Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the NY Observer’s Manhattan Transfers:
–James H. Herbert II, the chairman and chief executive of the First Republic Bank, listed his penthouse at Trump Parc East on Central Park South, shown above, earlier this month for $38 million, nearly four times what he paid back in 2005. The listing is here.
–Real estate investor Keith Rubenstein and his wife Inga have spent $3.2 million on a two-bedroom duplex at 101 Warren Street in Tribeca. The duplex is smaller than the $20 million penthouse he had originally agreed to buy in the building. Rubenstein, his wife and their son, Keith Jr., will stay in the Warren Street apartment for about two years while their new East 62nd mansion is renovated.
–Enrique Norten paid $1.929 million for an apartment at One York Street, the building he designed in northern Tribeca.
–Pete Peterson, the co-founder and senior chairman of the Blackstone Group, and the chairman emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, has bought that organization’s apartment at the Imperial House co-op on East 69th Street, paying the council $3.04 million. Peterson bought the apartment so that Leslie Gelb, the council’s so-called Board Senior Fellow and its president from 1993 to 2003 could continue to live there with his family.
–An apartment belonging to hedge fund manager Vedula Murti and his wife Seema Kalia and designed by Madonna’s designer, Jamie Drake is now on the market for $10.75 million. The couple bought for $7,127,750 two years ago. Check out the colorful listing here.

From the NY Post’s Gimme Shelter:
–The loft apartment in SoHo where Heath Ledger died in January ins now listed for $26,000 a month. The listing is here.
–Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager of England’s Manchester United Football Club is picking up a three-bedroom penthouse in Manhattan House, at 200 E. 66th St.
–Developer Janna Bullock has bought a brand-new apartment at the Plaza for $8.78 million.

From Newsday’s Real LI:
–J.Crew chief executive Millard Drexler is in contract to buy a house in Wainscott for $17 million.
–Quarterback Chad Pennington has gone into contract on his Muttontown home. It was our estate of the day earlier this month.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
–The official sale price on Tom Arnold’s Tarzana home was $1.8 million which was below the list price of $2.275 million and below the amount that Tom paid for the house in late 2006.
-Actor Hamish Linklater who stars on “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and his playwright wife Jessica Goldberg have put their three-bedroom home in the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles on the market for $675,000. They have picked up a new home in Los Feliz that had been listed at $1.397 million for $1.362 million. The listing for the home for sale is here.
–The estate of Heath Ledger has sold his Hollywood Hills home for $2.5 million.

From the Real Estalker:
–Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Jessica Simpson’s boyfriend Tony Romo has picked up a home in Irving, Texas that was listed at $699,000.
–Quarterback Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen are rumored to have have paid $11.75 million for a 3.6-acre vacant lot in the same gated neighborhood in Brentwood that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger lives in.
–via the San Francisco Chronicle, a penthouse in the St. Regis Residences San Francisco is being listed for $70 million. VIctor MacFarlane bought all three (unfinished) pricey penthouse units at the St. Regis back in late 2005 for a reported $30 million which set a record in San Francisco at the time. The property is around 20,000 square feet of space with four terraces and features 360 degree views.
–Rumor has it that Mel Gibson snapped up Tea Leoni and David Duchovny’s Malibu mansion which was quickly on the market for $12 million.

From the Wall Street Journal’s Private Properties:
–Hedge-fund manager John Paulson has lowered the price on his Hamptons home by $2.6 million. It is now listed at $16.9 million. He bought it for $12.75 million in 2006. The listing is here.
–Boston Celtics player Ray Allen has lowered the price of his former Seattle-area home to $5.2 million from $6 million. It was our estate of the day on Saturday.
–Former Seattle Mariners outfielder Jay Buhner has listed his custom-built home on 80 acres for $12 million, we’ll be checking that one out as Monday’s estate of the day.
–Manhattan’s Spence School, an all-girls, K-12 private school founded in 1892, recently closed on its purchase of a $27 million townhouse directly behind its main East Side building.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
–David Barrett, a producer and director who has worked on episodes of “Cold Case,” “Smallville” and “Bionic Woman,” has bought a house in Toluca Lake for $1.2 million.
–John Cleese has put another Montecito home on the market, this time for $10.75 million. The listing for his Fernald Point beach front home is here.
–Studio musician Jason Sinay has sold his six-bedroom home in the Beverly Hills flats area for $6 million.

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Filed under: Apparel

As the fashion world eagerly awaits New York Fashion Week in a matter of days, the clothes we’re seeing now in stores and tempting ad campaigns are focused on rich fabric and unique detailing — in many cases, hand-crafted lace made by Parisian artisans or breathable lace from Japan. The goal goes beyond creating one-of-a-kind pieces: designers are hoping to make it impossible for mass brands like H&M or TopShop to copy their work when the materials themselves are out of reach. Designers made use of age-old, labor-intensive techniques to distinguish themselves from the knockoffs, many of which appear on shelves before the originals are even produced.

And shoppers are responding to the shift, favoring an investment in iconic brands that are easily recognizable (think Prada florals, Dries van Noten marbelized prints) instead of the cookie cutter clothes glutting the market. Because as fun as the cheap thrills are, there’s nothing so demoralizing to a fashionista as walking down the street and seeing a bratty thirteen year old wearing the identical hippie tunic from Forevs 21.

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Filed under: Jewelry

Heavy, chunky, and bold, this bracelet from H. Stern’s Feather Collection still manages to have an air of delicate femininity about it. The coordinating earrings are dainty and fluid, and I think the pair would make the perfect “little black dress” accessory set and would be sure to get admiring glances. Made of just over 123 grams of 24k brushed yellow gold (I would prefer it in silver myself), this little bit of arm candy can be yours for $21,000 (add the earrings for just $4,900 more).

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Filed under: Estates

Supermodel Christie Brinkely has had this home, Tower Hill in the Hamptons on the market off and on since 2002 (although I first became aware of it in 2005). Now with a messy divorce behind her, she’s trying her hand at selling it again. The impressive property in Bridgehampton was originally built in 1898 by Dr. John Gardiner and named Dulce Domum. The home is on a 20-acre parcel 200 ft. above sea level. The key piece of the estate is the 50 ft. observation tower which offers sweeping views of the ocean. The 12-bedroom compound includes a main house with multi-level stone terraces, a guest house with a greenhouse conservatory overlooking a botanical nursery, a gunite pool, a barn artist studio with gym and living quarters with a 4-car heated garage. The property includes lawns, walking paths, gardens, tennis courts, basketball court and playground. This estate is now listed at $30 million. It’s lovely but perhaps a bit pricey for a home that isn’t closer to the beach.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

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Continue reading Christie Brinkley’s Tower Hill, Estate of the Day

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Filed under: Journeys

It’s not looking to be a good week for train lovers. Yesterday, I mentioned that GrandLuxe Rail Journeys was shutting down their luxury train operations. Now the AFP brings news that the planned “five-star” train from Beijing to Tibet won’t be starting service in September as had been reported back in March. A reason for the delay wasn’t given nor was a new date for the launch provided. Speculation is that there was a delay in the delivery of the train’s carriages. But the AFP also notes that government figures show that the number of tourists visiting Tibet in the first half of 2008 fell by about 70 percent over last year after the violent riots in March. In a clampdown on the area, Beijing barred all tourists from going to Tibet until the end of April and didn’t allow foreign visitors back in until the end of June.

