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Ralph Lauren's Cars, Private Parrot Cay Villa & More in Bid to Save the Earth Auction - Part 2

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Charity, Celebrity Design

Parrot Cay Villa for auction in Bid to Save the Earth

Last week we reported on the host of international celebrities, creative icons, industry leaders and conservationists joining together with famed auction house Christie's to support the 2011 Green Auction, a momentous live event and companion online auction raising funds and awareness for the preservation and sustainability of the planet.

Christie's has partnered with luxury charity auction site charitybuzz.com to put more than 200 coveted auction packages online from now through April 7 to raise funds for Oceana, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Conservation International and the Central Park Conservancy. Supporters can make a Bid to Save the Earth at www.charitybuzz.com/BidtoSavetheEarth.

A companion invite-only event and live fantasy auction hosted by Seth Meyers will be held at Christie's New York on March 29 in partnership with Vogue's Runway to Green. The event will feature a fashion show sponsored by Tiffany & Co. on the night of the live auction, with designer collection selections available online through Net-A-Porter.com.

In part one of our report on the incredible experiences on offer, we focused on the big ticket items estimated at over $100,000 apiece, including a ride with Harrison Ford on his private plane. Now we're selecting some of our favorite lots across a range of expected prices (N.B.: Lagerfeld and Ducasse are being auctioned off live tonight):

Tags: Alain Ducasse, auctions, bid to save the earth, celebrity auctions, Chanel, charity, Charity Buzz, Christies, christies+bid+to+save+the+earth, christiesbidtosavetheearth, environment, Ferrari, Girard-Perregaux, green+auction, greenauction, Karl Lagerfeld, luxury travel, Paris, Parrot Cay, Ralph Lauren, Ralph Lauren car collection, Robert F. Kennedy, Turks and Caicos

Continue reading “Ralph Lauren's Cars, Private Parrot Cay Villa & More in Bid to Save the Earth Auction - Part 2”

1930s Bespoke Gentleman's Spirits Case from Goyard

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Men's Style, The Classicist

An elegant 1930s bespoke gentleman's spirits case from Goyard, the luxurious Parisian luggage maker founded in 1853, is being offered for sale by New York's Mantiques Modern for $2,800. Custom made for a connoisseur who wanted to be sure of always having his favorite tipple ready to hand while gallivanting around the globe, the handmade monogrammed case is crafted of fine pigskin with brass hardware. Inside it features two sizable silver plated flasks and a set of four silver tumblers in fitted compartments. When fastened it resembles a briefcase. Goyard has long had a devoted clientele of celebrities and royalty. Aristocrats such as the Grand Duke of Russia, the Maharajah of Kapurthala and the Duke of Windsor all traveled with Goyard luggage.

Gallery: 1930s Goyard Spirits Case

Tags: 1930s, antiques, bespoke, briefcase, flasks, France, Goyard, leather luggage, luggage, Mantiques Modern, mens style, New York, Paris, silver, spirits, vintage luggage

The $66,000 Gold & Diamond Samurai Lighter Set from S.T. Dupont

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Writing Instruments, Men's Style

The $66,000 Gold & Diamond Samurai Lighter Set from S.T. Dupont

S.T. Dupont, founded in Paris in 1872, is one of the few luxury firms that still makes exquisite accessories for that endangered species, the smoker. Their latest ultra-stylish offering is a limited edition lighter and fountain pen set designed in homage to the storied samurai, the military nobility of feudal Japan. The Samurai Prestige Lighter and Pen set, limited to just 20 pieces, is priced at about $66,000 and comes complete with a display stand and matching katana or samurai sword letter opener. The items are hand-crafted from a chiseled piece of solid rose gold set with hundreds of white diamonds and textured black leather and silk ribbon accents, and are made to resemble the katana and traditional samurai armour.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: S.T. Dupont Samurai Prestige Set

Tags: cigarette lighter, diamonds, Dupont lighters, dupont+lighter, dupont+samurai+lighter, dupontlighter, dupontsamurailighter, fountain pen, Japan, leather, lighter, lighters, mens style, Paris, S.T. Dupont, samurai, samurai sword, smoking, st+dupont, stdupont, sword, writing instrument

$25 Million In Harry Winston Jewels Recovered In Paris Drain

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Crimes and Misdemeanors

You never know where stolen jewels might turn up but this latest find seems like a scene straight from a movie. BBC News reported that some of the jewels stolen from the Harry Winston boutique in Paris in 2008 have been recovered. In December 2008 four armed men entered the store around closing time and walked off with more than $100 million in jewelry and diamonds. No one was injured. This theft did have one quirky detail, at least two of the thieves wore wigs and women's clothing and addressed some of the store's staff by name.

