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Riedel Endorses Miele as Dishwasher of Choice

Filed under: Gadgets, Wine

RiedelRiedel stemware are beautiful "tools" (in the words of CEO Maximilian Riedel) to help you get the most out of your wine varietal or spirit of choice. But they also come with a seven step "Cleaning Guide," which is about four to five more steps than I want to perform when doing dishes. The solution came from high-end German appliance maker, Miele, who overcame Riedel's skepticism to become the first automatic dishwasher approved by the 250-year-old Austrian glassmakers for cleaning their products.

Riedel, along with Miele USA CEO Nick Ord, convened at Miele's Manhattan gallery to announce the partnership, which they said went beyond brand synergy and represented an old-fashioned European alliance, sealed with a handshake. Ord said the goal of achieving Riedel's imprimatur was a personal, as well as, professional challenge for him, as he owns Riedel glassware and naturally uses a Miele machine at home. Extensive and rigorous testing ensued with an emphasis on Miele's patented water hardness-adjusting GlassCare function and the basket design of the G 5000 series (Riedel is especially sensitive about his glasses being placed too close together).

Satisfied that their Museum of Modern Art-worthy wine glasses were in good hands, Riedel gave its blessing. When used properly, Miele owners can expect their Riedel glasses to last 1,500 washing cycles, or about 20 years on average, according to Ord. That sure beats 20 years of the seven step method.

1930s Bespoke Gentleman's Spirits Case from Goyard

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

1930s Bespoke Gentleman's Spirits Case from Goyard
An elegant 1930s bespoke gentleman's spirits case from Goyard, the luxurious Parisian luggage maker founded in 1853, is being offered for sale by New York's Mantiques Modern for $2,800. Custom made for a connoisseur who wanted to be sure of always having his favorite tipple ready to hand while gallivanting around the globe, the handmade monogrammed case is crafted of fine pigskin with brass hardware. Inside it features two sizable silver plated flasks and a set of four silver tumblers in fitted compartments. When fastened it resembles a briefcase. Goyard has long had a devoted clientele of celebrities and royalty. Aristocrats such as the Grand Duke of Russia, the Maharajah of Kapurthala and the Duke of Windsor all traveled with Goyard luggage.

Ahron Weiner on the Verge: Bringing "The Flood" to Brooklyn

Filed under: Art

Ahron Weiner Brooklyn Verge
There were breaks in the rain, but the day ended with small rivers flowing through the gutters in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. It was the last day of Armory week in New York City, an event consisting of art fairs all over the city, ranging from colossal reputations and incredible valuations to emerging artists eager for their first tastes of success and notoriety. I was on my way to the Verge show, itself spread out over several locations.

If you want to find something unique or unusual, Verge is the place to go. You'll have to sift through a lot of good efforts (as opposed to successful results), but the one piece that blows your mind is worth it. I found it at 20 Jay Street: "The Flood," by Ahron Weiner.

There is nothing conventional about Weiner's photography, except, perhaps, for the fact that he uses a camera. After that, he's truly exploring new territory. "The Flood" is part of a larger effort that tells the stories of the Old Testament through rehabilitated advertising images.
Okay, that's a lot to digest. So, let's step through the concept.

If you ever see a tall (by my standards, at least) man with long blond hair chipping through the advertising posters on Manhattan scaffolds, there's a good chance it's Weiner. These posters are slapped up all over the city, with the new simply covering up the old ... and so on. It's endless. Weiner goes in the opposite direction. He peels away at the layers, looking for a story to emerge. Starting with what strikes him as an interesting advertisement, he pulls to see what lies beneath.




The Classicist: Thomas Pink Celebrates Englishmen in New York

Filed under: Events, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

The Classicist: Thomas Pink Celebrates Englishmen in New York
LVMH-owned London shirtmaker and haberdasher Thomas Pink is celebrating a stylish forthcoming book called An Englishman In New York with an event and exhibit at its Madison Avenue flagship in New York on March 24. The volume of photographs by Jason Bell includes notables and notable dandies like Vogue's Hamish Bowles (above), Barneys' Simon Doonan and Sting, British to the core but also quintessential New Yorkers. Bell's photographs are currently on exhibit at at London's National Portrait Gallery, where the book has already been released; it's scheduled for publication here on April 1.

