Filed under: Art

Striking tapestry right? This golden beauty currently on display at the American Natural History in New York City was produced in Madagascar using the soft yet strong silk fiber of a local spider. The textile, measures 11 feet by 4 feet and took four years to complete. This is the only textile of its kind on display in the world. The silk fiber was gathered from the female golden orb spider, a spider known for its yellow-hued webs. Spiders were gathered from telephone wires every day by a group people who used long poles. Giant spiders webs are apparently common in Antananarivo, the capital of Madagascar. The spiders were then silked and released back into the wild each day. The museum has a fascinating (but a bit creepy for arachnophobes) video on the making of the tapestry that shows the process and interviews with Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley who spent over a half a million dollars of their own money to crate the tapestry. It will be on display for several months.

[via NPR]
[Thanks, Bruce!]

Spider Silk Tapestry Is A Golden Beauty originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates

We don’t see too many blue houses up for sale, this one has been drenched in a shade of sky that stretches to the chimneys and surrounding walls. The Maurice-Fatio-designed home in Palm Beach, Florida has an fanciful, Easter-egg-like delicacy to it. Fatio designed homes inspired by European nobility and mansions during the 1920 and 1930s. Today’s home is located in a prime location near the shops of Worth Avenue and near the beach. It has three bedrooms and a separate guest/staff quarters. The small backyard includes a pool. It is listed at $6.5 million.

Continue reading Blue In Palm Beach, Estate of the Day

Blue In Palm Beach, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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At a time when anything “big budget” is in trouble, it is notable that most prominent in the “pushing ahead” category are luxury yachts. With the upcoming in nautical technology, we saw some of the revolutionary yacht designs recently but the.

Filed under: Journeys

I’m sorry to hear this news, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that another grand resort has hit hard times. Aspen’s historic Hotel Jerome, has been scheduled for an auction. The hotel, which opened way back in 1889, was purchased in 2007 by a pair of investors, Elysian Worldwide LLC and Lodging Capital Partners LLC. The deal was financed with a $48 million mortgage provided by Morgan Stanley Mortgage Capital Inc. Now an entity identified as Jerome Property LLC has said that the owners failed to pay the mortgage’s $36.3 million balance. The foreclosure filing was recorded on September 24 and the foreclosure auction will be held in January unless something changes.

Meanwhile, the hotel, which is managed by Rock Resorts, remains open and is preparing for the busy ski season with a bunch of special offers and packages. The hotel is one of Aspen’s most beloved landmarks and the J-Bar is a popular destination famous for the Aspen Crud, a milkshake and bourbon concoction that is a bit like a Mudslide that punches you in the gut.

Hotel Jerome Facing Foreclosure Auction originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The makers of Chambord, the French black raspberry liqueur, unveiled the most sumptuous and expensive breakfast to coincide with the start of a West End production, an adaptation the classic novel Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The $35,000 meal includes a.

Filed under: Journeys

It’s not your imagination, hotel rooms have gotten cheaper. According to the hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI) room rates around the world have dropped. According to the hotels.com Hotel Price Index, hotel prices around the world fell by 17 percent in the first six months of 2009, when compared to the same period in 2008. What’s even more interesting is that with the exception of the Caribbean, every major region around the world experienced the sharpest price drops since the hotels.com Hotel Price Index began in January 2004. Latin American hotels were down 18 percent year over year, while North America saw a 17 percent drop and Europe’s average was 16 percent lower than it had been a year before.

The hotels.com HPI tracks the real prices paid per hotel room rather than advertised rates, using a weighted average based on the number of rooms sold in each of the markets in which hotels.com operates. The latest report issued looked at hotel prices paid at 78,000 hotels across 13,000 locations around the world for the period January to June 2009, compared to the same period the year before.

In the first half of 2009, the world’s most expensive destinations, with the exception of Capri, saw dramatic falls in prices paid by travelers compared to the same period in 2008. Two major U.S. travel destinations, New York and Las Vegas, saw a 30 percent drop in hotel rates in the first half of 2009. In the first half of 2009, New York overtook Las Vegas as the U.S. city with the fastest growth in hotel rooms. A total of 8,000 new rooms are predicted for New York City for 2009. London is also adding rooms in advance of the 2012 Olympics. Hotel room supply in the city increased by more than 3,000 new rooms in 2008 and an additional 3,400 are forecast for 2009.