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Filed under: Handbags

Here’s a designer tote that definitely falls into the ‘bold and bright’ category! Featuring a cheerful face woven in bright colors on vibrant purple wool, the Woven Face Tote (they didn’t exactly get creative with the name there, did they?) from Sonia by Sonia Rykiel has a zipper closure on the top (gotta love that nothing will come tumbling out unexpectedly), a luxe quilted lining, and padded handles. The ‘woven face’ is what I would describe as a mix of wimsical and primitive, with details like dark eyelashes and bright heart-shaped cheeks making the real statement. $320 %Gallery-30616%

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Filed under: Gadgets

Remember that movie, Coming to America, with Eddie Murphy where he plays Prince Akeem who has royal bathers and servants waiting on him hand and foot? Well, the Kohler C3 Bidet Seat to me is the technology equivalent of someone there to clean your backside. A seat attachment that sports bidet technology complete with a remote is designed to cleanse your seat after you take care of business. It may even be considered somewhat ‘green’ since it reduces the need for toilet paper if not eliminating it altogether. For $950 you can purchase the seat, attach it, program it to suit your size/needs, and enjoy a temperature controlled bum-washing after nature has called.

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Filed under: Jewelry

Apparently looking to capture the spirit and energy of the wild kingdom, Roberto Coin has taken inspiration from creatures like elephants, giraffes, and cobras to created the Animalier Collection. Using mostly diamonds, gold, silver, and enamel, with occasional appearances by other precious materials like onyx and tiger’s eye, the collection is full of vibrancy, sparkle, and organic earthy inspiration. And as an additional bonus, each piece has a ruby placed on it, usually hidden somewhere on the inside, as an artist’s signature and also a symbol of protection.

I wouldn’t have thought that one of the snake ones would be my favorite, but I just love the chunky pink cobra ring! %Gallery-30695%

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Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping, Charity

Julia Roberts has created a new T-shirt for (Product) Red that is pricier than the Gap versions. Roberts has teamed up with Giorgio Armani to produce a new T-shirt for men and women. The tree of life design mimics the design of the bracelet Roberts created for the December launch of the Emporio Armani (Product) Red leather bracelet. The T-shirts are made in Africa and 40 percent of the gross profit margin goes to The Global Fund for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria programs in Africa. The Emporio Armani online-store sells the T-shirt in red, black and gray for $125 each. The bracelet is $175 for the women’s version and $195 for the men’s version.

[via WWD]

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Filed under: Handbags

You might be thinking that “seatbelt” and “luxury” aren’t synonymous, unless you’re talking about a car. Then you must not know about Harveys Seatbelt Bags. These bags are great — durable, practical, fun, functional, and available in lots if colors. But still not luxury, until now. Harveys recently debuted its Boutique Collection, branching out into more elegant styles and even doing a bag in leather instead of the traditional seatbelt. There are six new collections within Boutique: Vertigo, Leather, Herringbone, Carriage Nickel, Carriage Gold, and Accessories (see the gallery for examples of each). I love the Carriage Medium Tote Nickel, and plan to order one this weekend. Prices range from $34 for a key chain that holds a picture to $498 for the Carriage leather bag; free ground shipping.

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Atul:

Here is a real bizarre way for all you rich music lovers to fritter away your riches. Ask me why I don’t intend to reach out to the normal music freaks; well, they won’t have money enough to decapitate their only car with speakers all around….

Filed under: Journeys

The faltering economy has had a profound effect on air travel, now it’s taking its toll on the train travel industry. GrandLuxe Rail Journeys, which we’ve covered before for their luxury train trips throughout the U.S. and Mexico and their partnership with Amtrak, has announced that they cannot continue to operate due to financial reasons. The Denver Post reports that the company is not sure yet if people who made deposits for trips will get their money back.

The company formerly known as American Orient Express got a new owner in 2006 and seemed to be on track for success. But train travel in the U.S. has become less and less popular and the vacation industry as a whole is suffering.

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Deepathukral:
Folding screens have always been considered as a wonderful alternative to add a bit of privacy or screen of an area that you don’t to expose. Till now such dividers sported plain-jane look or some oriental print in the center to brighten it up….