French police have found some of the jewelry, around $25 million worth, hidden in a drain in a Paris suburb. A total of 19 rings and three sets of earrings were found inside a plastic container which was set into a cement mold at a house in Seine-Saint-Denis likely secreted away by the crafty crooks. The home belonged to one of the people being charged in the robbery. In the last few years police have interviewed at least 25 people in connection with the robbery and nine people were charged and jailed in 2009.

Tags: harry winston, jewel theft, jewel thieves, jewelry, paris

Art, Style & Culture: Paris Between the Wars

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Books

Paris Between the Wars: A Cultural Crucible

A brilliant new book, Paris Between the Wars, 1919-1939: Art, Life & Culture by Vincent Bouvet and Gérard Durozoi from The Vendome Press explores the myriad cultural forces which collided in the City of Light during the two decades between World Wars I and II. Over those 20 years artists and intellectuals flocked to Paris from around the world, resulting in a crucible of creativity that wrought great achievements in fashion, graphic design, architecture, literature, fine arts, theater and more. Illustrated with hundreds of paintings, drawings, archival photographs, advertising posters, film stills, and plans, the book travels between the bohemian charms of Montparnasse, which attracted artists such as Picasso, Chagall, and Giacometti, and the vibrant café culture which provided a forum and hunting ground for Dadaists, Surrealists and expatriate writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald.

Gallery: Paris Between the Wars

Tags: architecture, art, books, coffee table books, culture, fashion, France, Hemingway, literature, Paris, paris+between+the+wars, parisbetweenthewars, photographs, Picasso

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

Tags: Alfa Romeo, Bentley, billionaire, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Bugatti, car collection, car design, celebrity cars, classic cars, designer, exclusive, exhibit, exhibition, fashion design, fashion designer, Ferrari, Ferrari 250 GTO, ferrari+250+gt, ferrari250gt, France, Jaguar, McLaren, mens style, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, museum, museum show, Paris, Porsche, Ralph Lauren, ralph+lauren+car+collection, ralph+lauren+cars, ralph+laurens+car+collection, ralphlaurencarcollection, ralphlaurencars, ralphlaurenscarcollection, supercars, The Classicist, worlds most expensive, worlds most expensive car, worlds most expensive cars

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Le Meurice: Can a Luxury Paris Hotel Be Surreal?

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Le Meurice: Can a Luxury Paris Hotel Be Surreal?

Of all the art movements to use as inspiration in hotel décor, I'm not sure surrealism would be my first choice. (If I woke up in the morning to the sight of a melting alarm clock, I think I'd summon an ambulance.) So although I'd long known that the artist Salvador Dalí had been a design inspiration during Philippe Starck's renovation of Le Meurice, Paris' most venerable palace hotel, the whole proposition sounded somewhat dubious.

After all, surrealism is about thought unhampered by reason. And I like a luxury hotel that is, at the least, reasonable in its décor if not in price.

What's more, "reasonable" would not be the first adjective associated with Dalí, as a guest of Le Meurice. In his month-long annual stays, he requested a herd of sheep and then proceeded to shoot them with his pistol -- blank bullets, otherwise what a mess. He also requested a horse for reasons unrecorded in hotel history. And freshly caught flies, from the handily placed Tuileries Garden across the street.

Tags: Dali, Luxury Hotels, Paris, Paris Hotels, Paris Travel, Phillipe Starck

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Jaguar C-X75 Wins Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Architecture & Design

Jaguar C-X75 Wins Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award

Jaguar's amazing C-X75 hybrid concept car, which my colleague David Kiley first wrote about last September, has just won the Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award 2010 by a panel of luminaries from the worlds of design, fashion and luxury in Paris. "Ian Callum, Jaguar's Design Director, and his team have achieved not only a beautiful design in clothing a world-premiere and mouth-watering technology, but also a true Jaguar, projecting the brand's DNA into the future without an ounce of nostalgia," said Christian Philippsen, inaugurator of the prize. The gas-electric hybrid two-seater is capable of a top speed of 205 miles per hour, and up to 68 miles of all-electric operation. It's powered by four 195-horsepower electric motors, one in each wheel, giving the vehicle an all-wheel drive system with torque-vectoring controls to distribute power as needed.

Gallery: Jaguar C-X75 Hybrid

Tags: concept car, hybrid, Jaguar, Louis Vuitton, luxury cars, Paris

Kate Moss Parties the Night Away at the Ritz in Paris

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

She may be moving into an elegant new $12 million mansion in London, but that doesn't mean hard-partying supermodel Kate Moss plans to settle down. While in Paris the other day to attend a fashion show Moss went on an all-night bender at the chic Ritz hotel, the London Mirror reports, forcing management to shut down the fun in the wee hours. The hijinks began after Moss attended the raucous and racy Etam lingerie show, where her boyfriend Jamie Hince's band The Kills played a live show.

