Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping, Men’s Style

Mackage is so pleased with sales in its first NYC pop-up boutique, in the Meatpacking District, that it has opened a second, this time in SoHo. Open through December, the store will carry the Canadian company’s Fall/Winter ‘09 collection for men and women including butter-soft leather bombers, shearling styles, and its ever-popular Puffy down-filled winter coats. The line is popular with such celebrities as Hilary Duff, Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Hurley, Eva Mendes, Kristen Bell, Will.I.Am. and John Legend, to name a few. And a non-celebrity — me. The coats are beautiful, practical, and better-priced than I expected for such style and quality. The SoHo store’s details can be found in the photo above.

Mackage Opens Second Pop-Up Boutique in NYC originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Keeping up with the unrivaled craftsmanship and individuality, Lorenzo Cycles has collaborated with the custom bike builder Eddie Trotta to bring out the “Icon.” The latest chopper is a beautiful beast with 93” displacement, thunder cycle mini.

Filed under: Estates

Today’s home has quite a bit of celebrity provenance. The two-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills was once part of Ellen DeGeneres’s extensive real estate portfolio. Later it was owned by Heath Ledger. Leder’s estate put the home on the market last year and it sold for $2.5 million. Now it’s up for sale once again for $3.695 million.

This beautiful home does have a treehouse feel because it is surrounded by trees. It has a large deck with outdoor screening room, grill and fire pit. The post-and-beam home was built in 1951 and over 2,000 square feet of space. The bathrooms and kitchens have had a modern renovation but the brick fireplace, beamed ceilings and decks give the home a retro appeal. Check out more gorgeous images at the property website shot by Everett Fenton Gidley.

[via Move Trends]

Continue reading The Treehouse, Estate of the Day

The Treehouse, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apparel

Scarves are a great way to dress up an otherwise drab outfit and can be layered with everything from a silk blouse to a cotton tank top. Some women have a knack for throwing on a scarf and instantly looking totally pulled together and gorgeous, but most of us have to make a deliberate effort in order to pull off the look successfully. The real key is confidence — wear the scarf however you feel comfortable, in whatever way you think looks best, and in a color and material that flatters your skin tone. Truthfully, wearing a scarf isn’t as complicated as it seems and is actually pretty difficult to get wrong, but there are a few rookie mistakes to avoid.

DO choose a material that fits the season. Lightweight scarves look great year round but save the heavier fabrics for fall and winter only.

DON’T mix too many patterns together. If you have a lot going on already in terms of prints or patterns on your outfit choose a solid colored scarf — simple is usually better.

DO wear scarves to both formal and informal occasions — just be sure to match the styling to the event. For something dressy try a sleek ‘neckerchief‘ or an elegant butterfly wrap. For a more casual look the bandana is gaining popularity with celebrities.

DON’T be afraid to experiment. Scarves can not only be worn around your neck but also around your waist as a belt, on your head as a headband, or tied to the handle of your bag to add a punch of color and feminine flair.

DO collect scarves in a variety of colors, fabrics, and sizes so you have options when you’re looking to accessorize. Although scarves are amazingly versatile they aren’t all created equal and each has different strengths. The right scarf for the right occasion makes all the difference.

How to Wear a Scarf originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Spas

Massages are a wonderful luxury and also one of the few traditionally “guilty pleasures” that aren’t so guilty after all. Massages are a great tool for relaxation and stress management, as well as beneficial in treating a host of other problems and giving some unexpected health benefits.

Pain Science has yet to discover exactly how massage helps with pain but somehow it does. Theories surround the fact that massages relax muscles, reduce stress hormones, and stimulate good hormones. Pain due to fibromyalgia, migraines, and back pain respond particularly well to massage therapy.

Self-Esteem Believe it or not regular massages have been shown to raise self-esteem in some people. Direct contact in the form of touch can help a person feel connected and cared for, and as a result have a greater feeling of self-worth and higher self-esteem.