In the first half of 2009 hotel prices across the United States dropped 17 percent with room rates on average $115 a night down from $139 a night during the same period in 2008. New York City held its spot as the most expensive domestic city for U.S. travelers and Washington, D.C. rose to second place (a response to the travel for the presidential inauguration). Las Vegas had the third least expensive hotel rates in the first half of 2009 but is the top spot for tourists and Orlando, the third most popular destination for U.S. travelers, ranked number 10 in lowest hotel rates.

Hotel Rooms Rates Down Worldwide For First Half Of 2009 originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

A pretty, structured bag in a nice shade of blue that’s somewhere between navy and periwinkle, the studs are what really give this Temperly London design most of its personality. Small for a shoulder bag it’s still big enough to hold essentials during the day while being small enough to transfer seamlessly into a casual evening scene. The bag is made of 100% leather except for the studs, hardware, and delicate ribbon detailing on the front flap in black and cream tones, and the entire thing hinges on a large bar that runs along the top. Popper fastening and interior zip pocket, £475.

Temperly London Shoulder Bag with Studs, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apparel

Drew Barrymore’s two-toned hair raised eyebrows at a recent event to promote her new directorial adventure “Whip It,” but what was even more intriguing was her choice in gloves. Barrymore’s strappy leather ornaments are more hand sandals than gloves, leather straps loop over the fingers and the glove fastens at the wrist. The Spider glove is the creation of Perrin Paris 1893, a family-owned French label which is launching a store in Beverly Hills. Style Section LA reports that first-ever store in Beverly Hill is being opened by L.A. residents Michel Perrin, a transplanted Parisian, and his wife, Sally Perrin, a Seattle-bred former model and actress.

The Perrin Paris accessories aren’t all quite so avant-garde but the house’s Ball bag ranks high as one of the most architecturally arresting handbags I’ve ever seen. The brand also created a clutch-like design which looks like a long wallet. It was created for Martha Stewart to store her enviable raft of credit cards and is lovingly dubbed the Martha. The Spider gloves sell for $165, the Martha starts at $299 and prices go upward from there.

Drew Barrymore’s Spider Gloves originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Journeys

Can modular and concrete be luxurious? The picture above shows the construction of Cheeca Lodge’s green, four-story Main Lodge in Islamorada, Florida. The Cheeca Lodge & Spa is set to re-open on December 15. The 840 square foot suites were delivered complete to Cheeca Lodge with fully-equipped bathrooms including marble tile floors, granite counter tops, bath fixtures, and marble and glass rain showers and all electrical wiring and cabling throughout the suite. The fire-resistant modules are highly insulated, energy efficient and made of 30 percent recycled materials. High impact glass windows will be added along with luxury finishes such as mahogany crown moldings, doors and cabinetry, textured walls, carpeted floors, original art and twenty-four foot wide balconies along with an open air round tub for two with an overhead tub filler.

In addition to the new suites, Cheeca’s transformation will include an indoor-outdoor lobby lounge, meeting room, two new restaurants, a club floor with a sun deck and 2400 square feet of retail space which includes a Cheeca signature store featuring Tommy Bahama products.

Modular Goes Luxurious In Florida originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether you’re into bird watching, hunting or *cough* private surveillance, a pair of expensive binoculars can be a useful thing. That’s why Leica produces several lines of luxury binoculars, including the most expensive binoculars in the world.
Leica’s Duovid 10+15×50 features a 50mm lens and can switch between 10x magnification and a 15x magnification comparable to […]

Filed under: Jewelry

Diamond in the Rough, the jewelry collection that features natural rough diamonds is officially launching a bridal collection to hit retail stores this fall. The collection consists of nine solitaire ring designs and also includes natural rough diamond and micro pavé diamond bands available in platinum, 18k white gold and 18k yellow gold. Because each of the rough stones has its own idiosyncratic shape each ring is hand-crafted and designed around the stone. The collection ranges from $4,500-$10,000 retail, with special pieces over $10,000 and bands starting at $2,000 retail. The bridal collection is available at Neiman Marcus and other retailers.

