france

Jet Meets Heli: Rolls-Royce Powered Eurocopter X3

Eurocopter's ultra-cool X3 prototype (above), which combines the technology of a turboprop plane with traditional helicopter engineering, just attained an airspeed of 180 knots (207 mph) in level flight in testing in Istres, France. The X3, which was not operating at full power, is expected to break the official helicopter speed world record by the time testing is complete. Over the last few months of testing the X3 has performed such feats as reaching an altitude of 12,500 ft. and maneuvering with left and right turns at bank angles of up to 60°. Utilizing a Dauphin helicopter airframe, the X3 is equipped with two Rolls-Royce turboshaft engines that power a five-blade main rotor system, along with two propellers installed on short-span fixed wings. In terms of sheer speed it still may not top Sikorsky's experimental X2 which we wrote about last month, but its stylish looks and jet-like features should more than make up for it.

Tags: Eurocopter, eurocopter+x3, eurocopterx3, France, helicopter, rolls+royce, Rolls-Royce, rollsroyce, Sikorsky, sikorsky+x2, sikorskyx2

Ukranian Billionaire Flys in Ducasse, Cirque du Soleil for $6 Million Birthday Bash

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Wealth

Ukrainian billionaire Viktor Pinchuk (above) is spending more than $6 million on an opulent 50th birthday bash for himself in the posh French ski resort of Courchevel tonight, flying in the Cirque de Soleil and superchef Alain Ducasse for the occasion. The steel magnate and contemporary art collector, whose has an estimated fortune of over $3 billion, is sparing no expense for the 300 guests invited to the event, the London Telegraph reports. It has taken 50 workmen two weeks "under difficult climactic conditions" to set up an enormous marquee to showcase the Cirque du Soleil, the world-renowned Canadian circus troupe, the paper notes.

Ducasse's haute cuisine will be accompanied by oceans of the finest champagne, vodka and top grand cru vintage wines. The evening will end with a spectacular fireworks display before guests retire to the resort's 11 five-star hotels, all booked out for the occasion. Pinchuk, who owns one of London's most expensive houses, has his own private museum in Kiev housing major works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons and Louis Vuitton collaborator Takashi Murakami. He has a number of philanthropic projects and arts sponsorships in the works with the likes of Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Steven Spielberg, George Soros and Bill Clinton, all of whom could turn up at the birthday blowout.

Tags: Alain Ducasse, billionaire, Cirque de Soleil, contemporary art, Courchevel, Damien Hirst, events, france, Jeff Koons, museum, oligarch, parties, Paul McCartney, Russian billionaires, Takashi Murakami, Ukraine, wealth

Holiday Shopping Guide: Collectible Cognacs

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Forget about wine (just for a second): this season's gift to have and to hold onto is cognac. With its stately maturity and supple, refined flavors, a well-chosen bottle of cognac doesn't just reward your giftee for 2010, its an investment in their imbibing future. If your bottle remains unopened next year it's not because they didn't approve, it's because they deem it an heirloom.

Pierre Ferrand Collection Privée 1914

World War I was in its first year when this Grande Champagne cognac began its long journey. Scoring a perfect 100 in France's Gilbert & Gaillard 2010 wine guide, the 1914 vintage ($1,500) is exceptionally developed with yeasty, dark fruit flavors and plenty of woody sweetness. For the rare book collector on your list.

Tags: cognac, collectibles, collection, france, holiday gift guide

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Versailles Complex To Include Luxury Hotel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you've ever dreamed of staying at the Palace of Versailles you may soon get your chance. Not at the actual palace alas, but at the Hotel du Grand Controle, a smaller outbuilding that is the traditional home of the chateau's treasurers. The building will become a 23-bedroom luxury establishment with views out onto the Orangerie or the ornamental lake. The AFP reported that a concession has been granted to the Belgian company Ivy International SA. The company will renovate and develop the satellite building. The company is also working on a similar project in the Brittany area of France.

The building was built in the 1680s by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart and served as an officers' mess until 2006. Reports say that the venerable building isn't in the best shape. Ivy will pay for the renovations which are estimated to cost $7.3 million and the company will pay Versailles an annual fee to lease the building. The move is part of a new way that France is looking at its treasures, finding ways to get them to generate enough money to pay for their upkeep. The new hotel is expected to open at the end of 2011.

