Filed under: Decor, Cosmetics and Fragrance

Lafco New York has just the thing to help shopping mavens destress after a tough day of swiping the Amex — a new collection of eight candles named after the world’s most famous shopping streets. Appropriately named the Avenue Candle Collection, the collection comprises Canton Road, Ave Montaigne, Bloor Street, Madison Avenue, Via Condotti, Bond Street, Stoleschnikov, and Bahnhofstrasse. All boast 75 - 85 hours burn time from a clean-burning soy wax blend, and the hand-blown glass vessels are hand-dipped in platinum or gold. $48 each

Lafco New York’s Avenue Candle Collection originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Much of the time when we talk about celebrity homes in Los Angeles we are looking at homes in Beverly Hills or Hollywood but today’s home brings us to my part of town, Silver Lake. Silver Lake is full of interesting modern homes perched in the hills around the reservoir and this one is inhabited by singer Kevin Griffin of the band Better Than Ezra. Griffin and his wife bought the home in 2006 for $1.595 million, moving to Los Angeles after hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. The three bedroom home is a 1950s post and beam house which went through a major renovation to turn it into a 2,900 square foot home. Large porches offer views from the hillside perch. The LA Times Hot Property column quotes Griffin as saying that he now that he and his wife have twins they need a bit more space but that they will miss the house and the area. This home is listed at $1.65 million.

Continue reading Kevin Griffin In Silver Lake, Estate of the Day

Kevin Griffin In Silver Lake, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

From the LA Times Hot Properties:
–The Bel-Air home of director and artist Stephen Verona is for sale $4.395 million. The red tile-roofed villa, shown above, includes gardens and a gazebo. The property website is here.
–Television writer Daniel Freudenberger has listed his historic Cheviot Hills home for $3.695 million. The listing is with Ben Lee Properties.

From the Wall Street Journal’s Private Properties:
–Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has paid $19.5 million for a Tuscan-style home in the Hollywood Hills.
–George Stephanopoulos, co-host of ABC’s “Good Morning America” show and a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, has bought a home in East Hampton, N.Y., for $3.5 million.
–Interior designer Cindy Rinfret, whose clients other local residents Tommy Hilfiger and television personality Regis Philbin, has put her Greenwich, Connecticut home on the market for $14.5 million.

From the NY Post:
–Katie Lee, the cookbook author and ex-wife of Billy Joel is said to be selling her 23 Perry Street that she and Joel once shared and that she bought from Joel for $3 million after their split last year. It is expected to be listed with Dolly Lenz for $12.9 million.
–Jeffrey Loria, the art-dealing owner of the Florida Marlins, has picked up part of the Howard Gittis’ Southampton estate on Ox Pasture Lane. The estate was divided into three portions and sold for a combined $38.5 million to Loria and designer Tory Burch.
–Someone wants in at the Trump International Hotel and Tower. A Russian family walked away from a deal to buy an $18.5 million, 5,500-square-foot penthouse at the tower but it was auctioned off for more than $31 million. It is reportedly gutted and a renovation could cost $10 million.
–Julianne Moore was spotted checking out the Soho Mews development looking at two townhouse units priced around $5 million to $5.5 million. Her townhouse remains on the market for $11.995 million.

From the Real Estalker:
–Billionaire Jerry Perenchio has added to his huge Bel Air estate by picking up a $9.2 million property across the street from his home.
–The seven-bedroom home that Michael Jackson rented in las Vegas for around six months has sold for $3.1 million. The home in Las Vegas he was interested in buying remains on the market at $16.5 million.

From Zillow Blog:
–Sean Penn and Robin Wright have sold their Marin County home. The price was not revealed but the home was first listed their home for sale in August 2008 for $15 million.

From the Chicago Tribune’s Elite Street:
–Charlotte Bobcats and former Chicago Bulls center Tyson Chandler has listed his six-bedroom mansion for $3.395 million. He bought the home for $4 million and in the past he tried to sell it for as much as $4.9 million. The listing is here.

–Former Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has sold his 36th-floor condominium in Chicago’s Trump International Hotel & Tower for $2 million.
–Chicago sportscaster Steve Kashul has sold his three-bedroom, ranch-style house in Naperville, complete with a basement bowling alley, for $475,000.

Continue reading Sunday Real Estate Round-Up, 1/31/10

Sunday Real Estate Round-Up, 1/31/10 originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

If at first you don’t succeed, list, list again. The former Thousand Oaks, California estate of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, the same one he sold to Lenny Dykstra, has popped onto the market again at a new low price. The lavish, Richard Landry-designed home has over 6.5 acres of space that includes three guest houses, formal gardens, tennis courts, pool, spa and gym. The neo-Georgian main house has six bedroom done up in lavish style. The listing pictures appear to be similar to the ones used the when Dykstra put the home on the market for $24.5 million. He had bought the home from Gretsky, for $18.5 million in 2007.

A year later Dykstra’s financial empire began to unravel. The home later had a price cut to $16.5 million (and was listed for rent for $55,000 a month). Dykstra’s financial worries deepened. At one point we heard the home might be up for auction. Meanwhile Dykstra, in the serious weeds over the disintegration of his Players Club magazine has been fighting with the courts to have control over his Chapter 11 reorganization. Last we heard, an outside trustee was going to handle the financial management. Dykstra has sold off a variety of sports memorabilia and other valuable possessions to help satisfy his debts. The listing agents Nicki LaPorta and Karen Crystal of Ewing Sotheby’s Realty say that the listing is a Trustee Bankruptcy court approval sale. The home has a new low price, $14.9 million, which might finally help it attract a buyer.

Lenny Dykstra’s Home Back On The Market originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

Whether intended to make a statement about global warming, or simply a whimsical dream of snowmen and elephants living together in harmony, this Joy Medium Boston Bag by Gucci is certainly fun. The color scheme is bright but still mostly neutral, and the white leather trim gives it a very spring-y vibe. And a very charitable vibe comes from the fact that 25% of the proceeds will go to UNICEF. Gold-tone hardware, D ring detail, double handles, and zip-top closure round out the features. $695

Gucci ‘Joy’ Medium Boston Bag, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Auctions, Charity

Mattel has come out with a new concept for Barbie, teaching little girls early on in life that what every woman really needs is the perfect little black dress. Most women would agree with the company and most likely the all new Barbie Basics[TM] Collection will be a resounding success. Mattel has paired up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to celebrate the launch of the dolls which are wearing little black dresses and come with accessory kits.

Who better to inspire budding pre-teen designers than some of the big names themselves. Twelve of the CFDA fashion and accessories designers have created one-of-a-kind Barbies that showcase their unique talents and tastes. These Barbie dolls are currently up for auction on eBay and all net proceeds will go to support CFDA’s educational initiatives and scholarship program. The designers include Issac Mizrahi, Betsey Johnson, Rachel Roy, Justin Giunta, Lorraine Schwartz, Alex Bittar, Monica Botkier, Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Albertus Swanepoei, Philip Crangi and Devi Kroell. The dolls went up for auction on January 28th and will be available to bid on through February 7th.

As of January 31rst some of the bids were up to as much $3,500 for Lorraine Schwartz’s Barbie with Diamonds followed by the Kate Spade Barbie at $800. For those who don’t have the funds to bid on the designer e-bay Barbies, Mattel will be giving away one of the new Barbie Basic dolls and accessory pack on Twitter from February 1st - 16th.

Bid Now on Designer Customized Barbies! originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets, Cosmetics and Fragrance

Tired of your black laptop blending into the background? Then spice it up by getting one of Dell’s laptops festooned with a more personalized shade, courtesy of nail lacquer experts OPI. Now you can customize your Dell laptop (Mini, Inspiron, or Studio) with one of 26 OPI shades using the Dell Design Studio. Just perusing the names can be fun, never mind the color: “I’m Not Really a Waitress” (shown), “Green-wich Village,” “No Room for the Blues,” “Rosy Future,” and “A Grape Fit!” are just a few. View all the available colors.

Dell and OPI Partner To Offer Laptops in Nail Polish Colors originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces

Men’s watches are in for women. In Europe and Asia for example it is exceedingly common to see a woman wearing a Panerai watch. They look good together as well. Though this is still a clear case of a woman wearing a man’s watch. The opposite is not particularly common. Then you have the odd case of the man’s watch in drag. Which is basically what you have here. The new for 2010 Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm watch more or less looks like a man’s watch that has been shrunk by maybe a couple of millimeters and given a diamond bezel treatment. Is that all it takes these days to go from man-tool to she-jewel?

“Strong enough for a man, but made just for a woman” should be a borrowed slogan of this watch. Having said that, if the shoe fits and the style looks good on the ladies, who cares? I just find it amusing that Omega is playing dress up with masculine style watches and giving them a speckled treatment around the edges and calling them “miss.” Maybe in a year or two the watch will come in all steel, have a black alligator strap, grow 2mm in size and no one would know it started life in a pink colored room.

As such, for this Speedmaster Ladies 38mm, you know the case size, which is in steel with pink gold pushers, dial accents and the bezel - which has 54 diamonds all around it. Inside the watch is an Omega caliber 3304 automatic movement with a 12 hour chronograph, time, and the date. Strap is gray alligator, and this is one watch that any man close to the female owner might mistake for his own. Debut of the watch will be in a few months at Basel 2010. Price TBA.

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

Omega Speedmaster Ladies 38mm: A Man’s Watch By Any Other Name? originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Spas

Valentine’s Day tradition calls for flowers and chocolates but spa treatments incorporating sugar, chocolate and other sweets is another more modern option. A variety of spas and centers are offering very tempting options for extra luxurious pampering.

The Medical Spa at Nova in Ashburn, VA (just outside of D.C.) is featuring several exclusive spa packages for Valentine’s Day including the “scrumptious” Sweet & Savory Body Scrub Package ($90). Nova’s invigorating brown sugar body scrub includes Mediterranean lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, and lemon petigrain essential oils with brown sugar and a steam shower and sauna with chocolates and a rose on check out. The Girl’s Best Friend Package offers a merlot bath, spa lunch, glass of champagne, a diamond radiance facial and a box of chocolate and a rose all for $250.