As an Englishman living in New York himself, Bell was inspired by the fact that there are 120,000 British men and women living in New York City – about the same amount as the entire population of Stamford, Connecticut. In addition to the above Bell photographed a diverse cross-section of British born figures, including taxi drivers, cops, construction workers, divers, helicopter pilots, chefs, burlesque dancers, drug dealers, UN ambassadors and dog walkers, all of whom tell stories about how they came to settle in New York.

"I went for a walk in Central Park with Sting, and for a cup of tea on Kate Winslet's roof terrace, sat on Zoë Heller's stoop and watched Stephen Daldry bicycle down 8th Avenue," Bell relates. "I was given a private tour of both the Metropolitan Museum and the Barneys' shop windows. I started with a blank canvas and was amazed by the number of Englishmen and women who have made such a large impact on the cultural life of the city. And amidst all the questions about why people had come here and what they had left behind, I learnt a little bit more about what it means to be English, what it means to be a New Yorker, and where the two intersect."

"We are extremely excited to be hosting an event to honour Jason and his brilliant work," says Jonathan Heilbron, President and CEO of Thomas Pink. "Thomas Pink itself is 'An Englishman in New York.' We opened our Madison Avenue Flagship store over 13 years ago and New York has come to be a second home and major market for our brand. Thomas Pink is English at heart but we are truly a New Yorker too." [cont'd]

Bushmills Single Cask 19 Year Old Rum Cask Finish

Filed under: Spirits

Bushmills Single Cask 19 Year Old Rum Cask FinishLooking for an extra special spirit to help celebrate St. Patrick's Day? New York's Park Avenue Liquor Shop is the first and only retailer in the country to obtain a unique Bushmills Single Cask Single Malt Irish Whiskey bottling finished in a rum cask and aged 19 years.

The cask in question produced only 420 bottles which have been bottled exclusively for Park Avenue Liquor; they're priced at $125 apiece. "We are happy to have this bottling, the second rum cask finished Bushmills for the shop," notes Park Avenue Liquor Shop owner Jonathan Goldstein. "An Irish whiskey finished in rum casks is pretty unusual."

Bushmills offers the following tasting notes on the precious spirit:

Nose - A clean crisp saltiness at first, and then notes of mellow rum, vanilla, toasted wood, faintly almondy. Some deeper tones too - dark chocolate, a touch of leather and black pepper.

Palate - A pleasantly dry maltiness in counterpoint to a rummy honeyed sweetness; then various wood, spice, some almond and dark fudge. Overall, a complex and rather unique taste that is achievable only by very long aging in a rum barrel.

Finish - A fading sweetness, and the gentle rum, wood and dry malty noted lingering pleasantly on the palate.

Classic Cars, Fine Wine & Cool Design: The Duncan Quinn Appellation Rally

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Cars & Autos, Wine, Events, Men's Style, The Classicist

Classic Cars, Fine Wine & Cool Design: The Duncan Quinn Appellation Rally
Dashing designer Duncan Quinn, known for his roguish take on Savile Row style, is hosting the ultimate gentleman's getaway on Saturday, March 26 for those who appreciate classic cars, fine wine and gourmet meals as much as razor-sharp threads. The Duncan Quinn Appellation Rally features a fleet of wicked wheels from Manhattan's Classic Car Club – including a 1968 Porsche 911, an AC Cobra, Austin Mini (think The Italian Job), Jaguar E-Type roadster, and Ferrari Dino (above) – leaving the city for an overnight jaunt to a 2,500 acre spread in upstate New York via scenic byways and state parks in one hell of a stylish convoy.

There guests will be treated to cocktails followed by an impressive meal from celebrated chef Neil Ferguson accompanied an amazing selection of vintage wines, retiring afterwards to rustic suites. Following breakfast on Sunday also by Ferguson there will be a spot of skeet shooting before another scenic drive back to town. "Tweeds are an option, but style is a must," Quinn tells us. There are only 14 spots on the list, and several have already been filled; the price is $2,000 for singles and $3,000 per couple including the cars and everything except gas and speeding tickets. Call the designer's New York store at 212 226-7030 to reserve.

Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Russian Billionaire Andrey Melnichenko Buys $12 Million Central Park Pad
Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, owner of the eye-popping $300 million megayacht 'A' (above) designed by Philippe Starck, has splashed out $12.2 million on a penthouse pied-à-terre in Central Park. It's the first New York property for Melnichenko, at 38 one of the world's youngest billionaires, and his model wife Aleksandra, the Wall St. Journal reports, added to a real estate portfolio that includes apartments and estates in Moscow, France and the U.K. The 2,800-sq.-ft., two-bedroom duplex has two balconies, a terrace facing Central Park, and an entrance gallery with 24-foot ceilings. As we reported back in January Melnichenko, who amassed a $4.4 billion fortune in fertilizer and banking, entertained Martha Stewart, Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher on his yacht in St. Barth's over New Year's during Roman Abramovich's bash.

First Taste: Scion Pre-Phylloxera Port

Filed under: Wine

First Taste: Scion Pre-Phylloxera PortAs the room of tasters, a veritable varsity squad of New York wine writers, took their respective places, the publicist for Portuguese port house, Taylor Fladgate, announced that this was a first: not a single invitation offered to the morning's event had been declined. It wasn't out of courtesy. The 17th-century port purveyor was here at Manhattan's Eleven Madison Park to taste through its line-up of vintage and tawny ports, culminating in a rare treat, an 1855 pre-Phylloxera port called Scion.

Christie's Head of Wine-Asia, Charles Curtis MW, made some opening remarks about Taylor Fladgate, port wine and the auction market before handing the host duties over to Adrian Bridge. The CEO of Taylor Fladgate, Bridge cut an English gentleman's mien as he guided the assembled group through such bottlings as a vintage 1992 (sweet and earthy with slightly tannic finish), vintage 2003 (like a big Cabernet, with dark fruit and a huge nose) and a 30-year-old tawny (fig cookie, bitter orange and lightly floral).

Moncler Takes Over Grand Central at Fashion Week

Filed under: Apparel, Events

Moncler Takes Over Grand Central at Fashion Week
Moncler, the French–Italian luxury sport label founded in 1952 famed for its stylish down jackets, took over New York's Grand Central Terminal on Sunday evening for a "flash mob" themed Fashion Week presentation. 180 models descended on the NYC landmark clad in designs from Moncler's Grenoble Fall 2011 collection for a seven-minute choreographed performance inspired by the work of Bob Fosse and garments that "combine contemporary style with the high performance of the active sphere." The spectacle delighted passers-by, while another 200 performers infiltrated their ranks disguised as fellow commuters.

Key elements of the Grenoble collection for both men and women blend the brand's heritage with ultra-contemporary styling. Tweed is used with a waterproof finish for heat-sealed snowboarding pants and a ski suit, with elasticized panels down the side. The fabrics are warm and light, including stretch flannels, wool denim, worn Ventile cottons with an opaque look borrowed from truck tarpaulins, natural waterproofs, and innovative materials such as trilaminate. Pieces are designed to be layered and incorporate hoods, warm quilting and exclusive technical padding. Colors are full and intense with a retro feel in burgundy red, mustard yellow and green-grey.

Costas Kondylis' Newest Project, The Continental

Filed under: Real Estate Developments

Rising 53 stories in Manhattan is Costas Kondylis' newest project, The Continental. The 338-unit luxury rental tower is located at 885 Sixth Ave. (corner of 32nd Street) in Manhattan.

