds and New York City at 194.13 pounds. Rates were up in Stockholm, Zurich and Geneva.

The survey found that rates in the US were mostly flat or marginally back compared to 2009 figures, with the exception of San Francisco where average rates dropped by 11 percent. Although Moscow was still at the top its average rate declined by 12 percent. Room rates in Abu Dhabi were down 25 percent. Rome, Copenhagen and Dubai also showed reductions of 7 percent, 10 percent and 12 percent respectively.

Douglas McWilliams, Chief Executive of cebr (Centre for Economics and Business Research Ltd.), a leading economic think tank which analyzed the HRG survey said that the global economic recovery is still fragile and that the "latest HRG Hotel Survey illustrates the effects of a multi-speed economic recovery in the hotel market." The report indicates that it may take until 2012 for some hotels to see a return to pre-recession rates.

Tags: hotel room rates, moscow

Moscow Gets Caviar Vending Machines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Government officials in the United States have a reputation for getting too much in the way of special treatment and perks but it seems holding political office in Moscow is really where the good stuff is: they get vending machines that dispense caviar. Looking much like a pop machine, a shiny red caviar vending device was installed recently in the Moscow mayor's office and several more are planned for parliament in the coming weeks. So far 33 caviar machines have been set up in and around the capital's government and upscale office buildings, each dispensing the delicacy in glass jars and tins of varying sizes for between £3.50 and £15.00 each.

I wonder if it's any good, coming out of a machine like that?

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Tags: caviar, moscow, vending machines

Russia Right Now with Frontiers Travel

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

When it comes to planning a trip to Russia, you need an inside track, a tour planner who speaks the language and knows how to negotiate a tricky bureaucracy. Natasha Tichy, a senior travel consultant at Frontiers Travel, grew up in Russia and worked there as a guide and travel planner. Now, she's introducing Americans in two different trips to places and events they could never manage on their own.

Tags: luxury travel, moscow, russian travel, St Petersburg, volga

Continue reading “Russia Right Now with Frontiers Travel”

Art Moscow to Start, Optimism not Invited

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Are there any billionaires left in Russia? The last year has been pretty brutal on Russia's upper crust, and we haven't seen a whole lot of they guys who used to drop cash like it was vodka. Art Moscow, the largest art fair in Russia, opens tonight, and gallery owners are artists are hoping the likes of Roman Abramovich will see fit to plunk down some roubles on canvas.

Art Moscow features works from 40 galleries – both from Russia and around the world. Originally, the art fair was supposed to run in May, but Expo Park Exhibition Projects Ltd., its organizer, pushed it back to hit at the same time as the state run Third Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art. The dual event may bring a bigger turnout, but it will have to overcome a 10 percent contraction in the Russian economy.

Counting against Art Moscow ... aside from general economic malaise ... is the fact that the sale of Russian artwork is down. The major auction houses in London moved only $48 million in Russian art in June, down more than half from the same auctions in 2008.

So, how likely is a stream of cash? Igor Markin, a big-time collector and owner of the Art4.ru museum, says he "hasn't bought anything in a long time."

Tags: art, art auction, art auctions, art fair, art galleries, art gallery, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtFair, ArtGalleries, ArtGallery, artwork, billionaire, galleries, gallery, london, moscow, moscow russia, MoscowRussia, roman abramovich, RomanAbramovich, russia

Renovated Hotel Ukraina Scheduled to Reopen in Moscow in December

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

The historic Hotel Ukraina, a city landmark in Moscow, Russia, is about to reopen as the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. The property will have undergone a substantial renovation and its new look and feel is sure to impress.

The property will offer 507 guestrooms, along with 38 serviced apartments. The rooms will be 345 square feet in size, and the apartments will be quite large – from 540 square feet to 2,750 square feet. All rooms and apartments will be equipped with high-speed internet access.

What really makes the reopening interesting, though, is the connection between old and new. The property's art collection will be featured, consisting of nearly 1,000 paintings from the socialist realism school of thought, the "official" movement of the Soviet Union for more than six decades. Murals and ceiling frescoes will be restored and on display through the hotel's public spaces.

To enhance the experience, the hotel will feature a 43,000 square foot spa and wellness center, with a Turkish bath, Finnish sauna and six-lane swimming pool. There will also be a dedicated kids' club, giving parents some much-needed time to relax. After unwinding, dash up to the 31st floor bar and enjoy the views of Moscow. For another perspective on the city, you'll be able to take a culinary boat tour on the Moskva River.

"This hotel is another milestone in our history," says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor, which owns the property. "Rezidor, the international pioneer on the Russian hotel market, is today the leading international hotel operator in Russia and the CIS countries – and now manages an additional key property in Moscow, which is one of the most remarkable hotel structures in Europe."

