fashion designer

RLX Ralph Lauren Launches First iPad App

Filed under: Apparel, Gadgets, Sports, Men's Style

Ralph Lauren is launching its first ever iPad app for the brand's high-tech RLX line, utilizing some cool new technology. The RLX Ralph Lauren iPad app allows users to interact with world-class athletes on screen by tilting, rotating, flipping and tapping the iPad to manipulate different movements, colors and environments. There are 12 different "chapters" within the app that showcase the athletes wearing items from the new RLX line; each features an interactive key utilizing the iPad's built-in accelerometer, digital compass, assisted GPS and multi-touch screen capabilities to activate the stylish scenarios.

The application also allows users to shop the entire collection by creating a direct portal to RalphLauren.com. Created to answer the demand for superior high-performance outfitting, RLX for men and women unites the highest standards of luxury, technology and style. From cutting-edge functional gear for professional athletes to exceptionally luxe lifestyle apparel for modern living, RLX "defines the next evolution of design with a philosophy focused on purity of form, unrivaled construction techniques and the world's most innovative fabrications."

Tags: Apple, Apple iPad, apps, athletes, designer, fashion designer, gadgets, iPad, iPad app, Ralph Lauren, RLX, RLX Ralph Lauren, sports, technology

EXCLUSIVE: Ralph Lauren to Exhibit Car Collection Classics for the First Time

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Events, The Classicist, Architecture & Design

Ralph Lauren to Exhibit Car Collection Classics for the First Time

Images exclusive to Luxist, courtesy of Ralph Lauren; click for high-res gallery

Some of the most precious gems in famed fashion designer Ralph Lauren's incredible car collection will be exhibited for the the first time ever in Paris this spring. Lauren's collection, in our opinion the finest one in private hands on the planet, features impeccable examples of the rarest and most valuable vehicles in the world. We can reveal exclusively that four of his exquisite automotive works of art, which have never before been seen in public, will be on view at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris from April 28 – August 28: a 1964 Ferrari 250 LM; a 1960 Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta Scaglietti; a 1956/1958 Jaguar XKSS; and a 1931 Alfa Romeo Monza 8C 2300.

13 other Lauren cars will also be on display during the exhibit, entitled The Art of the Automobile: Masterpieces from the Ralph Lauren Collection, including an amazing 1958 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa (above), a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, and a 1938 Bugatti 57 SC Atlantic Coupé. The last two alone are worth about $30 – $40 million each, and are among the world's most expensive cars. The Paris exhibit will focus on European models created between the 1930s and the 1990s, "illustrating the evolution of car design in the 20th Century." They were selected by curator Rodolphe Rapetti and will be arranged by scenographer Jean-Michel Wilmotte, with the "kinetics" and sound of the vehicles conveyed by means of various films and recordings. The museum will also be producing a luxe book to celebrate the occasion.

Gallery: Ralph Lauren's Cars Headed to Paris

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Ralph Lauren Women's Flagship Opens on Madison Avenue

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Shopping

Ralph Lauren has just opened his luxurious new women's flagship store (above) in New York at 888 Madison Avenue, which now stands as the feminine counterpart to the company's redesigned men's flagship in the historic Rhinelander Mansion across the street, which The Classicist covered in detail a few weeks back. The 22,000-sq-.ft. store, reminiscent of the grand Beaux-Arts architecture of the early 20th Century, is dedicated to Lauren's Women's and Home collections and also features the designer's first domestic Watch & Jewelry Salon. The stately four-story building offers Ralph Lauren Collection, Women's Black Label, Blue Label, Double RL, RLX Ralph Lauren and Home merchandise, along with a range of exclusive products including fine jewelry, made-to-measure women's suiting and Collection sleepwear. While nothing equals the magnificence of the Rhinelander Mansion, the new women's store is a graceful companion to be sure, not to mention larger than its sibling by some 6,000-sq.-ft. At the boutique's official opening the other night Lauren was given the Key to the City by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in recognition of his contributions as a designer, business leader and philanthropist.

