animals

Van Cleef & Arpels Cadrans Extraordinaires Animal Watches For 2011

I am usually excited to see what pretty new dial creations Van Cleef & Arpels has in store for me when I visit with them. They have an ongoing collection they call the "Cadrans Extraordinaires" which refer to the dials being... extraordinary. Last year a major theme of the dials was Butterflies (seen here). This year, for the lady's models, animals are still in. The focus is on the Arctic and the Africa. The dials are really incredible works of art. Each represents hand-engraved 18k white gold figurines and scenery skillfully done using precious materials and complex processes. The watches are 38mm wide in 18k white gold cases with diamond decoration throughout.

This will be a visual journey through the collection. Don't forget that the dials take a lot of time to complete. Some of the animal characters look better than others, but the backgrounds are universally stunning. There is an amazing amount of color and depth to them, especially because they rely on a lot of enameling and mother-of-pearl. It is hard not to be impressed when seeing them.

Tags: 2011, animals, cadrans, dials, sihh, van cleef arpels, watch

Continue reading “Van Cleef & Arpels Cadrans Extraordinaires Animal Watches For 2011”

Top Cartier Art/Jewelry Watches For 2011

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

Cartier has long been known for making a variety of lovely creations. 2011 is a year where they really flexed their creative muscles offerings a load of high-end, beautiful jewelry and art watch pieces. You'll of course notice a distinct "animal" theme in most of these. Lots of reptiles this year, and of course a few panthers as well. Many of these items are "order only" while I believe others will be parts of limited editions available in Cartier boutiques. Either way, it is always pleasing to see what the Parisian house can come up with. See the gallery below for the best items of 2011 (as presented at the SIHH 2011 in Geneva).

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

Gallery: 2011 Cartier jewelry watches

Tags: 2011, animals, art, cartier, jewelry, watch, watches

Continue reading “Top Cartier Art/Jewelry Watches For 2011”

The Luxist Gift Guide for Spoiled Pets

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Pets

While every fashionable poodle worth her pastel hair bows knows that nothing beats the gift of a forever home and a reliable bowl of kibble, human companions have long sought ways to help Fido and Fluffy experience a little holiday cheer -- and that certainly doesn't include a taste of the bubbly. As such, we here at Luxist have some recommendations for pet products that set our whiskers twitching.

1) Smart Interactive Toy for Dogs -- a Nina Ottosson puzzle toy, recommended by Victoria Stilwell on Animal Planet's "It's Me or the Dog" show. $54.95. Dogs need to be intellectually challenged, just like our human children. Teaching them to problem solve will go a long way toward building self-confidence. And should you not be blessed with a canine Einstein, we guarantee you'll be amused for hours watching your goofy Golden figure out how to find the treat you stashed under one of the little wooden pegs. Just be careful that Dumbo doesn't start chewing the wood. Available from various retailers, including Poochie Heaven.

Tags: animals, dogs, holiday gift guide, holiday gifts, holiday shopping, pets

Continue reading “The Luxist Gift Guide for Spoiled Pets”

The Story of the World's Most Luxurious Fabric from Loro Piana

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Books, Men's Style

Baby Cashmere may well be the world's most luxurious fabric. As The Classicist noted when it debuted in 2008 courtesy of Italian luxury label Loro Piana, to make it the company first had to spend several years convincing Mongolian tribesmen to comb the fine underfleece of the Hyrcus goat kid when it is 3-12 months old. Each combing yields no more than 30 grams of the rare, precious and incredibly soft fiber and is only done once in the well-cared for animal's life. It takes the fleece of nineteen kids to make just one Baby Cashmere sweater. Now Loro Piana has documented the painstaking process in a lavish new volume from Skira called Baby Cashmere: The Long Journey of Excellence. Traveling through the remote and unspoiled lands where the goats are raised, the epic journey is revealed in over a hundred vibrant full-color photographs, presented in large-scale format.

Tags: animals, baby cashmere, books, cashmere, coffee table books, fabric, Italian fashion, Italy, Loro Piana, Mongolia, Skira

Review: Puppy Hugger Two's Company Luxury Pet Bed

by Dan Roth (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Pets

Two's Company bed by The Puppy Hugger – Click above for high-res image gallery

It's full of cat fur now. It's been obsessively shop-vaced clean, but when something is as comfortable as the Puppy Hugger's pet beds, you're not going to keep sybaritic animals away. Of course, I had to wrest it from the clutches of my children first. They thought it made a fine television-watching lounge pillow. Yes, that's right, the bed is made by The Puppy Hugger, and we used it for cats and kids, not a canine in sight. That doesn't change the fact that it's a super-luxurious pet bed with a great design.

The Two's Company bed that my lounge-tastic kitties are trying out has two hollows in the middle that will hold smaller dogs, and of course cats, in hammock-like comfort. The deeply padded sides of the bed give animals something to snuggle up against, a posture that's comforting to many stripes of beast. Covered in a variety of very soft faux fur, and filled with polyester fiber that's marshmallow soft, the handmade beds cuddle your pets when you can't. Don't be offended if Muffy starts to prefer it over your lap.

