Make the Versace lifestyle your own! A limited number of exclusive condominiums are available to purchase in Palazzo Versace Dubai. Ranging from one to six bedrooms, including single-storey and duplex residences and majestic penthouses, all condominiums provide stunning views of the surrounding area, with outside balconies and terraces. Palazzo Versace brings the sophisticated product range of Versace to a single destination and allows purchasers to live the Versace lifestyle.

For further details please email fanis@fluxuryworld.com

The Designer

The Versailles collection is the most formal, elegant collection yet, using only natural precious and semiprecious stones, sterling silver, gold vermeil, and black rhodium. The shapes are inspired by nature, art, and architecture, interpreted and stylized by Cristina Sabatini’s unique aesthetic.

Victoria Lily Earring

Ivy Leaves Ring

Dancing Vine Earring

 

Dancing Vine Ring

at L2 blog
Newspapers were once a tool for advertising or selling products to consumers.

But this month The International Herald Tribune has teamed up with a seasoned online fashion retailing expoert to launch its own online store to sell products to its readers.

The IHT – the global edition of The New York Times – has partnered with Couturelab.com to launch a luxury goods store IHTGiftStore.com.

Couturelab.com was created by Carmen Busquets, a co-founder and cornerstone investor in net-a-porter.com.  She planned Couturelab.com as a “laboratory of ideas” and a brand focused on supporting craftsmanship and heritage. Today, Couturelab.com is an e-commerce gift site which sells rare products from around the world.

In the Medieval age, the sight of a towering spire signalled a city of splendour. Today, it is cathedrals of retailing that indicate metropolitan status in the global pecking order. The December 3 opening, not of another Louis Vuitton store – there are already 460 of those worldwide – but of a much grander Louis Vuitton ‘Maison’ (of which there are just 13) proves Sydney must be a very smart town indeed. Kar-Hwa Ho is the man responsible for the latest Australian opening, as well as such landmark stores as Louis Vuitton Singapore, housed on its very own island. Vuitton’s design director for the Asia-Pacific region tellsMarion Humeabout the new maison in the company of the brand’s Paris-based director of architecture, David McNulty.

A cathedral for a secular age

“Is that a compliment?” asks David McNulty. “I suppose fashion houses are becoming architectural theatre in the way opera houses were and cathedrals used to be. For us, there is always a question of visibility. We cannot be tucked away. We must be seen.” So how big a footprint is needed for a maison? “About 2000 square metres” says McNulty. Walk-ins are welcome at the Sydney Maison, because busy George Street means there’s nowhere to park, let alone a space for your limo to wait. But what of those Vuitton stores where you can’t walk in? The line at the Paris Champs Élysées flagship store often numbers in the hundreds. “It’s really not good to have people waiting,” protests McNulty, revealing that staff serve hot beverages to waiting crowds and the company sometimes lays on transport to the other five Vuitton stores in Paris, “but everyone wants to go to that one because it’s the biggest.”

If we build it, they will come

To semaphore to the customer that a maison is more than just a place to pick up a monogram wallet, it helps if the building itself is jaw-droppingly attractive and the Sydney Maison certainly is chic. “But we don’t own the building, which means there are restrictions,” explains Ho. Even without these, sometimes the most arresting designs don’t get built. All the architecture models that didn’t make it are in the Vuitton head office, including one of shining metal rods by Zaha Hadid. “One day!” says Ho, wistfully. Do the challenges of preserving history lead to better stores? Not always. “While we’re not interested in destroying heritage buildings, our original concepts are usually better,” says McNulty, who adds that, sometimes, keeping the history can go too far. At the recently opened Milan Maison, he says, “there’s a really ugly mural on the wall. Really ugly. It has a preservation order on it so we built a wall in front of it, so some archaeologist in the future can come in and find it.”

bonus video : Fly high above the very first Island Maison from Louis Vuitton located at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

(more…)

at Luxpresso

Looks like even Santa considers gold to be a safe investment. A pure gold Christmas tree worth nearly $2 million (approx Rs. 10.53 crore) has been unveiled at Ginza Tanaka, a jewellery store in Tokyo. The tree weighs 12 kg and stands 2.4 meters tall. It took 15 craftsmen 4 months to complete the creation.

Know more about the golden Christmas tree here

It has been adorned with gold plates and 60 heart-shaped ornaments and 100 ribbons made of pure gold. The tree will be on display at the store from 22 November to 25 December. Last year, Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi unveiled a Christmas tree worth $11 million. The value of the tree came from the jewellery that adorned it including necklaces and earrings that had precious stones like diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds

by Hall TV

The Principality of Monaco. The home of so many things – extravagance, super yachts, Grand Prix races, Celebrities – this principality is the most famous of them all. In true style and in key to its glitzy personality this programme is drenched in more luxury than any of our others! Be prepared to fly around on a private helicopter, take a Rolls Royce Phantom to go window shopping, go on board a privately owned 212 ft, 80 million euro super yacht and see the cathedral where Grace Kelly was married to Prince Rainier.