At the Etam afterparty she and Hince were spotted swigging Cristal champagne from the bottle, the paper reports. The she and some pals continued on to the posh Ritz in the Place Vendôme, where they took over the bar. Musician Mark Ronson played the piano while R&B star Janelle Monae sang; Moss climbed atop the piano and performed a seductive dance until the hotel's management finally asked them to leave at 4:30 a.m. after complaints of rowdiness. Moss and Hince then repaired to their lavish $5,700-per-night suite upstairs for a nightcap.

Tags: celebrity, Cristal, Etam, fashion, fashion show, Jamie Hince, Kate Moss, London, luxury hotels, Mark Ronson, Paris, Ritz, supermodel, The Kills

EXCLUSIVE: Former Harrods Owner Mohamed al Fayed Sells Off His Rolls & Ferrari Collection

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, The Classicist, Wealth

Last summer we reported that Mohamed al Fayed had sold famed London department store Harrods to Qatar's royal family for $2.2 billion. Now the ultra-rich businessman, equally well known as the father of the late Princess Diana's lover Dodi Fayed, is selling off his incredible car collection, featuring stunning custom classic Rolls-Royces, Ferraris and more. There are ten cars in all from al Fayed's collection starring in Bonhams' Paris sale of Motor Cars at the Grand Palais on Feb. 5 - chief among them being the 1965 Ferrari 330 GT 2+2 originally owned by John Lennon, expected to fetch up to $220,000, which we can now exclusively reveal comes from al Fayed's collection and was in fact owned by Dodi Fayed.

Next up are a remarkable pair of classic Rolls-Royce motorcars which al Fayed has refinished in custom Harrods Green livery, one with a royal pedigree. The 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V Limousine (above) was the property of H.R.H. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent until al Fayed acquired it in 1996, and is expected to fetch up to $200,000. The Duke of Kent's Rolls, which was originally painted black, still has its blue bullet lamp on the roof signifying Royal ownership. There's also a matching Harrods Green 1969 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI Limousine, estimated at up to $240,000. Read on for the full list of al Fayed's cars being offered for sale, including several other Ferraris:

Gallery: Mohamed al Fayed's Car Collection at Bonhams

Ex-Duke of Kent 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V

Tags: auctions, Bonhams, British royalty, classic cars, department store, Dodi Fayed, Ferrari, Harrods, London, mohamed+al+fayed, mohamedalfayed, Mohammed al Fayed, Paris, Princess Diana, Rolls-Royce, royalty, UK

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The Classicist: The Year's Best Luxe Books

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books, The Classicist

Followers of The Classicist, the weekly column devoted to timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance, are familiar with the fact that we take pains to search out every season's most luxurious books and bring you exclusive glimpses. 2010 was a particularly good year for top-drawer tomes; if you've any space left in your library we suggest you stock up on the following titles which we declare to be the best of the best from those that made our grade in 2010. Featuring our favorite subjects ranging from Savile Row to classic Louis Vuitton luggage, high equestrian style to high society, and classic architecture to the perfection that is is Porsche, this is a chance to catch up on the must-have volumes you might have missed.

Topping the list are our two favorites, Louis Vuitton: 100 Legendary Trunks (Abrams) and Bespoke: The Men's Style of Savile Row (Rizzoli), both dealing with icons of luxe style, the first a legendary French luggage firm, the second a street synonymous with the world's best men's tailoring. Can you imagine anything better than a suite of Vuitton trunks full of Savile Row suits? Didn't think so. While you're busy assembling a collection these books are the next best thing. Men's style also comes into play in two other titles on our can't-miss list, the bible of Ivy League style Take Ivy (powerHouse) and We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz (Skira Rizzoli). They're more closely related than you might think; the jazz legend had a not-so-hidden passion for preppy finery in his early years, while Take Ivy's title is a reference to jazz.

Gallery: The Best Luxe Books of 2010

Tags: Abrams, architecture, books, coffee table books, equestrian, Flammarion, jazz, Louis Vuitton, luggage, mens style, Miles Davis, Paris, Porsche, Rizzoli, Savile Row, Scotland, Take Ivy, teNeues, The Classicist

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Paris Celeb Haunt Le Bristol to Unveil One of World's Most Expensive Suites

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Paris' luxurious Hotel Le Bristol (above), opened in 1925 on the famed rue de Faubourg Saint Honoré, is a favorite of celebs including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio and Natalia Vodianova. Now, the elegant property is getting ready to to unveil a $33 million revamp that includes an ultra-luxe penthouse suite occupying the top floor, poised to become one of the most expensive hotel suites in the world. The 2,583-square-foot, two bedroom suite encompassing the entire eighth story will feature incredible views of the rue de Faubourg Saint Honoré and the Le Bristol's famed private gardens – the largest of any Parisian hotel. In May, the French-style Le Bristol Spa will double in size to include ten treatment rooms as well as a separate fitness center, while the property's signature Michelin three-star Gastronomic Restaurant will move into a new space featuring expansive views of the hotel's garden, a chef's table and fireplace.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Hotel Le Bristol