Mood One of the most common benefits of massage is a decrease in stress hormones and an increase in ‘feel good’ hormones, which means decreased stress, anxiety, and depression, and improved relaxation and overall mood.

Immunity The stress hormone cortisol impairs the body’s immune system, but massages reduce cortisol and so give your immunity a boost.

Sleep/Alertness Massage, depending on what kind, can either stimulate deeper sleep or improved alertness.

The Health Benefits of Massage originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Journeys, The Classicist

Presiding over the picturesque Vermont village of Manchester, The Equinox has played host to the well-heeled and well-traveled for nearly 250 years. Established in 1769, the archetypal grand old New England hotel has served as a meeting place for the fathers of the American Revolution and hosted American presidents including Taft, Grant, Harrison and Teddy Roosevelt. Now part of the Luxury Collection, the iconic 195-room resort recently underwent a $20 million restoration, adding luxury amenities, luxe accommodations, and a new restaurant and bar to update an American icon and uphold its legacy going forward.

Designer Geoffrey Bradfield was put in charge of the redecoration, and fitted out the new guestrooms with a muted palette of slate blue, dark brown and beige accented with hand-carved furniture. One wall of each guest room features a large black and white photograph of The Equinox from the early 1900’s. Custom-made beds, marble vanities, dramatic floor length curtains and plush leather armchairs add the finishing touches. The lobby seating areas and library, both with fireplaces, have also been spruced up.

The Falcon Bar and Chop House are the new additions to the drinking and dining scene. The Falcon Bar features French doors opening onto a terrace with incredible mountain vistas and an open-air fire pit. Inside there’s dark wood paneling and plush leather chairs, as well as an extensive collection of single malt Scotch and a comprehensive wine list. There’s also a menu of locally sourced cheeses and gourmet chocolates. The Chop House, located at the original site of The Equinox House Hotel built by Franklin Orvis in 1853, features the original stone hearth and is designed in the manner of a refined hunter’s lodge complementing the gourmet steak house fare. Leather banquettes and rugged palette are accented by old hardwood floors.

The adjacent Marsh Tavern, which has been the favorite watering hole of presidents since 1769, has been given a new menu of sophisticated, New England-style cuisine full of nostalgic flavors and simple, farm fresh ingredients. The bar specializes in an extensive selection of beers and ales and features snacks such as pretzels served with Raye’s Mustard from Maine, the last stone ground mustard mill in the country. And of course there’s lots to do besides eating and drinking: the indoor pool and spa, for starters.

The Equinox also offers the ultimate outdoor Vermont adventure experience with a variety of activities such as golf, falconry, archery, fly-fishing, shooting and Land Rover off-road driving. You can spend your morning maneuvering a Land Rover on rough terrain, midday practice your aim with recurve bows on the archery field, play golf on the lush course, and in the afternoon try field hunting alongside a majestic hawk, with some of the country’s most scenic vistas as a backdrop.

The Classicist: The Equinox, Updating An American Icon in Vermont originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

To the rest of us, hot sauce aficionados may seem a little crazy. The hottest of sauces may seem like bottled pain to us, but to them it’s a delectable condiment. Luckily for us, the most expensive hot sauce in the world isn’t one of those.
Cackalacky Spice Sauce is rated fewer than 1,000 units on […]

It is Christmas time again and the time for Audiophiles among you to start shopping for stuff that will soothe your ears. We bring you an eclectic collection of 15 audio accessories that will literally fill your life with not just music, but great…

It’s not every day that we would think of a notebook as a collector’s item, but this Smartbook AG has got the charm to change the way we think about notebooks. Encrusted in Swarovski crystals, this Zenid GC Crystal will make you enter the most…

Filed under: Auctions, Art

The top lot at Christie’s Asian art auctions brought in a record $5.9 million in Hong Kong. A large abstract painting by Chu Teh-Chun, “Vertige Neigeux,” surprised bidders and spectators alike, with an unidentified Asian private buyer ultimately winning in front of an audience of 400 people. Overall, the auction brought in $79 million.

