The truly wealthy never seem to care about tickets. They park where they want and drive how they want, because the penalties never mean much more than pocket change to them. Well they might want to give that a second thought as one extremely wealthy motorist has received an unpredecentedly large speeding ticket in Mumbai.

The fine was imposed on one David Coulthard, one of the most successful Formula One drivers never to win a world title. The Scotsman recently retired from active duty, but still performs from time to time for the Red Bull Racing team he helped form. On a recent demonstration run for 50,000 fans in India, Coulthard reportedly hit a top speed of 162 miles per hour... in a 30 zone. The result was that the local officials withheld the $33,000 deposit put down for the team for the event. Which has to be the biggest speeding ticket ever issued.

India's luxury goods industry is reeling from the recent terror attacks in Mumbal. As the Wall Street Journal reports, the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, a luxury hotel, was one of the main focuses of the attack and it is also home to luxury boutiques from Louis Vuitton, Bulgari and Fendi. The Oberoi Trident Hotel, which was also under attack, houses other luxury brands including Salvatore Ferragamo. It has been reported that some of Ferragamo's employees were held hostage. The sieges by Islamist militants, which have left 120 dead and hundreds more injured, focused on wealthy foreigners.

Luxury brands have increasingly looked to India as a growing source of revenue over the last couple of years. The International Herald Tribune had planned its annual luxury conference at the Imperial Hotel, New Delhi, from Dec. 2-4 but that has now been postponed. While most experts don't see a big long-term impact on luxury markets in India after the attacks some do feel that brands may be more cautious about investing in India in the short term.

The rather chunky India Tower seeks to be the greenest skyscraper in India. The India Tower is a 60-story tower in Mumbai. The developer is aiming to get a LEED gold rating for the project. The tower's odd patched- together look was created by FXFOWLE architects and comes as a response to the three-acre site, the building's requirements and its mixed use. Each chunk of the tower has a different use, separating out retail, a Park Hyatt hotel and serviced apartments, and long-lease and duplex penthouse condominium apartments. The tower will use sustainable systems such as solar shading, natural ventilation, rainwater harvest and the use of green materials.

The tower's three-story podium will include restaurants, retail stores, a fitness club and a nightclub. The Park Hyatt will have a Sky Lobby (floors 30-35) with the hotel residences beneath on floors 14-28. The long-lease apartments will be located on levels 38 through 50 and levels 52 to 59 will be home to duplex penthouse condominium apartments with panoramic views. Construction is underway and should be done in 2010.

Now this is a story of real estate excess, India's richest man, Mukesh Ambani, is building himself a skyscraper in Mumbai as his personal residence. The building, which is the size of a 60-story tower, will only have 27 floors due to the height of the ceilings. Ambani, who is the richest man in India, has a personal fortune of over $20 billion.The home will house his wife, mother, three children and 600 live-in staff. What to do with all those floors? The first six are garage space, a health club will be on the next two and then staff housing will take up much of the middle section. Ambani and his family will live on the upper floors which will be topped with a helipad and swimming pools. The home reportedly will cost $1 billion to create and construction is already under way. It should be finished next year.

[Thanks, Shaun K]

Mumbai is one of the most desirable cities to live in in India, with a forward-thinking population and a booming economy. As in most places, desirability also makes it expensive and family-sized apartments can sell for more than £250,000, even in the suburbs. It turns out that price is not the only barrier to finding housing. Housing associations are being set up all over the city that exclude non-vegetarians from buying flats - even if they make a higher offer than a vegetarian bidding on the same property.

Since apartments are allowed to enforce Catholic-only or Hindu-only building, judges have not sided with the omnivores when they have taken housing associations to court on discrimination charges. A supporter of the associations said he felt "vegetarians should be given the right to admit who they want."

And to think: some people in the US complain about how their housing association picks out the exact color of pots they can use in the front yard and determines the appropriate style of front door knocker. At least they're not (yet) making lifestyle choices for the families who live there. It does beg the question about what the strictest housing associations would have their residents do for the privilege of living there. Stepford wives, anyone?

Nothing makes a big, well-publicized event as exciting as a wardrobe malfunction, but I will admit that it is more exciting at a sporting event than a fashion one. With all the costume changes and models running around backstage, trying to fit into samples of various clothing, it isn’t surprising that, from time to time, there will be a malfunction. In India, a recent show seemed plagued with malfunctions and, given the conservative nature of the media and guests in attendance, it created quite a stir.

Personally, I was much more interested in the clothes that were being shown than the media uproar that followed. Indian Fashion Week mega-show featured Indian designers, like Anupama Dayal and Shahzad Kalim and was full of silken, flowing skirts, vibrant colors, corset tops and lots of accessories, including embroidery and lace on the clothing. Dayal’s designs in particular were gorgeous and I have heard that some will be exported to parts of Europe and the US in the coming months. Anyone have any leads on a store, yet?

[Image Reuters]