Tags: france, luxury hotel, versailles

Veuve Clicquot's Jetlag Sleeping Capsule Debuts at Design Miami

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, By Design, Architecture & Design

Veuve Clicquot's Jetlag Sleeping Capsule designed for the Hotel du Marc in Champagne, France.

Anyone who was fortunate enough to spend twenty minutes relaxing in the modernistic sleeping capsule in Veuve Clicquot's "Once Upon a Dream" exhibit at DesignMiami this past week, was probably not the same afterward. Indeed, the innovative sleep capsule was created by famed designer Mathieu Lehanneur who studied the research of noted sleep specialists in order to design a space that evokes resynchronization through touch, sight, smell and sound.

The Once Upon a Dream sleep capsule was commissioned by the renowned champagne house (the Luxist Awards' Readers Choice Winner for Best Champagne) in anticipation of the upcoming re-opening of the Hôtel du Marc in Reims, France. Hôtel du Marc (see image below) is the private mansion where Veuve Clicquot hosts as many as 3,000 overnight guests who travel from around the world to visit its headquarters where it makes its famous champagne.

Not only is the one-of-a-kind sleep capsule striking in design, but it also serves a higher purpose: for every twenty minutes spent sleeping inside it, one hour of jet lag is erased. If one hour is spent inside the capsule, the side effects related to three hours of jet lag disappear.

Gallery: Veuve Clicquot's Once Upon a Dream Sleep Capsule

Tags: awards-main, Campanas brothers, Champagne, Fernando Campana, France, Hotel du Marc, Humberto Campana, luxist-awards, Mathieu Lehanneur, The Gloriette, Veuve Clicquot

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An Inside Look at Paris' Famed Flea Markets

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art, Books

Forget the Louvre and the Champs Elysées – compulsive collectors, experienced bargain hunters, bewildered tourists, timid first-timers, specialists in the one-of-a-kind item, treasure seekers, Japanese fashionistas, incognito celebrities and couturiers from countries around the globe all travel to Paris' famed flea markets of St. Ouen for inspiration and fabulous finds. Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets by Laure Verchere with gorgeous photographs by Laziz Hamani, new from Assouline, showcases highlights from the hundreds of diverse dealers there that make up the largest marketplace of secondhand furniture, clothing, books, housewares, curiosities, antiques and art objects in the world. The stalls outside the city's Porte de Clignancourt which once played host to farmers and ragpickers today house highly curated collections and attract up to 150,000 visitors each weekend. Check out the gallery for a preview.

Gallery: Antiquaires: Paris Flea Markets

Tags: antiques, Assouline, books, coffee table books, Decor, France, furniture, Interior design, Louvre, Paris, photography, travel

The Classicist: Paradise Lost - 40 Years of Cafe Society

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books, The Classicist, Wealth

In the 1920s, '30s, '40s and '50s the so-called Café Society in Europe drew together aristocrats, millionaires, artists, authors, couturiers, choreographers and musicians in a "glittering world of fashion and frivolity, opulence and ostentation", notes Thierry Coudert in his ultra-stylish new book, Café Society: Socialites, Patrons and Artists 1920 to 1960 from Flammarion. Those decades were the "apotheosis of an era that was to have a profound influence on the history of taste" Coudert writes, with the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Lady Diana Cooper, Diana Vreeland, Cole Porter, Noel Coward and Cecil Beaton setting the tone and deciding which artists, designers, and musicians were in vogue. The cover of the book (above) depicts heiress Barbara Hutton, then the Countess von Reventlow, at a tennis match in 1940, while Yves Saint Laurent, Orson Welles, Salvador Dali, Jean Cocteau and many more make cameos in the impressive volume.

Gallery: Cafe Society

Tags: Aristocrats, art, artists, books, Café Society, Cafe Society, coffee table books, Diana Vreeland, Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Duke of Windsor, Europe, fashion, France, Noel Coward, socialites, society, style, wealth, Yves Saint Laurent

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Daria Werbowy Poses Nude for French Vogue

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Canadian-born supermodel Daria Werbowy famed as the face of Prada and Lancôme, has posed completely nude for French Vogue's fashionable new calendar which will be available as a supplement to its upcoming Christmas issue with a "fantasy and sensuality" theme, guest-edited by Tom Ford. In the racy pic shot by Mikael Jansson – which we can't possibly show you here – the statuesque stunner wears nothing but some gold Louis Vuitton jewelry which seems to be all the adornment she needs. Werbowy was named the eighth highest paid supermodel in the world for 2010, earning $4.5 million. Her other ad campaigns include Yves Saint Laurent, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, Hermès, Valentino, David Yurman, Missoni, Versace, Louis Vuitton and Chanel.