Buyers from mainland China pushed prices higher at the Christie’s sale, especially with local art collectors picking up artwork as a way to protect their wealth from inflation and a struggling U.S. dollar. Chu, Zao Wou-ki and Fu Baoshi are among the hottest artists on the market right now in Asia. A piece by Baoshi set a record during the day sale, moving for $7.8 million. One by Sanyu nearly tripled its presale estimate. According to Anthony Lin, an art consultant in Hong Kong, contemporary Chinese art is starting to recover.

On the first day of the five-day sale, Christie’s also sold more than $5 million in wine.

[Photo courtesy of Christie’s]

Hong Kong Christie’s Auction Sets Records originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags

Some women meticulously choose an outfit-coordinated handbag every morning, while others carry the same bag for months (or even years) until it finally wears out and falls apart. Because they’re such a daily necessity and an ingrained part of our everyday lives, handbags say a lot more about their owners than just announcing their taste in fashion. Big, small, hobo, clutch, flashy or plain — what is your handbag saying about you?

Shoulder Bag Shoulder bags denote a thoughtful, practical nature and careful decision-making.

Designer Label Women that carry expensive, designer handbags enjoy the finer things in life (and want others to know it).

Knock-Off Carrying a knock-off bag can say that you’re putting a fake front to the world and not always being true to yourself. But at least you have good taste.

Clutch Those who carry a clutch or very small handbag on a daily basis don’t need to have their entire life with them at all times and give off an “I am a jet-setter” vibe.

Over-sized Large hobos and tote bags say that you don’t want to ever have to go without. They say “I am prepared” and “I can take care of myself.”

Flashy Bright, bejeweled, sequined, or otherwise very flashy bags denote confidence and a desire to be noticed.

Neutral Soothing, comfortable, neutral bags often belong to women with open, personable, friendly demeanors.

Do agree or disagree? What do you want your handbag to say?

What Your Handbag Says About You originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Read | Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Christmas is upon us and it’s time to get ready for the festivities, shopping for gifts for your near and dear ones and decorating your home for the celebrations. So, we are back with our Christmas Gift Guide to make your Christmas shopping easy with…

What is believed to be the world’s second-largest documented pearl is being auctioned by Bonhams Auction House on December 6. Valued between $300,000 and $400,000, the five-pound gem found off the coast of the Philippines is a…

Filed under: Journeys

Las Vegas seems to have a surfeit of hotel suites lately but that hasn’t stopped the big names from bringing out new offerings. The Hard Rock Hotel has unveiled the HRH Tower Suites. The HRH Tower is an all-suite tower set to open on December 28. HRH Tower includes 359 “standard” suites, eight spa villas opening directly to the pool areas, and seven penthouse suites on the 16th floor. Guests in the new towers will have their own VIP entrance and check-in, direct access to the new casino space, luxury Reliquary spa; and Vanity nightclub.

The suites include an integrated wet bar, sitting area, and suite bathroom with cast iron tubs. Each suite in the Tower includes an AMX 12″ Touch Panel music system with iPod dock with over 2,000 HRH owned songs and playlists as well as two 40″ Sony Bravia LCD TV with DVD players. The seven penthouse suites include: Infinity, Nirvana, Provocateur, Platinum, Ultra Lounge, Stones, and Sex & Pistols. Bathrooms include Grohe bath fixtures with rain showerheads and six handheld shower sprays. The Nirvana Suite (rendering shown above) comes with an outside beach area with a private plunge pool and two enormous four poster draped daybeds.

The Vanity nightclub is lit by a multi-million dollar chandelier that can change color and even broadcast images and the club has two marble bars, a sunken dance floor, 50 VIP booths, an outdoor terrace including five cabanas with direct access to a sky bar and a ladies’ lounge with six individual vanity stations and a full length three-way mirror with staff on-hand to fix broken nails, style hair and spruce up makeup. The Reliquary Spa has a Roman Bath, 21 treatment rooms, a private studio for pole dancing lessons and a fitness center. Rates at the tower start at $119.

