Divorce is never an easy procedure, but imagine losing millions in the process. These celebrities have shelled out for some of the most expensive divorces in the world. Harrison Ford and Melissa Mathison (2004) – $85 million Ford, whose success includes starring roles in the “Indiana Jones” and “Star Wars” films, wed screenwriter Melissa Mathison […]

Filed under: Estates, Sports

Professional baseball player Adrian Beltre moved on from the Los Angeles Dodgers way back in 2004 but he still has a home in the area. The Los Angeles Times reports that the Red Sox third baseman and his wife Sandra have listed their lavish home in Bradbury, California. Bradbury is in the San Gabriel Valley area outside of Los Angeles. The home is on 4.16 acres in the exclusive Bradbury Estates development.

The custom Mediterranean-style home has a dramatic entrance with a 35′ custom painted ceiling, inlaid marble floors, a crystal chandelier, and dual staircase. The property also has a three-bedroom guest house and a pool cabana with a full kitchen. Seattle Mariner jerseys hanging in the downstairs bar area testify to Beltre’s time with that team. There is also a lavish home theater with cozy leather seats and a couch in the back. The home is large and full of every possible amenity except bright colors, beige and dark wood predominate, making the home a bit of a luxury bore. The rec room has a batting cage and other sporting opportunities include a tennis court, golf holes complete with putting greens and sand traps, tennis and basketball courts and an infinity pool. This property is listed at $19.8 million with Sotheby’s Realty.

Continue reading Adrian Beltre in Bradbury, Estate of the Day

Adrian Beltre in Bradbury, Estate of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 13:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance, Men’s Style

CREED is getting ready to release the second fragrance in their Royal Exclusives Collection: Spice and Wood. This master’s blend of aged woods, spices, and exotic essences marks the brand’s 250th year of royal service and is meant to evoke depth, power, and refined strength. Top notes of bergamot, sun-drenched lemon, and apples give way to middle notes of angelic root, oil of clove, desert peppers, patchouli, and white birch and all rest atop bottom notes of Egyptian iris, cedar, oak moss, and musk. Spice and Wood is presented in a Pochet glass decanter etched with the CREED family crest and topped with a cut-glass cap. Order now for delivery in November, $550.

CREED Spice and Wood Fragrance originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Seal released the single named “Secret” along with a corresponding music video - which are part of his upcoming new album called “Commitment.”The artfully filmed black & white video has Seal and his wife Heidi Klum in intimately in bed, wearing almost nothing. One thing that Seal is wearing however is a custom Swiss Parmigiani Kalpa timepiece made specially for him. You can see the custom tourbillon watch clearly in a few scenes in the music video. If you go to the “READ MORE” link below, you can see the video.

The custom watch is based on the Parmigiani Kalpa XL Tourbillon, but with a metal bracelet, and I believe a few other changes. An image of the standard model in rose gold is below. The watch case is 44.7mm tall and 37.2mm wide. It has the time, a power reserve indicator, a tourbillon. Seal is a well known watch lover, as is his wife. Seal is also known to have an existing large collection of Parmigiani timepieces.

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

Continue reading Seal Wears His Parmigiani Watch In “Secret” Music Video

Seal Wears His Parmigiani Watch In “Secret” Music Video originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Art

The Affordable Art Fair starts on September 30, 2010, and it comes with plenty of opportunities to pick up pieces by emerging artists. Featuring works priced from $100 to $10,000, the right choices can turn into astounding art investments down the road. While collectors are drawn to the pieces themselves first, it’s hard to overlook the financial appreciation that can occur, especially as the art market claws its way back from financial crisis lows.

What happens if your artwork is damaged? Collectors don’t always spend enough time thinking about the financial side of their holdings, and art insurance can be an afterthought. So, it might not be a bad idea to invest a little in protecting your work.

“After taking the time to evaluate a work of art, but before making a purchase, it is important that collectors consider how they are going to protect their investment,” said Andrew Gristina, Fine Art Specialist, Travelers Inland Marine. “Most people buy art because of the aesthetic beauty, however, it’s also a financial investment, which is why insurance coverage and proper handling should be a consideration with each purchase.”

Here are three five steps you can take to protect what you pick up at the Affordable Art Fair (or anywhere else):

Continue reading Five Ways to Protect Your Purchases at New York’s Affordable Art Fair

Five Ways to Protect Your Purchases at New York’s Affordable Art Fair originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 08:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

Using her travels around the world as inspiration, designer Maureen Okogwu, translates her experiences into stunning one-of-a kind handbags for her company Sunny Rose. Featured is the Copper Deluxe Handbag ($1330) which is made from a multitude of oblong leather pieces connected by copper rings creating a mesh look. I can only imagine the painstaking hours it must have taken to create this gorgeous bag. The chestnut colored leather is ideal for Fall and definitely worth carrying into next Spring & Summer. The flap features a dark metal scaly tail as an unexpected accent while the interior is lined with a satin pouch, preventing any of your items from falling through and features a zippered pouch for smaller items. The copper look is continued onto the handbag’s double woven handle with a vibrant metallic hue.