Tags: Daria Werbowy, France, Louis Vuitton, nude, Prada, supermodel, Tom Ford, Vogue, Yves Saint Laurent

Kate Moss Models Luxe Lingerie for Valisere

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Earlier this month we reported that Kate Moss plans to partner with Topshop boss Sir Philip Green on a new line of luxurious lingerie. Meanwhile the eternally gorgeous supermodel is strutting her stuff for luxe French lingerie label Valisere in a sexy new ad campaign. Photographed by Gui Paganini, the shots feature Moss in various states of alluring undress in looks ranging from sophisticated to playful. Valisere, founded in 1913 in the mountains of France, prides itself on exquisite craftsmanship with an emphasis on the finest lace and was an early innovator in the luxury lingerie market. The ads could be an indication that Moss' own lingerie line will be produced in collaboration with Valisere, which is looking to recapture some of its former glory.

Gallery: Kate Moss for Valisere

Tags: ad campaign, France, Kate Moss, lingerie, supermodel, Valisere

Tofinou 12 Sailing Yacht by Philippe Starck & Goyard

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Architecture & Design

Don't have $300 million to commission an eye-popping megayacht from freak of nature Philippe Starck? You don't need to be a Russian billionaire to afford his newest ocean-going feat of high design, the 39-ft. Tofinou 12 sailing yacht (above) from France's Latitude 46 boatyard. Starck employed precious woods, leather, steel and bespoke monogrammed canvas storage pouches from the famed house of Goyard to decorate the teak, mahogany, carbon fiber and Kevlar in the boat's construction. Due to be unveiled at next month's Paris Boat Show, the four-berth weekender features twin carbon wheels which Starck has wrapped in luxe leather. A stainless steel-framed rosewood companionway gives onto a saloon decked out in floor to ceiling leather, with wide curved seating, oversized cushions, a varnished painted oval table and mirror polished stainless steel mast support. "A Tofinou doesn't exist," Starck states. "It's just a dream, an evocation, a breeze, a sigh of happiness. So little materiality, so elegant. The perfect quality and timelessness of Tofinou born within the natural intelligence of the relationship between the sea and man."

[via JamesList]

Gallery: Tofinou 12 Yacht by Starck

Tags: carbon fiber, France, Goyard, leather, Philippe Starck, Russian billionaire, sailing, sailing yacht, yacht

Cire Trudon Opens In New York City

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

The world's oldest candle company, Cire Trudon, has finally gotten around to opening a second store... after 126 years.

The Parisian wax purveyor opened its doors in the 6th Arrondissement in 1884 and held off on expansion plans until recently, when a Bond Street location became its US home (perhaps they were waiting to see how the Sino-French war would turn out). Cire Trudon's history stretches even further back than the Belle Époque though, as founder Claude Trudon started his candle business in 1643 and was providing wax to the French royal family by the beginning of the 18th century. Modeled after the Galerie des Glaces at Versailles, the boutique's hand-aged mirrors, stucco walls and Amish furniture are meant to evoke a centuries old Paris shop, one that mixes antiques with new pieces dedicated to all things melted wax.

Cire Trudon's Bowery location offers a playful selection of candelabras, snuffers and wax busts of Napoleon, along with their signature candles, and will surely satisfy stateside fans of the brand who have been waiting, for a while.

Tags: Bowery, candles, cire trudon, france, new york city, paris

Giorgio G Ltd. Edition Cognacs from Giorgio Gucci

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Giorgio Gucci, grandson of the man who founded the famed Italian fashion house Gucci in 1905, has launched an exclusive new line of limited edition cognacs for those who appreciate the finer things in life. Giorgio worked in the family business for over five decades building the Gucci brand into a global powerhouse before selling his interest in the company and launching his own fashion label, Giorgio G, now expanded with the line of cognacs. The rare old ultra-premium spirits, sourced from scores of eaux-de-vie from France's famed Grande Champagne region selected for their characters and softness and aged in oak casks, come in three different expressions: Giorgio G XO, Giorgio G Grand Cru (above), and Giorgio G Grande Champagne Premier Cru, set to be distributed by Emperor's Brand.