It’s officially known as Las Vegas Boulevard, but in reality it’s a strip of glitz and glam of unrivalled proportions. To say it’s over the top might be an understatement. The Strip is the main drag of gambling U.S.A. and home to most of the top Hotels, casinos and nightclubs Las Vegas style! A stroll down the Strip at night is a blaze of blinking lights and a sea of humanity making its way to that winning slot machine. Night time is also the most comfortable time of day to be outdoors in the Las Vegas heat zone, so take your stroll under the stars and bask in the glow.

What really took me aback about Las Vegas is that it’s a lot more than casinomania.  The town most of the time buzzes with high-tech conventioneers (Couture show and JCK presented in this issue), weekending couples and families out for a little fun in the desert sun, not to mention people searching for pleasure in the capital of sin. Great! the next question arises; where to stay?

‘‘F’’” Luxury World – Luxury Travel Services selects for you the top 10 Hotel Suites & Villas for an unforgettable Las Vegas trip. Enjoy !

If You wish to read the whole article click on the magazine logo and don’t forget to subscribe here to receive the next issues for free.

It’s officially known as Las Vegas Boulevard, but in reality it’s a strip of glitz and glam of unrivalled proportions. To say it’s over the top might be an understatement. The Strip is the main drag of gambling U.S.A. and home to most of the top Hotels, casinos and nightclubs Las Vegas style! A stroll down the Strip at night is a blaze of blinking lights and a sea of humanity making its way to that winning slot machine. Night time is also the most comfortable time of day to be outdoors in the Las Vegas heat zone, so take your stroll under the stars and bask in the glow.

What really took me aback about Las Vegas is that it’s a lot more than casinomania.  The town most of the time buzzes with high-tech conventioneers (Couture show and JCK presented in this issue), weekending couples and families out for a little fun in the desert sun, not to mention people searching for pleasure in the capital of sin. Great! the next question arises; where to stay?

‘‘F’’” Luxury World – Luxury Travel Services selects for you the top 10 Hotel Suites & Villas for an unforgettable Las Vegas trip. Enjoy !

If You wish to read the whole article click on the magazine logo and don’t forget to subscribe here to receive the next issues for free.

It’s officially known as Las Vegas Boulevard, but in reality it’s a strip of glitz and glam of unrivalled proportions. To say it’s over the top might be an understatement. The Strip is the main drag of gambling U.S.A. and home to most of the top Hotels, casinos and nightclubs Las Vegas style! A stroll down the Strip at night is a blaze of blinking lights and a sea of humanity making its way to that winning slot machine. Night time is also the most comfortable time of day to be outdoors in the Las Vegas heat zone, so take your stroll under the stars and bask in the glow.

What really took me aback about Las Vegas is that it’s a lot more than casinomania.  The town most of the time buzzes with high-tech conventioneers (Couture show and JCK presented in this issue), weekending couples and families out for a little fun in the desert sun, not to mention people searching for pleasure in the capital of sin. Great! the next question arises; where to stay?

‘‘F’’” Luxury World – Luxury Travel Services selects for you the top 10 Hotel Suites & Villas for an unforgettable Las Vegas trip. Enjoy !

If You wish to read the whole article click on the magazine logo and don’t forget to subscribe here to receive the next issues for free.

Variety is the essence of shopping in Madrid, retailers and products are never limited to a defined style nor a single look and feel. It is a city where you find almost everything, particularly if you are seeking the sophisticated, the unique or the eccentric. From the elegance and flair of the boutiques in the Salamanca district, through to the more cosmopolitan charms of the Chueca district, and beyond to the large department stores and popular chain stores, Madrid truly has it all. Combine all this with the city’s history, art, culture, good weather and gastronomy and you may just have found the shopping capital of Europe!

District of Salamaca

This is one of the most distinguished neighbourhoods of Madrid. Created in the 19th century, it was the first district with running water and famed for the French-style boulevards. The richest man in Spain at the time lived here, the Marquis of Salamanca, and he promoted the construction of this neighbourhood. Paseo de la Castellana, Alcalá, María de Molina and Francisco Silvela are the avenues that border this district. When shopping here you will find some of the most prestigious boutiques in the world: Versace, Hermès, Dolce & Gabanna, Giorgio Armani, Valentino, Louis Vuitton or Chanel. If you are looking for local designs, there are also a number of talented Spanish designers such as Victorio & Lucchino, Adolfo Domínguez, Loewe, Roberto Verino and Elena Benarroch, to name a few. Every September this district is converted into the venue for Vogue Fashion Night Out. This is also the central area to find diamonds and other precious stones. C/Serrano is where you will find most of the exclusive jewellery stores in the Salamanca district. Jewellers such as Carrera y Carrera, Cartier, Rabat, Suárez, Tiffany & Co, Wempe, Brooking and Bulgari have superb diamonds and gems for jewel lovers.