Check out more sweet spa experiences in the gallery below.

Sweet Spa Experiences For Valentine’s Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces

Bulgari is getting serious again about making its own watch movements. With ETA cracking down on handing certain movements to competitors and complex movement makers shutting down, all the important watch brands known that they need to have the ability to make their own movements in the future. Flexing their mechanical muscles, brands need to assert that they have what it takes to make complex to basic movements that are reliable and relatively affordable. Having said that Bulgari is due to release is new Diagono Calibro 303 watch that features the in-house made BVL caliber 303 movement. Why is it called that? Because it is made of 303 parts. The movement is an automatic chronograph with the date.

The case is 42mm wide in steel with an 18k white gold bezel (with the needed BVLGARI BVLGARI text). The dial has applied rose gold indexes and hands with a mostly blue half and a silver tone half. Lots of signature texturing and cotes de geneve polish on the dial as well. Nothing super new, but a nice refresh of the design. The watch is matched to a blue toned alligator strap. Price is about 11,800 Swiss Francs.

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

Bulgari Diagono Calibro 303 Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the growing need for green energy in these recent times, the new wind-powered machines have looked beyond engineering laboratories to blend in with our residential environments. So, as we get used to these wind turbines around us, an entirely…

Filed under: Estates

Today’s Chicago home offers over 7,400 square feet of space spread out over six levels. The townhome has five bedrooms, a large kitchen, four terraces and a roofdeck with great views of the Chicago skyline. The penthouse area also has an outdoor kitchen. Other features include an elevator, media room, library, white limestone foyer and a heated two garage. This home is listed at $4.95 million.

Continue reading Burling Palace, Estate of the Day

Burling Palace, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 13:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Wine, Green

Thankfully just because a person wants to be green and support recycling doesn’t mean they have to compromise on style and quality. This Italian Carafe and set of wine glasses is a great example of having the best of both worlds. Handmade of recycled glass in Portland, this set is processed in an electric furnace that’s powered 100% by eco-friendly wind power. No two pieces are the same but they all have the beautiful foggy white color variations and charming, slightly misshapen organic appeal. Get the carafe alone for $174, or with a set of 4 glasses for $370.

Italian Wine Carafe Handmade of Recycled Glass originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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9X Media has earlier expanded our vision with their expandable and customizable multi-screen display systems, but they haven’t stopped there. 9X Media’s new X-Top Multi Screen Commander System comes with all the benefits of their previous…

Most workplaces would ideally throw away the paper that failed to see the boss’ creative idea become a strategy, however, the creative folks at Japanese company Oriental would flush their creative ideas down the drain. Quite literally, though. The..

For a while now, we have been noticing that contemporary pool tables are becoming high-tech to complement the lavish lifestyle in your gaming room. This new pool table presented by Dynasty is designed by a USA Billiard designer, who apparently does…

Not everyone has the dream of flying in the skies — some take it to the deep seas. And this is why billionaire Sir Richard Branson commissioned an underwater plane, the Necker Nymph, intended to take visitors to his luxury hideaway, Necker Island,..

This handcrafted bent walnut tote is for wine lovers who would like take their favorite wine to some panoramic sight to soak up the luxurious experience of pleasure and amazement. Designed around the standard 750ml wine bottle, the bag has room for…

Filed under: Handbags

Lanvin’s Aumoniere Satin Pochette is inspired by vintage glamour and it shows. It’s entirely black save the large fuschia poof placed slightly off-center near the top and a white logo label on the inside. The satin body closes with a draw-string and has a textured goldtone chain shoulder strap. One small interior pouch pocket rounds out the features on this very simple bag that oozes elegance and femininity. Perfect for any season and, thanks to its minimalist design, pretty much totally timeless (and totally cute). $750

Lanvin Aumoniere Satin Pochette, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces

It is true that most of the watches I played with at SIHH 2010 were men’s watches, but a few stunning women’s watches did not evade my grasp. New from Cartier, here are some of their Captive collection watches. The timepieces come in at least two sizes. One is 35mm wide and the largest is about 52mm wide! Wow. One of the images in the gallery below is of it on my wrist just to show you how large it is. The collection comes in either white or rose gold and with various amount of diamonds (full pave anyone?).

To me the chain link style of the watch was a bit kinky. Cartier didn’t see this, but couldn’t disagree that this might be an additional attraction point to the watch. They see it as “captivating her,” I see it as “a really good way to keep her captive.” Your own interpretation is welcome. The smaller version makes with just one blued steel hand (for the hours - you can tell the time to withing about 10 minute precision), while the larger version as two hands. The watch faces themselves are small of course in comparison to the rest of the watches. All in all the collection is pretty nice and unique for Cartier. See a bit more detail in a previous article on the Captive collection here. Prices are about $22,100-$96,500.

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

Cartier Captive Watch Collection Hands-On originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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