The XO is over 35 years old, fruity and spicy with a deep mahogany color accented by brilliant glints of red flames. Rich, concentrated and powerful, it has notes of buttery vanilla and chocolate with wood and leather undertones. The Grand Cru is 50 years old, glowing and coppery in color. Its fragrances include notes of grapes, prunes, apricots, smoky oak and vanilla in addition to jasmine and honeysuckle. The taste is powerful and well balanced with a slightly spicy bouquet and peppery overtones. And the Grande Champagne Premier Cru is over 50 years old, shiny gold in hue. Notes of prunes and elderflower complement light vanilla, jasmine and honeysuckle aromas. The taste is soft and full-bodied with a mixture of nutmeg, vanilla and licorice notes.

Tags: cognac, France, Giorgio Gucci, Gucci, Italy, spirits

Ltd. Edition Champagne Mumm Sabre Gift Box

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Wine, Architecture & Design

Famed French champagne house G.H. Mumm, founded in 1827 and now owned by Pernod Ricard, has unveiled a chic new gift box in time for the holidays. The limited edition Sabre G.H. Mumm was designed by renowned Paris-based architect / designer Patrick Jouin. He very cleverly re-interpreted the iconic Mumm Cordon Rouge ribbon that adorns the bubbly's label as the handle of a modernistic sword for slicing the top off the bottle. The curled handle is covered in luxurious red hand-stitched leather while the blade is made of stainless steel with a blunt square end. The set, priced at about $850, is presented in a white lacquered wood and leather box with a pull-out drawer specially designed to hold ice and keep a bottle of Cordon Rouge at the ideal temperature for serving – after you perform the ceremony of sabre-ing off the cork.

Gallery: Sabre G.H. Mumm by Patrick Jouin

Source

Tags: champagne, design, France, G.H. Mumm, leather, Paris, Patrick Jouin, Pernod Ricard, sword

Remy Martin Unveils VSOP Hot Holiday Bottle

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

The famed French cognac house of Rémy Martin, founded back in 1724, has been part of countless holiday celebrations over the centuries. This season the venerable fine champagne cognac's VSOP expression, the best-selling VSOP cognac in the United States, is getting a glowing makeover for the holidays. The new limited edition Rémy Martin VSOP Hot Holiday bottle (above) is appropriately dressed in red for the festivities. The colorful cladding also recalls the fact that Rémy Martin VSOP has been a symbol of style and sophistication since its introduction in the exuberant Paris cabaret scene in 1927. The cognac itself is amber in color with rich flavor and a refined aroma. Smooth and easy-to-drink with appealing notes of vanilla, violet, apricot, peach and licorice, it's silky and warm on the palate with a well-balanced taste and long finish. Perfect on its own or over ice, we also enjoy it with soda and lemon or in a Sidecar.

Tags: brandy, cocktails, cognac, France, holiday 2010, holidays, Remy Martin, spirits

Inside Luxury King Francois Pinault's Private Palazzo Museums

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Francois Pinault is a man justifiably envied by many. With a fortune of $8.7 billion the high-school dropout-turned luxury goods titan is the majority shareholder of PPR, whose brands include Gucci, Balenciaga, Yves Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta. He also owns famed auction house Christie's and the renowned Chateau Latour winery. His amazing contemporary art collection, worth an estimated $1.4 billion, encompasses 2,000-plus works by over 80 artists including Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami and Damien Hirst. Much of it is now housed as his two incredible private museums in Venice, the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana. Both historic buildings were transformed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Tadao Ando and are the subject of a smashing new book from Skira Rizzoli.

Tadao Ando: Venice - The Pinault Collection at the Palazzo Grassi and the Punta della Dogana shows how Ando's designs seamlessly blend history and innovation while adhering to the strict laws governing the preservation of historic buildings in Venice. At the Palazzo Grassi, prominently located on the Grand Canal, Ando's quiet but expert renovation of the eighteenth-century rooms makes a perfect backdrop for Jeff Koons' eye-popping balloon sculptures. At the Punta della Dogana (shown on the cover above), the Venetian Republic's original customs warehouse, the large-scale space was subtly subdivided into refined rooms for installation art. The "dialogue – that is collision and friction – between the new and the old," Ando states, "is the driving force in creating a city's future."

Tags: architect, architecture, art, art collection, Balenciaga, billionaire, Bottega Veneta, Chateau Latour, contemporary art, Damien Hirst, France, Francois Pinault, Gucci, Italy, Jeff Koons, luxury goods, museum, PPR, Richard Prince, Tadao Ando, Takashi Murakami, Venice, Yves Saint Laurent