One of the core amenities is the Continental Club & Spa which has a 50-foot indoor infinity-edge lap swimming pool with heated hydrotherapy spa, set within a double-height, glass-enclosed atrium and extending onto a sun terrace furnished with lounge chairs. A fitness and cardio center, yoga studio, his-and-hers locker rooms and his-and-hers treatment rooms are also be available to residents. The Club's lounge with a fireplace opens out onto a landscaped terrace with seating and dining areas and there is also a catering kitchen. The space has wifi and also includes a gaming lounge with billiards and LCD displays. For really amazing views, on the 48th floor, there is another sundeck and outdoor terrace lounge. Other amenities include a 24-hour doorman, concierge service, on-site valet services, on-site parking, and bicycle storage.

Apartments have floor-to-ceiling tinted windows, ceilings as high as 10 feet, white oak flooring throughout and Asko washers and dryers in every residence. Kitchens have tile flooring, quartz countertops and high-end stainless steel appliances. Bathrooms include marble vanities and Kohler tubs.

Studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom with home office, and two-bedroom apartments are available. Monthly rental prices range from approximately $2,550 to more than $6,110. Last month Curbed took a tour and commented on the building's luxe amenities. One of the nicest features seems to be the amenity that nature (sometimes) provides, beautiful bright sunlight streaming through glass windows.

The Classicist: A Quarter Century of Style at Alan Flusser's New Custom Shop

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style, The Classicist

The Classicist: A Quarter Century of Style at Alan Flusser's New Custom Shop
Alan Flusser, author of 2002's Dressing the Man, is our foremost arbiter elegantiarum in matters sartorial; the book remains the reigning bible of men's style. In 1981 he published his first book Making the Man and opened his first custom tailoring shop in New York City in '86; a year later his Master of the Universe wardrobe created for Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street made him an instant icon. Now on the 25th anniversary of the original's debut, Flusser is re-launching the shop with a new look in the space on E. 48th St. it has inhabited since 2002. In recent years someone else handled the day-to-day operations of the shop for Flusser though he remained available for consultations. Now he's decided to take up the reigns once again and usher in a new era of elegance.

"My original vision for the shop had always been a kind of imaginary Savile Row tailor's shop–meets Park Avenue men's club–meets Gertrude Stein for a bullshot," Flusser tells us. "In other words, an environment suffused with Old World taste and totems." As a younger and more 'downtown' crowd has increasingly taken to the merits of fine tailoring, however, Flusser felt it was time for an update, both decor and clothes-wise. Having introduced a slimmer fitting, more body conscious silhouette – the "Vanderbilt" – to his repertoire in 2008, Flusser "wanted the look of the shop to more closely reflect that sleeker sartorial idiom." Enter silver walls, alligator skin tables, 1940s leather and chrome furniture, black lacquer fittings, and of course a cocktail bar. [cont'd]

Alain Ducasse's Benoit New York Featuring Truffles Throughout February

Filed under: Dining, Wine

Alain Ducasse's Benoit New York Featuring Truffles in February

Benoit New York, the highly acclaimed French bistro that is part of the Alain Ducasse restaurant empire, is offering fresh black Périgord truffles throughout the month of February. The truffles can be shaved over any dish offered on the menu that features classic French bistro cuisine for a supplemental cost of $9 for 5 grams, which is the actual cost to the restaurant. The truffle pairing will be available through the end of February.

Benoit Executive Chef Philippe Bertineau suggests enjoying the truffle garnish atop a selection of dishes. In addition to the Maine Lobster Salad and Tarte Flambée, the truffle shavings work well with the Filet Mignon and Hand-chopped Beef Tartare.

"One of the dishes I recommended serving with truffles is our Seasonal Local Vegetable Cookpot," says Chef Philippe Bertineau told Luxist. "The Cookpot is an oven-to-table porcelain dish that Alain Ducasse created with designer Pierre Tachon specifically for cooking and serving vegetables. It's a modern adaptation of the traditional cooking pot used in France's rural regions, and all of Chef Ducasse's restaurants around the world offer a seasonal vegetable Cookpot dish that's composed of local vegetables."

"For the Cookpot at Benoit, we wanted to create a vegetarian dish using root vegetables---our version includes parsnips, carrots, potatoes, sunchokes, rutabaga, celery root, butternut squash and chestnuts layered over a mushroom duxelles and finished with fresh black truffle," adds Chef Bertineau, the former Executive Chef of Balthazar who joined Benoit in October. "All of the vegetables are cooked together and served in the Cookpot, and it's a wonderful dish for the wintertime."

Cunard's Queen Elizabeth's Maiden Call to New York (with Video)

Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth has her maiden call to New York on January 13, 2011.
Yesterday, New York was host to all three of Cunard Line's magnificent ships including the recently commissioned Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2. In honor of the historic occasion, the day was proclaimed "Cunard Royal Rendezvous Day" by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The highlight of the historic event was a grand fireworks display, produced by Grucci, as the trio sailed past the Statue of Liberty as they began their respective journeys around the world (see video below).

Cunard has a long history with New York. "The great city of New York and Cunard Line have a history that is interwoven," says Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. "Our ships have called at New York more than any other port---with the first call being made by Cunard's Hibernia in 1845. Today marks another historic day, as our newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, marks her maiden call into New York, and we continue the legacy we have built with this city."

The ship's captain, Julian Burgess, has more than 30 years of experience at sea and nearly seven years of experience as captain. Burgess was most recently a captain with Princess Cruises. "This is my first Cunard ship and I am honored to be captain of Queen Elizabeth," Burgess told Luxist. "So many people have wonderful memories of the QE2 and there is such an interest in coming on the new Queen. She is very elegant and a great successor."

Luxist had the opportunity to tour the grand ship and found it to be beautiful, much like that of its slightly older sisters, Queen Mary 2 (winner of Luxist's Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise) and Queen Victoria. Remarkably, although Cunard is one of the oldest names in shipping, it operates the youngest fleet in the industry. Queen Elizabeth is the third new ocean liner to be introduced by Cunard in six years and it is the second largest Cunard ship ever built.

Panerai Limited Edition Watches For Beverly Hills & New York

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

As a nod to dedicated brand lovers in the US, Panerai releases four limited edition watches for the cities it feels have the highest concentration of US watch collectors. There will be two watches for each city - each with a specially engraved caseback. The Beverly Hills models have an engraving of Beverly Blvd, complete with palm trees, while the New York models will have a section of the Statue of Liberty on the back of the case.

Panerai fans have proven to gobble up limited edition pieces such as this, so I anticipate a healthy reaction. Beverly Hills gets the Panerai PAM 406 and the PAM 416. The 406 is a my favorite one, being a Luminor 1950 10 Days GMT watch. This watch will retail for $17,900, being the most expensive of the bunch (looks like I have ritzy taste). There will also the more simple PAM 416, which is a much more basic Luminor Marina model with the time a subsidiary seconds dial. This one will go for $5,100.

New York gets the PAM 407, which is a Radiomir 8 Days with a price of $12,500. it also gets the PAM 417, which is the same as the PAM 416, but with the New York style caseback engraving. All of the watches are in steel with brown leather straps. Al are 44mm wide, save for the Radiomir which is 45mm wide. The 406 and 407 will be limited to just 20 pieces, but the 416 and 417 will be limited to 150 pieces each. The watches will be available only at Panerai boutique stores in their respective cities.

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

Christie's Sells Record-Breaking $91 Million Worth of Watches in 2010

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Auctions


With its final auction of the fall season on December 14 in New York, including the stunning collection of rare Rolexes we wrote about the other day, Christie's International wrapped up a record-breaking year for fine and rare watches that realized an astonishing $91.2 million in total sales – the highest annual total ever achieved for watches at the global auction house. During what has emerged as a remarkable year for investment in fine timepieces, every watch sale hosted at Christie's salerooms in Dubai, Hong Kong, Geneva, and New York achieved sell-through rates above 90% by value. The top watch of the year was a unique Patek Philippe gold chronograph Reference 1527 (above) manufactured in 1943 that sold for a record-breaking $5.7 million at Christie's Geneva in May. The top 8 prices of the year were all attributable to Pateks, and no other auction house in the world achieved as many record prices for important timepieces during 2010.

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