Chueca and Triball District

Chueca, city centre and the triangle known as Triball (between C/Ballesta and Corredera Baja de San Pablo) offer a large choice of the most varied fashion stores, from leading labels of casual wear to a wide selection of vintage clothes. In Chueca you will find the Fuencarral Market where originality and the avant-garde stand out with colourful and psychedelic products. This attractive market also has a DJ as well as little shops where you can get a tattoo, a piercing or a surrealistic hairdo. This area was the epicentre of the Movida Madrileña cultural movement in the late seventies and early eighties that gave Spain a new cultural identity. It brought new ideas and colourful changes to places like Chueca, Malasaña and Fuencarral. Triball triangle is a rehabilitated area alongside Chueca where new designers, gourmet boutiques and organic restaurants thrive.

Centre

Puerta del Sol, between Gran Vía, C/Preciados and C/Arenal, forms a fashionable and diverse shopping district lined with the well-known department stores. You’ll find El Corte Inglés, fashion chain stores and franchises, such as Zara, Mango, Benetton, Springfield, Sfera, and Blanco. In Plaza de Callao, you will come across one of the largest music and bookstores, FNAC. Plaza Mayor, Gran Vía, Puerta del Sol and surrounding streets are the traditional shopping areas in Madrid, home to many traditional establishments, some centuries old, offering products such as classical guitars, Spanish fans and mantillas, handicrafts, ceramics and even ‘flamenco’ costumes and accessories. If you’d like a trip down memory lane, visit C/Luna and Malasaña, to find bizarre items, comics, forgotten old records, retro fashion and second-hand clothing. Traditional establishments include

• Casa de Diego (since 1823) specialized in fans, umbrellas and Manila shawls

• Casa Yustas (since 1894) which sells military hats, caps and accessories

• La Favorita (also since 1894) selling all types of hats

• Other traditional shops inlcude Belloso, Capas Seseñas, Doña Manolita, El Gato Negro or the haberdashery Pontejos. These stores, over a century old, can be distinguished by the bronze plaque affixed to their shop fronts that certify them as being Comercios Centenarios – Century-old Stores. The neighbourhood that lies between Plaza Santa Ana, C/Huertas and C/Atocha, is home to both avant-garde stores and traditional stores such as silversmiths, jewellers, antique stores and bookshops.

Markets

Old and Bargain Book Fair – on Cuesta de Moyano

Stamp and Coin Market – the oldest in the city, open every Sunday in Plaza Mayor

El Rastro – is the most popular and oldest market in Madrid, and it is also one of the oldest medieval markets in Europe, but today one of the most modern. Held every Sunday all year long, you will come across it in Plaza de Cascorro

Mercado San Miguel – very close to Plaza Mayor, although quite “touristy”, this market dates back to 1916. Here you can taste an assortment of ‘tapas’.

Chain stores

C/Princesa and C/Alberto Aguilera are lined with multiple shops, including leading fashion chains, shoe shops, jewellers and department stores such as El Corte Inglés. Located in many districts in Madrid they have a large array of merchandise to choose from. If you do not like crowds, I recommend El Corte Inglés in the Nuevos Ministerios district as it is one of the biggest and you will find absolutely everything. Another place which is a must visit if you love top designer fashion without the price tag is to visit Las Rozas Village. Here you can visit 100 outlet designers stores with up to a 60 percent discount all year round. This is found in the outskirts of Madrid, about 30 minutes from the city centre. Open 7 days a week from 10 am to 9pm.

Tips

• To enjoy the best prices in Madrid it is worth noting the exceptional sales that take place here two times yearly. Winter sales start on the 1 January, although the best ones start from the 7 January which is the day after Reyes, when most Spanish children receive their gifts from the Three Kings. Summer sales start 1 July – 21 September.

• Please remember when shopping in Spain and using a credit card, you must provide some sort of identification.

• In the city centre, near the tourist areas, restaurants and shops are open all day, every day, most public holidays and Sundays.

• Shopping Centres, department stores and supermarkets are open all day, Saturday included and only the first Sunday of every month. During the Christmas season, they have longer trading hours and are open every Sunday.

• In the residential areas, small establishments open between 10am and 2pm in the morning and 5pm to 8pm on weekdays. On weekends, shops only open in the mornings and are closed on Sundays. Establishments stay open later in the summer.

bonus video : Madrid Luxury City Guide