Continued after the jump.

Gallery: Puppy Hugger Luxury Pet Bed

Source

Tags: animals, cats, dogs, luxury pet bed, LuxuryPetBed, pampered pets, PamperedPets, pet bed, pet bedding, pet beds, pet comfort, pet luxury, PetBed, PetBedding, PetBeds, PetComfort, PetLuxury, pets, puppy hugger, PuppyHugger, review, the puppy hugger, ThePuppyHugger

Continue reading “Review: Puppy Hugger Two's Company Luxury Pet Bed”

Visit Kosterhavet, Sweden's First Marine National Park

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Yachts & Sailing

If you're in the been-there, done-that traveler club, here's something to add to your next itinerary: Kosterhavet, Sweden's first national marine park, has just opened. It's about 175 square miles, most of it open ocean, home to some 600 marine species. The park's northern water boundary is shared with Norway, and in fact Kosterhavet National Park runs right into Norway's new marine national park, Ytre Hvaler, which opened at the same time. Together, both parks encompass about 300 square miles.

Kosterhavet gets its name for the land that it surrounds, the Koster Islands, which are themselves a nature reserve. North Koster and South Koster are so close together that they really feel like one island, and together they're the westernmost settled area in Sweden. They're also ridiculously charming -- near the water, they're just what you'd picture a small Scandinavian fishing village to look like, and towards the center, it's all rolling countryside ripe for hiking and cycling, dotted with red-roofed houses.

But of course, the main event is what's below the surface. The water separating Koster Islands from Sweden's main land is actually a fjord, which achieves such a depth that it's home to deep sea species. Kosterhavet also includes Sweden's only cold-water coral reef, which makes for excellent cold-water scuba diving -- the rocky coast also means that there are also a number of shipwrecks to check out beneath the waves. Above the water, a sea kayak is the way to go --- take a look at Sweden's largest population of seals, and from a respectful distance, admire nesting areas for Arctic terns.

Gallery: Sweden's Kosterhavet Park and the Koster Islands

View of Koster Island from Valfjäll, a scenic view point on South Koster

Small scale and managed fishing are still permitted in Kosterhavets

Distance view of two restored lighthouses

View from North Koster to South Koster Island

Tags: animals, norway, parks, scandinavia, scuba, scubadiving, snorkeling, sweden

Donna Wilson Creatures are Cute and a Little Creepy

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Children

Cute? Yes. Cuddly? Yes. A little bizarre and screwy looking? Yes.

That's how I describe these stuffed animals from Donna Wilson, the collection being called simply "Donna Wilson Creatures." And 'creatures' is really the only way to describe this eclectic mix of plush creations which includes a snail named Stick, a dog named Oscar, and several mystery creatures named things like Stripey Head, Peeping Tom, and Angry Ginger. They look hand-drawn and unique, which I love, but most of them also have eyes that sit way too far apart, which I don't like (makes them look like they're missing a chromosome or something). Prices range from $84 to $164 each.

Gallery: Donna Wilson Creatures

Source

Tags: animal, animals, children, creatures, donna wilson, DonnaWilson, gift, gift ideas, GiftIdeas, gifts, kids, stuffed animals, StuffedAnimals, toy, toys

Posh Paws, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Pets, Charity, Charity of the Day

Posh Paws is an idea put into motion by Cantoni furniture store and inspired by a small polyethylene dog originally created by designer Eero Aarnio as part of his children's collection. The Posh Paws version takes the original dog, adds in a few local and national celebrity designers, and comes up with an entire line of adorable and unique puppy toys (toys that are puppies, not toys for puppies) that are up for sale to benefit various charities in the name of animal rescue and helping stray pets find permanent homes. My favorite is this one by Zsofia Mezey Koppani.

Gallery: Posh Paws Celebrity Artists and Designs

Gallery: The Original "Puppy" by Eero Aarnio

Source

Tags: animals, artists, charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, designers, dog, dogs, pets, posh paws, PoshPaws

Lifesavers Inc., Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day

Lifesavers Inc. is all about saving horses -- all kinds from unwanted or homeless domestic pets to retired working animals to wild mustangs. Created in 1997 it's a fairly young organization that serves as a source of news and contacts to other horse related campaigns (like this one geared towards saving America's wild mustang population) and events like this horse dancing competition and this women's empowerment workshop. They also provide links to horse rescue resources and homeless horses that are available for adoption -- I love horses and seeing these that need a home makes me wish I had room for a one!

Source

Tags: animal rescue, AnimalRescue, animals, charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, conservation, equine, horse, horses, wildlife

Chimp Haven, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day

Every year numerous chimpanzees are left homeless and unwanted after they've lived out their usefulness to humans as research animals, circus performers, and exotic pets. Chimp Haven is a non-profit organization that steps in to give these neglected animals a place to live out their lives in a natural and humane environment where all they have to do is be themselves.