Hard Rock Hotel Adds New Suites Tower originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

If you thought long flights are monotonous, distasteful and boring, think again. French company Airbus has released the last model of its huge offspring, the Airbus A-380, that will change the way you think about flights forever. To start-off into the..

Who’d have guessed from the mere looks of this innovative metal and wood combination that it’s not a sculpture but a new speaker? That’s Fabio Ognibeni’s specialty to think of intricate details in the most simplest of things. Priced at…

Filed under: Timepieces

This is not the first Rado watch I’ve seen that actually looks like a TV screen - but it does look a lot like one. Applying their new style of minimalism (but not too much minimalism you can’t easily read the watch dial), the new Rado r5.5 line is another all ceramic beauty from the brand that doesn’t try too hard to look good. These designs are all created by artist Jasper Morrison.The square shaped case gracefully edges into a solid lug structure for the also all ceramic bracelet at the ends of the case. The dials are done with a sunburst polish and the watch comes with gold or steel tone hands and indexes.

You can opt for a chronograph or three-hand variant of the r5.5 watch (I still don’t get the name). The thin cases have Swiss quartz movements in them. Rado didn’t mention how wide the cases are, so I can’t share that with. Crystals are of course sapphire. One thing I have noticed about most all Rado ceramic watches are that no matter how old they are, the watches almost always look new due to the brand’s particular good use of the highly scratch resistant ceramic compound. Look for the Rado r5.5 watches soon.

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

Rado r5.5 Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Auctions

This Sunday, according to Yahoo, a woman in Massachusetts found the image of Jesus Christ burned onto her iron. She reportedly intends to keep the treasure in the closet, but she might just make a killing with it on eBay.

We’ve all heard tales of sightings of Jesus and the Virgin Mary in everything from toast to car windshields. A search for “image of Jesus” on eBay yields results including potatoes, potato chips, a million-dollar marble tile (above), soap, and an antique book selling for $30,000.

If you have the faith and the money, this kind of collecting might be a fun pastime, but are these images really divine? Worse yet, is there an opportunity for scams here? I don’t know how you’d attempt to emblazon the face of Jesus on a marble tile like the one here, or on a potato chip (maybe with a lighter?), but the prices people are seeking for their allegedly divine finds are pretty high.

Click through the gallery to see if you can see Jesus in these high-priced (and not-so-high-priced) items.

Random Jesus Sightings are Big Business on eBay originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

While we here at Born Rich are diving deep to bring out the most unusual and great gift ideas for this holiday season, Mercedes-Benz (well, the very mention of the name makes us think of luxury) has come up with some practical and original gifts for..

Filed under: Journeys

Las Vegas’ big gamble, the massive CityCenter is finally starting to be open to the public. The Vdara Hotel and Spa is partnering with Vanity Fair to co-host a grand opening gala hosted by Sebastian Copeland with Orlando Bloom and Rosario Dawson on Tuesday in support of the Sebastian Copeland Foundation, a new foundation to explore climate change. Entertainment will be provided by DJs Donovan Leitch and Mathieu Schreyer and guests will dine on food from Martin Heierling, executive chef of Vdara and the hotel’s contemporary Mediterranean restaurant, Silk Road.

Vdara is a non-gaming, smoke-free environment which is physically connected to Bellagio and adjacent to the ARIA resort. The LEED Gold certified project includes the 18,000-square-foot, two-level wellness spa, Vdara Health and Beauty. The hotel features a variety of stay options the most lavish of which are the two-bedroom penthouse suites which each have a full kitchen, a washer and dryer, flatscreen televisions and a bathroom with a soaking tub.

The 4,004-room Aria Resort & Casino will open on December 16. Many are concerned about how eager people will be to check out the new hotel considering that room prices are lower across the Strip and tourism is still down. The AP reports that including condominiums, CityCenter will have nearly 6,800 units open early next year. Rates at Vdara start at $129, $149 at anchor resort Aria and $345 at the Mandarin Oriental.

Vdara Hotel To Open With Celeb-Attended Gala originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments