brooke shields

Brooke Shields, pictured above with St. Regis Global Brand Leader Paul James, toasted the opening of the famed brand's 21st hotel, the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Puerto Rico, at a cocktail party at the legendary St. Regis New York Wednesday night. The glamorous fête also celebrated the unveiling of the St. Regis Collection by Alexis Bittar, a collection of jewelry created exclusively for St. Regis in honor of the brand's latest luxe destination. Each piece in the St. Regis Collection pays homage to St. Regis' founding patroness Caroline Astor, mother of John Jacob Astor who opened The St. Regis New York in 1904, and her famed jewels which she displayed at New York's premier social events. For the celebration, hosted by stylish socialites Olivia Chantecaille and Ren Grady, Zani Gugelmann, Mary Alice Stephenson, and Lucy Sykes and Euan Rellie, the St. Regis New York's second floor was transformed into a warm, inviting salon where guests discovered the storied hotel's enchanting rooms.

With glowing candlelight and beautiful flower arrangements situated amongst rich wood tables, elegant sofas and leather club chairs gracing the rooms, the setting suggested an intimate home harkening back to the days of the private residences found in the iconic hotel during John Jacob Astor's time. Throughout the festive evening, guests enjoyed live music from Kat Edmonson as she crooned classic jazz numbers while accompanied by a five piece band, paying tribute to the St. Regis New York's jazz history; the hotel has played host to some of the finest jazz musicians since its opening over a century ago. Party-goers were also treated to a special menu of hors d'oeuvres created by celebrated chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Vongerichten is the Chef of Fern, the St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort's highly anticipated and recently opened signature restaurant.

It's not easy to bring the luxuries of home on the airplane with you anymore. With TSA regulations and bag checking fees, bringing a bottle of your favorite calming lotion or even face cream can be challenging. t spheres is a new product which aims to give you that do-it-yourself spa experience right in your hotel room (or your living room, or your office) without creating a hassle at the airport. We tried a set on a recent trip to see if these little aromatherapy balls can really be considered "luxurious."

The t spheres, or "tranquility" spheres, were created by Stephanie Whittier, a professional massage therapist who has studied "movement in relationship to pain relief" for over 17 years. The compact burlap package consists of two rubber balls about two inches in diameter and a mini spray bottle filled with the aromatherapy oil you select when purchasing. Spritz the oil on your hands or the spheres and massage it into the spheres to begin.

Once your t spheres are oiled-up and smelling great, there are all kinds of therapies you can try. For example, you can roll them under the sides of your spine on the floor, stick them behind your lower back while you work in a chair, and roll them under your feet. You can simply rub them into the back of your neck or along the backs of your legs; anywhere you feel needs relief. You can heat or cool them to create whatever relaxing, tension-releasing sensation you prefer.

Jennifer Garner, Jessica Simpson and Brooke Shields were just a few of the celebrities that showed up at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia on Friday for the grand opening of its new Casino Club. The Roanoke Times reports that Barbara Eden, Raquel Welch, Jennifer Garner's husband Ben Affleck and basketball stars Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal were also in attendance to celebrate the latest addition to the multimillion dollar resort.

Last year we first learned that new owner Jim Justice some big plans for the resort including luxury train trips from Washington, D.C., to the Greenbrier and a $25 million, 75,000-square-foot casino. The Casino at The Greenbrier was originally planned to open in April. Justice bought the Greenbrier out of bankruptcy for $20.1 million last year. The star-studded opening which included a gourmet dinner, a concert by Lionel Richie, and an evening of gambling at the Monte Carlo-style casino was said to cost around $2 million. The event was open to the public for $850 per person not including an overnight stay. Garner, a West Virginia native, said that the resort's new life is important for the state. The casino offers table games, craps, roulette, poker tables and slot machines. The underground club is located beneath the front entrance and is only open to overnight guests or by other special arrangement.

Summer is the natural season for bright and colorful Lily Pulitzer designs. To celebrate the brand's 50th anniversary, Lilly has created the "A Colorful Cause" Spring/Summer 20009 collection, a special line designed with nine celebrity women--Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angie Harmon, Marcia Cross, Catherine Bell, Debra Messing, Brooke Shields, Bridget Moynahan and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon. The line of swimsuits, shifts, pants, skirts and caftans benefits the Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation with 15 percent of the price going to the foundation. Epidermolysis Bullosa is a rare and painful skin disease that results in blisters and wounds on the body. The Grace shift shown at right was designed by Debra Messing and sells for $428.

[via Make Luxury Count]