Started in April of 2005 and located in Louisiana, Chimp Haven also serves as the The National Chimpanzee Sanctuary and is looking to branch out into additional smaller sanctuaries in the future.

Source

Tags: animal cruelty, animal rescue, AnimalCruelty, AnimalRescue, animals, charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, chimp, chimp haven, chimpanzee, chimpanzees, ChimpHaven, chimps, conservation, sanctuary

Conservation International, Charity Of The Day

by Star Sutherland (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Green, Charity of the Day

Conservation International has been protecting our earth creatures for the last two decades. They operate on the simple principal that when human beings live harmoniously with nature instead of exploiting it, both will thrive. Their website lists a shocking statistic that I wasn't aware of, every twenty seconds one species becomes extinct!! That's a pace a thousand times faster than has ever been seen during Earth's history! How can this be happening? Climate change and habitat destruction are to blame. Conservation International is on the front line of the battle to save creatures that are in peril. They conducted the first ever Global Amphibian Assessment, a study which provided vital information on the state of every amphibian species on earth! They are currently doing similar groundbreaking research on sharks. This is one of the hardest working and most exceptional charities I've read about, visit their fabulous website (tons of amazing video and pictures) to sign petitions and see the many ways you can donate.

Source

Tags: animals, charity, charity of the day, CharityOfTheDay, conservation international, ConservationInternational

The Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF), Charity of the Day

by Star Sutherland (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day

The Animal Rescue Foundation or ARF was started by one time MLB manager Tony La Russa of the Oakland Athletics. During a game between Oakland and the New York Yankees a stray cat ran onto the field and caused quite a stir. Once it was caught Tony took it upon himself to find a home for the animal that was now sort of a mini celebrity! To his shock and dismay he was unable to find a single shelter in his city that could guarantee him that the cat wouldn't be put down! He decided to start a no kill shelter in northern California where cats and dogs wouldn't face a death sentence if they weren't adopted.

The shelter opened it's doors in 1991 and Tony and his wife Elaine began their mission to find loving homes for animals as well as educate the public about pet over population and the simple ways to prevent it (spay & neutering...like Bob Barker says!). In addition ARF provides emergency veterinarian care for strays and offers obedience training for animals to make them more adoptable. The facilities 37,700-square-foot location houses dogs and cats in cozy, clean glass-enclosed "condos," where they are free to frolic with each other and meet potential adopters.

*ARF recently received the highest rating possible by Charity Navigator, Americas premier charity evaluator.

Source

Tags: animals, ARF, resscue, The Animal Rescue Foundation, TheAnimalRescueFoundation, Tony La Russa, TonyLaRussa

Judith Leiber Peacock, Handbag of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Hm...would you carry a bright sparkly peacock as a handbag? Designers like Judith Leiber definitely know their stuff and have pretty good taste but (in my opinion anyway) it's creations like this Peacock bag that remind me they're only human. I'm sure there are some people out there who think this bag (and all the other animal-shaped ones in the gallery below) are awesome and perfectly fashionable, but I'm not holding my breath to see Angelina Jolie or Reese Witherspoon carrying one on a red carpet anytime soon.

I will say that each bag in the collection is certainly beautiful to look at (especially the Polar Bear and the Owl) -- maybe they don't have to be actually worn but would make awesome collectors items instead? Peacock bag 6" x 5" x 2", $5295.

Gallery: Judith Leiber Animal Evening Bags

Source

Tags: animal, animals, handbag, handbags, judith leiber, JudithLeiber, leiber, peacock

White Porcelain Wildlife

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

Decorating with animals is tricky (all too often it just comes off as tacky) but these crisp white porcelain creations from Rose and Radish may be the answer for those looking for a way to bring the beauty of nature indoors. This collection of porcelain wildlife figurines has all the usuals (i.e. lots of birds) plus a few unusuals like a goat and a hippopotamus. The hippo happens to be my favorite because he looks like he'd be really interesting, without being too bright or bold, sitting on a bookshelf. $1019

Via Wists

Gallery: White Porcelain Wildlife

Source

Tags: animal, animals, hippo, hippopotamus, nature, porcelain, wildlife

World Wildlife Fund, Charity of the Day

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Charity, Green, Charity of the Day

The World Wildlife Fund works around the world to protect endangered species, protect and restore endangered habitats, and deal with the ever-growing global challenges facing the environment. As with most charities you can always give the simple gift of a donation in your loved one's name, or with WWF it gets a little more fun and personalized when you adopt an endangered wild animal. For just $50 you get an adoption certificate, a photo of your chosen animal, and best of all an adorable coordinating plush toy. And with 80 species to choose from you can certainly personalize your gift, and even encourage the starting of an annual tradition and a collection of animals. Donate/order by December 17th for Christmas delivery.

Gallery: World Wildlife Fund Animals for Adoption