Filed under: Journeys

Mauritius, an island off the eastern coast of Africa amid the Indian Ocean, is a tropical getaway that probably won’t attract as many disruptive tourists as the usual vacation spots like Mexico or the Bahamas. On the eastern edge of the island lies the Anahita Resort with plush accommodations, fresh cuisine, an airy spa and an Ernie Els championship golf course. The luxurious residences are complete with the expected amenities and services with the addition of a Villa Master?! Nice. The ‘Master’ will prepare complimentary breakfast and take care of any other in-residence dining needs. The island has recreational and relaxing opportunities alike and is sure to get you away from the stress and hectic life at home.

[via Lussorian]

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Deepathukral: Ever wondered why we celebrate the most momentous moments of our life by popping open a bottle of pricey champagne or cognac? Considered to be the rich man’s poison, here is one more juicy intoxicating news that will leave you more than bewildered. You…

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

One of the pitfalls of being a sports star is having to sell your old real estate once you get traded. It’s not always easy, we’ve seen Shaquille O’Neal struggle to unload his Miami home for years, Dwayne Wade has had his on the market for a while and the list goes on to include today’s estate the home of Boston Celtics player Ray Allen. Allen used to play on the Seattle SuperSonics and owns this Craftsman-style estate in Carnation, Washington. The five-bedroom home is on nearly 4.5 acres. It’s a rather nice home with vaulted entryways, box beam celings and a casual style. It is a former Street of Dreams Award winning home and includes a master suite with a custom spa, a gourmet kitchen, home theater, office and exercise room. The home has a lot of exterior features too such as a putting green, pool, exterior cabana and a sports court connected with well-landscaped pathways. Allen first listed the home about six months ago at $6 million and recently sliced the price down to $5.2 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

[via WSJ Private Properties]
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Continue reading Ray Allen’s Washington Home, Estate of the Day

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Cavale:
We all love owning art furniture especially when they are limited edition pieces because they sound and feel so exclusive, don’t we? Well, here is the Galactic Throne, a uniquely designed chair that was inspired by Captain Kirk’s bridge chair from…

If a fashion designer can make a teddy bear look absolutely fierce, lethally chic and addictively desired by adults, then you should know that it is no other than Karl Lagerfeld.

Filed under: Handbags

I’ve mentioned Zappos Luxe Life before. Now and then I browse the store to see what’s new in the Couture section, and recently I found a bag that I really like for fall. Usually Alexander McQueen is too way out for me, but I think this Western-inspired patent bag is great for the days when you break out the jeans and boots but want a nice bag to polish the look. The burgundy and gold bag is made of of patent leather. It’s 14″ wide across the bottom, 9.5″ wide across the top, 5.5″ deep and 10″ high, enough room for wallet, keys, sunglasses, lipstick and personal technology. The handle drop is 5″. Other features: a front exterior slip pocket, platform bottom, top zip closure and a luxurious interior lining with a back wall zip pocket and multifunctional slip pockets. Comes with a protective dust bag. $2,569; free shipping and returns from Zappos.

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Filed under: Wine

Pininfarina, the Italian design house, that has designed for Ferrari, Maserati and Rolls-Royce now has a wine label. Pininfarina wine debuted at the Concorso Italiano earlier this month in Monterey, CA. The inaugural release of 2005 Vino Rosso was tasted by throngs of spectators and a three liter bottle was auctioned off for $3,000 to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The 2005 Pininfarina Napa Valley Vino Rosso is a Napa Valley red that is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon,29% Cabernet Franc, 6% Sangiovese and 5% Petit Verdot. The wine has black currant and raspberry aromas with a balance of fruit and ripe, fat tannins. It can be drunk now but the winemaker’s notes say that it will start to show its prime between 2010 and 2012, with the ultimate peak for this wine being probably between 2017 and 2021. While the label doesn’t use the classic Pininfarina red color there is sleek carbon fiber like detail surrounding the label. There were 1,125 cases produced and bottles sell online for $95 each.

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