Tags: art collection, ArtCollection, hotel, hotels, luxury hotel, luxury hotels, LuxuryHotel, LuxuryHotels, moscow, moscow russia, MoscowRussia, radisson, rezidorhotelgroup, russia, sauna, saunas, soviet, soviet union, soviet-era, soviets, SovietUnion, spa, turkish baths, TurkishBaths

Russia's New Community For The Ultra-Rich

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Outside of Moscow, one of Russia's most expensive housing complexes has been constructed. Russian developer Aras Agalarov has created a community oh so modestly called the Agalarov Golf and Country Club. Sky News recently checked out the development which includes a hotel, sports complex and a golf course. There is also a "beach club" which fronts a lake and includes a restaurant. Agalarov told Sky News that he wanted to create a paradise. The community features huge multimillion dollar homes in a variety of different styles including Mediterranean mansions and columned Palladian palaces.

The community also has some pretty strict rules. No dogs outside and if you travel with bodyguards you must leave them outside the community in a special bodyguard lounge. Even though Russia's richest people have seen their fortunes diminished over the past year only three of the 15 mansions remain unsold. The Agalarov website features a variety of dazzling images of this property which hopes to provide everything a Russian multi-millionaire might require.

Gallery: Russian Extravagance

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Tags: aras agalarov, ArasAgalarov, moscow, russia

Nobu Opens In Moscow

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Just the other day we heard about how Russians are being urged to be more modest in their spending habits. This can't be good news for Nobu, the Japanese restaurant chain co-founded by Robert De Niro which is opening their latest outpost in Moscow. Bloomberg quotes Nobu's local partner, millionaire developer Aras Agalarov who promises the restaurant will be profitable but there's no denying that the timing is not ideal.

Nobu Moscow is decorated with dark wood and burnished gold light fixtures and is located on the top floor of Agalarov's Crocus luxury retail building. An average meal will probably cost around $90. Nobu restaurants now span the globe, most recently Nobu opened its first African restaurant in February.

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Tags: moscow, nobu, restaurants

Russian Billionaires Learn To Embrace Thrift

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Oh the plight of the Russian billionaire. They were just getting accustomed to diamond-studded cellphones, huge private yachts and luxury cars and now the boom seems to have gone bust. Bloomberg's Anastasia Ustinova has a piece on the new Russian thrift that is chock full of interesting quotes to parse including this one from Boris Teterev, president of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Moscow who says "You just can't party when others are starving." Conspicuous consumption in Russia reached heights that made America's wealthiest look modest by comparison but now that exuberant spending is falling out of fashion.

Last year Moscow had 74 billionaires, this year just 27. Forbes has reported that the 25 richest Russians lost a combined $230 billion during six months last year. It bears noting that one Russian billionaire, Alexander Lebedev, has threatened to sue Forbes over its estimation of his losses.

While spending may not be fashionable that doesn't mean it isn't going on in Russia, it just happening at a more low profile level. The Bloomberg article also quotes lawyer Alexander Dobrovinsky who speaks of names being removed from private jets. Once one has become accustomed to certain luxuries it can be hard to part with them. The trick for some is staying out of the public eye.

Part of the change comes from President Dmitry Medvedev who has come out against luxury trips for government officials and against spending in general. Even Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia's richest man, has declared in Snob, his lifestyle magazine for the ultra-wealthy, that "saving money is the trendiest thing to do at the moment."

Reports like this aren't welcome news to some luxury brands who were hoping that Russian big spenders could help keep them afloat in tough times. They may have to set their sights on the wealthy in China instead.

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Tags: moscow, thrift

Abramovich's Girlfriend Takes Over Luxury Fashion Mag

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

Dasha Zhukova, the stunning 27-year-old girlfriend of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, has been named the new editor-in-chief of hip British luxury fashion mag POP. Zhukova is the co-founder of the fashion label Kova & T, as well as the Garage Centre for Contemporary Culture, Moscow's largest private art gallery. Despite an utter lack of magazine experience, she'll be working in partnership with POP editorial director Ashley Heath, leading some to snipe that she only got the job thanks to her mega-rich boyfriend.

"I am tremendously excited to take on this challenge," Zhukova, pictured above at right with Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova, tells the London Telegraph. "I feel it's the perfect time to be showcasing and encouraging new energy and talent. We are working hard on a complete revamp of the magazine in order to provide a broader point of view focusing also on art, contemporary culture and the globalization of all things pop-related." The magazine is being relaunched on the 1st of September.

Gallery: All Things Abramovich