Tags: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, France, George Clooney, hotel, Hotel Le Bristol, hotel suites, Le Bristol, Leonardo DiCaprio, luxury hotels, Natalia Vodianova, Paris, penthouse, rue de Faubourg Saint Honoré, Spa, worlds most expensive

Valentine's Day Hotel Packages

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

If you are interested in proposing to your belonged on Valentine's Day, Hacienda San Angel in Puerto Vallarta is ready for you. The "Perfect Proposal" package includes accommodations for two in one of the Hacienda's Royal Suites, in-suite massages, private Mexican cooking and margarita making class for two, private terrace dinner for two and personal Mariachi serenade, daily breakfast in bed and transportation to and from the airport.

On the big day, at sunset, just prior to a private dinner on a secluded terrace, the Hacienda arranges for a Mariachi troupe to serenade the bride-to-be from the cobblestone street below her suite's arched window setting the scene for a romantic proposal. The Perfect Proposal two-night stay package is priced at $2250 and is based upon availability. Price is based upon Royal Suite accommodations, guest suites in lower and higher categories are available. The Perfect Proposal Package can be booked by calling 877-815-6594 or by emailing info@haciendasanangel.com. The resort also features the Puerta del Cielo, open-air wedding and event chapel so it is also an excellent site for a destination wedding.

Check out more amazing Valentine's Day adventures around the world after the jump.

Tags: Aruba, Botswana, Cabo San Lucas, Concorde Hotels Resorts, Duane Hotel, El Convento, Hacienda San Angel, Hyatt Regency, Paris, Puerto Vallarta, san juan, San Juan Puerto Rico, Santa Fe, valentines day, valentines day hotel packages

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The $35,000 "New Dandy" iPad, Poker, Cigar & Whisky Trunk

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spirits, Men's Style

The latest, most exclusive entrant in the ever-widening field of luxurious iPad accessories has the world's most expensive iPad case running a distant second. The New Dandy Trunk from Paris-based T.T. Trunks for $35,000 features an iPad holder as its centerpiece, but positions the high-tech toy as more of a gentleman's accessory alongside requisites for drinking, smoking and gambling. The trunk is made-to-order using the world's most exquisite woods, leather and canvas from Europe's finest craftsmen. Every aspect of its construction is done completely by hand.

In addition to the iPad stand, the trunk features a power pack for other mobile devices, seamlessly integrating modern technology with the design of classic luggage from the golden age of travel. The central part of the trunk holds a whisky decanter and glasses for enjoying your favorite spirit. One drawer is fitted with a humidor for storing fine cigars. Another houses a full set of poker chips, two decks of playing cards and a foldable poker table that fits into the trunk's door. The other drawers can be customized to the client's specifications to hold neckties, timepieces, a shoeshine kit and other luxe accessories.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: New Dandy iPad Trunk

Tags: iPad, luggage, Paris, T.T. Trunks, Trunk

The Classicist: Inside the Embassies & Historic Mansions of Paris

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books, The Classicist, Wealth, Architecture & Design

Very rarely do any of Paris' remaining private palaces come on the market; when they do the properties invariably rank among the world's most expensive, such as the 1912 mansion built for the Duchesse de Montmorency recently listed at $140 million that we told you about back in November. The reason there is so little movement among these magnificent monuments to wealth lining the famed city's storied avenues is that most are occupied as embassies and ambassadorial residences. An equally magnificent new book, Historic Houses of Paris: Residences of the Ambassadors from Flammarion by Alain Stella with photography by Francis Hammond offers a guided tour of 22 of these amazing edifices, some seen for the first time, most originally built for members of the aristocracy and now the setting for lavish diplomatic entertainments and intrigues.

Gilded halls, formal sitting rooms, stately dining rooms, paneled libraries, perfectly landscaped gardens, chambers filled with rare antiques, luxurious wallcoverings and private living quarters are all examined in delectable detail, in mansions ranging from a 17th-century hôtel particulier to a Belle Epoque palace and even a couple more contemporary examples, now occupied by the ambassadors of the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, China, India and more. The cover (above) depicts the Sicilian theater of the incredible Italian Ambassador 's residence, aka the Hotel de la Rochefoucauld-Doudeauville, built in 1732. Some, like the Indian Ambassador's residence, aka the Hotel de Marlborough built in 1910 by architect René Sergent, who also designed Claridge's in London and Rome's Grand Hotel, are named for famous former owners; in this case the Duchess of Marlborough, aka Consuelo Vanderbilt, one of the world's richest and most beautiful women at the time.

Gallery: Historic Houses of Paris