Diamond In The Rough Bridal Collection originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates

It seems that nearly every residence of a certain age in New Orleans comes with reports of ghosts and the Lafitte Guest House is no exception. The Bourbon Street boutique hotel is a three-story guest house with 14 restored guest rooms with private baths. HauntedHouses.com says the house is home to several spirits including the ghost of a little girl who died of yellow fever.

What might be scarier however are the reviews the guest house has received on Trip Advisor lately which may be one reason that the charming property is up for sale. Some of the guest rooms have distressed brick walls and many have private balconies. It has a small courtyard and can host up to 50 people for weddings and other events. It is listed at $3.8 million.

Lafitte Guest House Up For Sale originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets

The HP Envy 13 is the new stylish computer from HP and we’ve got our hands on one to give to you! The 13.1 inch Envy 13 has a sleek aluminum look and a sharp 13.1″ HD LED Infinity WS Display (1600×900) screen for rich imagery. It has an eight millisecond response time so that you can view movies with TV-like performance. It is less than an inch thick and weighs 3.74 pounds. Perhaps the biggest lure is the promise of up to 18 hours of battery life.

HP also partnered with Beats[TM] by Dr. Dre[TM] to develop a unique audio software solution that’s available exclusively on the HP Envy, Beats Audio offers users playing music or audio through headphones or external speakers an optimal sound experience. It has an etched-metal palmrest and a VGA webcam that is optimized for low light. HP QuickWeb allows you to access key applications without booting the PC. In less than 30 seconds, you can get reach the Internet, music, videos and photos, and email. It uses Windows 7 Pro (64-bit) and has an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor SL9600 (2.13 GHz). The computer we are giving away has 250 GB (5400RPM )HDD, 5GB DDR3 SDRAM and a Blu-ray ROM w/ DVD+-R/RW. Check out Engadget’s first impressions of the Envy 13 here.

We are giving away one HP ENVY 13 at random to one lucky reader who comments below. To enter leave me a comment telling me what adventures you’ll go on with your new laptop.

Some other important details:
* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling me what adventures you’ll go on with your new laptop.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Wednesday October 7, 2009 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive the HP ENVY 13, valued at $2500.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.

See complete rules here.

Win An HP ENVY 13 Computer! originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Actress Meg Ryan is testing the real estate waters once again, putting her Bel-Air home back on the market. Ryan had first put her Spanish-style home on the market a year ago for $19.5 million. Finding no takers she withdrew it from the market in February. But as the LA Times Hot Property column reports it’s back again and with a lower price. The six-bedroom home was purchased for $8.995 million in 2000 and is now listed at $14.2 million.

Listing information says that the home, which was built in 1931 has had a “museum-quality” restoration that includes wood floors and ceilings, elegant tilework and graceful curved arches. Covered outdoor seating offers views of Los Angeles in the distance. It’s been moderately well-staged but there are a few off notes including the placement of large photos on the kitchen counter. The property includes a pool and guest house.

Continue reading Meg Ryan Re-Lists Her Bel-Air Home

Meg Ryan Re-Lists Her Bel-Air Home originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Journeys

The Deer Valley area in Utah is very popular with winter travelers but if you head there in the fall you can enjoy the beautiful foliage and catch a sweet deal. The Fall for Luxury Package at the Stein Eriksen Lodge offers five-star, five diamond luxury accommodations at a reduced rate. The room rates are upward of $250 per person double occupancy in the winter season but the rates for this package start at $99 per person, per night for Deluxe Room accommodations and $125 per person, per night for a Luxury Suite. The Fall for Luxury package includes one-night accommodations, a three-course dinner at the award winning Glitretind restaurant, and complimentary valet parking. The resort has a luxurious spa, pool as well as hiking and just enjoying the mountains in the fall. If a visit here doesn’t get you in the mood for the coming ski season nothing will.