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--The official listings for Julian Schnabel's Palazzo Chupi have hit the market. We covered these listings as our estate of the day recently but the listings have a few more pictures. The $32 million listing is here and the $27 million listing is here.
--Springsteen guitarist and Sopranos star Steven Van Zandt and wife Maureen have closed on a three-bedroom penthouse in a converted Methodist church at 135 West Fourth Street for $6 million.
--A townhouse at pricey Beekman Place that belonged to the late William Rupp is now listed at $25 million. It sounds like Rupp was a bit of a grump, he built a massive wall on top of his house which he refused to remove. Now the wall is being torn down. The townhouse is one of only nine on the river side from 50-51st Street. The 12-room townhouse also has plans for a three-story addition on top of the existing two-story extension which have been approved by the city and would add another 1403 sq. ft. The listing is here.
--Yankees player Bobby Abreu has listed two-bedroom condo at One Beacon for $7.9 million. The spare and bare apartment, shown above, is listed here.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Cameron Diaz has picked up a five-room renovated residence in a prewar doorman building, with an asking price just under $3 million.
--Brooke Shields has been spotted looking at homes in New York City. She and husband Chris Hency have been seen checking out a four-bedroom townhouse on West 20th Street with close to a $7 million asking price.
--Holly Speyer Lipton, the daughter of Rockefeller Center owner Jerry Speyer, has purchased a 12-room Park Avenue co-op for $12 million.
--Alain Levy, the former head of EMI Music, has paid $6.274 million for a two-bedroom, two-plus-bath apartment with Fifth Avenue views from the 18th floor.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--As previously reported by the Real Estalker back in November, Vera Wang has listed her family's Palm Beach oceanfront mansion for $19 million. In November, the estate, which belonged to her father Cheng Ching Wang, was listed for $23 million.
--Jason Brand, president of Merrill Lynch Pacific Rim, has bought a Hawaii oceanfront house for $15.9 million, which is a full 39% below its original listing price.
--As we mentioned in January, the former Atlanta estate of the late Robert Woodruff, longtime chairman of Coca-Cola Co., is for sale for $13.9 million. Check out pictures at the estate of the day post here.

From Berg Properties Celebrity Big Time Listings:
--It's official, Richie Sambora has paid $4 million to purchase a Calabasas home from San Diego Padres starting pitcher Randy Wolf.
--Model and actress Kelly Van Halen (formerly married to Alex Van Halen) has listed her five-bedroom house in Encino. It is our estate of the day later today.
-TV talk show host and entertainment mogul Byron Allen has gone into escrow on the Hollywood Hills home that he had listed for $6.995 million.
--An Encino mansion that Macy Gray sold in December 2006 for $4,750,000 was listed at $11.7 million after a major rehab. It is now down to $9.96 million. The listing is here.
--Movie producer Gilbert Adler has listed his house in Beverly Hills for $7.9 million. The listing is here.


From the Real Estalker:
--Home makeover television host Ty Pennington has picked up a two-bedroom condo in the West Chelsea neighborhood in New York City. It had a $2.495 million asking price.
--Rumor has it that the nearly one-million-dollar two-bedroom apartment in New York that Nicole Richie and Joel Madden recently purchased may be back on the market soon.
--via Page Six, Jon Bon Jovi has sold his Upper West Side condo for $5.484 million.
--via Newsday, the home next to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's estate in Brookville, New York has been listed at $2.229 million. To get to the five-bedroom home you have to pass through the same "million-dollar gates" that Lopez and Anthony installed for protection. The listing is here.
--Also the nine-bedroom home next to Lopez and Anthony in Bel Air is also for sale for $6.995 million. The virtual tour is here.
--Jude Law has reportedly purchased the London house he's been leasing in the Maida Vale neighborhood for around £3,500,000.
--The Real Estalker Mama covers the real estate dealings of real estate agent Kurt Rappaport who sold his house on Calle Vista Drive in Beverly Hills to Tom Cruise for $30.5 million. He has now purchased a lavish home on N. Crescent Drive in Beverly Hills for $15.99 million.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--As the Real Estalker previously reported, actor Sean Hayes has listed his Hancock Park home for $8.95 million. We covered it as our estate of the day a few weeks back.
--Stan Jolley, a movie art director, a TV producer-director and one of the original designers of Disneyland has nearly completed his work on a Maya-themed home in Rancho Mirage. He bought the house for $7.7 million and spent another $3.5 million on renovations and furnishings.
--A home that once belonged to 1940s Oscar-winning actor Van Heflin is listed for sale for $6.595 million. It currently belongs to Barry and Kathy Silverton. She was named the 23rd District's Woman of the Year by the state Senate in 2005. The listing for the home is here.
--An Outpost Estates home that was built for actor John Barrymore and has also been lived in by orchestra conductor André Previn and actors James Coburn and Lee Marvin is listed for $3.2 million. I wish the pictures were larger in the listing because this is a real slice of old Hollywood and has some very quirky details.

From the Times Online:
--8 St. James Square in London has set a new property record, with a price expected to be between £115 and £120 million. The property will be turned into six lavish apartments.

This year you can give your mother the same gift that a celebrity is giving theirs. Fortunoff has launched Charms for Charity with celebrities such as Brooke Shields, Eva Longoria, Denise Richards, Hayden Panettiere, Keri Russell, Molly Sims and Petra Nemcova. Each selected their favorite gold charms from Fortunoff'charm collection. The bracelets will serve personalized gifts and Fortunoff will create replicas of each of the celebrity designed bracelets to be auctioned off on Portero.com from May 8th through May 17th. One hundred percent of funds raised will benefit the charity of the celebrity's choice. The choice of charms are interesting, for example, Eva Longoria's bracelet, which benefits her charity Eva's Heroes has an Eiffel Tower, a basketball, an umbrella cocktail, drama masks and a heart and cross combination, things which seem to be more about Eva and her upcoming wedding than her mom. Keri Russell's includes three seashells and gardening tools and Brooke Shields's is the blandest of the ones I have seen with a pair of baby shoes, a baby carriage, Empire state building and a present box. You can check out the rest of the designs at the website. Keri and Brooke's bracelets are after the jump.