Tags: architecture, boutique, fashion, fashion designer, luxury shopping, Madison Avenue, Michael Bloomberg, New York, Ralph Lauren, Rhinelander Mansion, store

Armani Beats Gates and Abramovich to Buy $190 Million Greek Island

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Wealth

Legendary Italian fashion designer Giorgio Armani has reportedly become the proud owner of one of the world's most beautiful and expensive private islands – Skorpios (above). In closing the deal, said to be worth about $190 million according to reports in the European press, the designer faced stiff competition from rival bidders including Bill Gates, Roman Abramovich and Madonna. Located in the Ionian Sea off the western coast of Greece, the island formerly belonged to famed Greek shipping billionaire Aristotle Onassis and was the site of his wedding to Jackie Kennedy in 1968. It was sold to Armani by his granddaughter and heiress, Athina Onassis Roussel. There is a lavish villa on the island known as the Pink House which Onassis built for Jackie, along with tennis courts and plush gardens, though most of the island remains undeveloped and pristinely beautiful.

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Tags: Aristotle Onassis, Athina Onassis Roussel, Bill Gates, billionaires, designer, fashion designer, Giorgio Armani, Greece, heiress, island, Jackie Kennedy, Jackie O, jaqueline kennedy, Madonna, private island, Roman Abramovich, wealth

Jean Paul Gaultier Designs Luxe Lingerie for La Perla

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Quirky French fashion maven Jean Paul Gaultier has collaborated with luxe Italian lingerie brand La Perla on a sexy new collection of retro-inspired underthings. Available as of November with prices ranging from about $600 for bras and panties to $1,200 for more intricate pieces, the costly collection will include corsets, bustiers and other items designed to enhance the body's curves. Black and powder pink dominate the color palette along with a few coral and baby blue pieces. "In my latest prêt-à-porter collection I revisited the conical bras and corsets worn as outerwear," Gaultier notes. "Lingerie is part of my core beliefs and my heritage. It has been nearly 30 years since I created my first corset dress. This collaboration was a natural and logical step, especially since La Perla is the pearl of lingerie, with the best savoir-faire." Two limited edition pieces will be presented on July 7th during Gaultier's couture runway show in Paris.

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Tags: corsets, fashion, fashion designer, Jean Paul Gaultier, La Perla, lingerie, Paris

Kenzo's House, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Last Sunday's estate took us to Spain and the home of artist Joan Miro, this week we are looking at the Paris home of another type of artist, fashion designer Kenzo Takada. Takada, who built the fashion line Kenzo and sold it to LVMH in 1993, lives in a striking home located on the Right Bank between the Place de la Bastille and the Place des Vosges. The approximately 14,000-square-foot house is very East-meets-West with much of the design informed by traditional Japanese design with modern touches.

The International Herald Tribune recently ran a piece on the house which says that Kenzo built the home between 1987 and 1993 with the help of an architect friend. The four-level home has five bedroom suites including Kenzo's master bedroom suite which has two dressing rooms. The main house has a contemporary living room with an indoor lap pool, library, a professional kitchen used for large parties, a gym, sauna, hammam and two Jacuzzis. The home includes a mezzanine studio where Kenzo worked on his designs and also painted. The home has oak floors, an elevator and six fireplaces. There are also three staff apartments and parking spaces. The outdoor spaces here are delightful with several different levels of gardens. There is a tranquil garden with a fish pond and a cherry tree. There is also a Japanese-style pavilion that is furnished with traditional tatami mats and has one room dedicated to the tea ceremony.

This home is more like a private universe than a home built for one man with very precise tastes. I hate to use the word zen here but that is what comes to mind when looking at this amazing home. Kenzo decided to put the home on the market because it is now too big for him and he wants to find a more modest pied-à-terre instead. He is asking 12 million euros and it is listed through Emile Garcin.

[via WSJ Private Properties]

Gallery: Kenzo's House