[via On The Snow]

Fall For Luxury At The Stein Eriksen Lodge originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces

These represent the next round of Bertolucci Serena Animations watches, called “In The Air” and “The Olive Tree.” The Italian designed watches offer a smooth interpretation of luxury without a sense of worry or convention. Both watches are in steel cases and are 29mm wide by 40mm tall. The In The Air model features a delicate wind swept design on the dial, while the Olive Tree features an olive branch. The dials are curved and done in silvered opaline with silver metallic decor.

The olives on the Olive Tree are covered in 66 small diamonds, while both watches have 5 diamonds set in steel on the leather straps (black colored for In The Air, and white for the Olive Tree). The straps are varnished like patent leather, and continue the designs of the dials on their surface a bit. The straps go through the entire case and are screwed to the back of the watches. Inside the watches are ETA 256.041 Swiss quartz movements with 52 month battery lives. Surprisingly the watch has 100 meters of water resistance. Nice looking and not obscenely expensive luxury women’s watches. Price should be a few thousand dollars.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Bertolucci Serena Animations “In The Air” And “Olive Tree” Watches originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What would your choice be for a dream bike if given a chance to choose from performance, comfort and of course, style? Ok, let’s not waste time in guessing. Built by Rever Corsa is the new Ducati 1198 Strada that beats most of your guesses for a…

Filed under: Estates

Leona Helmsley’s Greenwich estate, Dunnellen Hall is now under the 50 percent off mark. The estate which first hit the market for $125 million has gone tumbling down the entire time it has been on the market. Last we looked it was at $75 million. But a kind gentleman let me know that the home has now been reduced to $60 million.

The traditional brick mansion is approximately 23,0000 square feet with seven upstairs bedroom suites, a glass-walled music room, a wood- paneled library with a 15th century fireplace mantel, formal dining room, family room with a bar and much more. The back wing is home to the staff area which has six bedrooms. The indoor pool has four exposures and includes areas for sitting and changing. There is also a 75-foot outdoor pool with a terrace and a cabana with a kitchen. There are also brick cottages with an additional six bedrooms total. The Helmsleys bought Dunnellen Hall in 1983 for $9 million (paying an extra $2 million for the furniture) and later picked up another 14 acres bringing the total to 40 acres. How low will it go? Rumor has it that the home will require a lot of work to transform it back into a showplace.

Dunnellen Hall Price Dropped Another $15 Million originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces

Finally a straight-forward perpetual calendar watch, once again. Many companies attempt to breathe a breath of fresh air into the common set of complications, but sometimes it is just nice to see a simple classic. Not only is the look of this Chronoswiss watch basic, but so is the name being just the “Chronoswiss Perpetual Calendar” watch. The 40mm watch sits on the stealth wealth side of the fence being in white gold, that a few feet away is almost indistinguishable from steel. Love those classic long, thin lugs.

I believe the dial comes in silver or black (blued steel hands on the silver dial). Inside the watch is the Chronoswiss manufacture made C. 127 caliber movement. Wound via the large crown, and providing the time, perpetual calendar functions, and moonphase indicators. At $34,600 it is a classic looking and high value watch compared to prices from Swiss brand. Ironically ChronoSWISS is a German brand.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Chronoswiss Perpetual Calendar Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates

A little birdie tells us that this charming estate tucked into a lovely area of Toronto belongs to Isadore Sharp. Who is Sharp? Isadore Sharp is the founder and CEO of the Four Seasons hotel group. The four-bedroom home is on around 2.7 acres adjacent to the Rosedale Golf Club. It ia accessed down a long stonewalled drive and has a tennis court and verdant rolling grounds. Take the virtual tour and peer at the all the exquisite collectibles (Sharp appears to collect a variety of precious things). Several corner cabinets hold what appear to be whole sets of fine china, ample enough for the dining room which large enough to host a very big dinner party. This home is listed at $9.8 million Canadian.

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

Continue reading Forest Glen, Estate of the Day

Forest Glen, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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