Sunny Rose Copper Delux Handbag, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets

It can be hard to find a laptop case you really love because even though there are an infinite supply of different fabrics, patterns, shapes, and sizes out there somehow many of them seem almost the same. But not this one. This laptop case by Rainer Spehl is more like a mini, portable cabinet than a bag or a sleeve. Made of wood, lined in leather, and featuring a hinged top with magnetic closure the design comes in three sizes that are made to fit the 13″, 15″, and 17″ Macbook Pro. The only thing missing (in my opinion) is a handle for carrying — it looks a little too slick for me and without one I can totally see myself dropping it, Macbook and all, onto the unforgiving pavement. €160 - €350

Leather-Lined Wooden Cases for Macbook originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 15:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping, Charity

Another American Idol season is beginning but if your heart still lingers with Idols past you can pick up a new pendant from Pennyroyal Silver designed with glamour boy and Idol fave Adam Lambert. Last year a pendant from Pennyroyal featuring Lambert’s Eye of Horus tattoo raised $30,000 for MusiCares in just 7 days. This second collaboration showcases Lambert’s Infinity tattoo and benefits DonorsChoose.org

About the new pendant Lambert say, “my infinity tattoo really represents what life is like for me at this stage. It is all about energy and the energy I get from my fans. When I am onstage and the fans feed me their enthusiastic energy, I am able to feed off of it and give it right back to them…it’s all about the energy flow”. DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that supports young students in need. Since its founding in 2000, DonorsChose.org has facilitated giving over $57 million in donor funds to classrooms around the United States.

The Adam Lambert Infinity Signature Collection pendant will be available only until October 31st, 2010 and sells for $95. Proceeds from the pendant will go directly to DonorsChoose.org. Orders ship in 3-5 weeks from the date ordered and the design will be retired after October 31st.

Adam Lambert Creates New Pendant With Pennyroyal Silver originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 00:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Hublot’s new charity spectacle series involves soccer and “giving.” The first such event was held in New York City where members from the UK’s Manchester United team attempted to kick soccer balls into small targets (I wrote about that here). The accuracy of the kicks defined the amount of money Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot was to donate to charity.

As the first event was successful enough, Hublot did it again. This time in Moscow, Russia featuring legendary Argentinean ‘football’ player Diego Maradona. Maradona is a well-known Hublot watch lover, and famously wears a watch on each wrist. Maradona was faced with kicking a soccer ball at 10 targets of various sizes. Each had a dollar amount value, and if Maradona hit all 10 targets, Hublot would donate a full $1,000,000 to the Raisa Gorbacheva Memorial Institute for Children Hematology and Transplantation. Maradona nicknamed the event his “Russian Challenge.”

Wearing his duo of Hublot watches, Maradona aimed for the targets at a distance of 10 meters in front of a public audience. Maradona raised a total of $500,000 for the children’s charity, and hit the smallest of all targets with the ball - which carried a value of $300,000. In celebration of the event and for Russia’s Hublot watch fans - Hublot will also release a limited edition watch to commemorate Maradona’s “Russian Challenge.” It will be known as the Hublot Maradona Gold & Ceramic watch, and will be limited to just 100 pieces. The watch will be in polished red gold with a black ceramic bezel. The dial will be in black, and bear Maradona’s signature in a blue. Look for more details on this limited edition piece soon.

The real winners here are the charities that benefit from events like this designed to offer PR pushes to Hublot, as well as the brand’s fans who enjoy seeing Hublot active in the media.

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

Maradona Scores $500,000 For Charity With Hublot originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Auctions, Real Estate Developments

NYC’s behemoth apartment complex Stuyvesant Town will be sold at auction on October 4. A state appeals court ruled against hedge fund manager William Ackman on September 28, paving the way for bondholders to sell the apartment complexes Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village in a foreclosure auction. About 25,000 people live in the 11,277 apartments, which are on the East Side near the FDR Drive between 14th and 23rd Streets.

The ruling denied a request by a joint venture between Ackman’s Pershing Square Capital Management and Winthrop Realty Trust to reverse a lower court ruling that barred them from elbowing past holders of $3 billion in mortgage bonds to take control of the properties.

Tishman Speyer made news when it bought the 56-building complex for $5.4 billion in 2007 and again when it defaulted on its loans. Read about the complex’s long history here and about its financial woes here.

NYC’s Stuyvesant Town To Be Sold at Auction originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 05:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

For the Autumn season Raymond Weil will release a new version of their Freelancer watch for women. Called the “Freelancer Autumn Time,” the watch will come in two types - either in a “fig” or “chestnut” color scheme. To be honest they are both quite similar in hues. Based on the attractive Freelancer line of models, the watches come in 38mm wide steel cases with almost masculine looking cases that have diamond-studded bezels. The dials are quite simple looking, even though they have a number of elements. There is a minute scale on the flange ring, diamonds used for the hour markers, and a textured section in the middle of the dial. The hands are purposeful, but not exactly pretty. I like that they are lume filled. Being an “open heart” watch you can see the escapement through the open dial window.

Inside the watch is a Swiss automatic movement, likely an ETA 2824 or equivalent. The Autumn Time watches comes on matching alligator straps. Not sure about price or availability yet, but look for these Raymond Weil Freelancer Autumn Time watches for women soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews time ablogtoread.com

Raymond Weil Freelancer Autumn Time Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Jewelry, Men’s Style

If you’re looking for the ultimate in personalized cufflinks Cuffhim.com has got a system for you: they’ll take your signature, render it in 3-D using special computer software, and then fine tune the result into a gorgeous handmade pair of cufflinks that represent your handwritten initials so realistically they’ll look like you wrote them out yourself using a gold-and-gemstone pen. Options include one initial or two, white gold, yellow gold, or platinum, and no diamonds, one diamond, or the full diamond treatment (shown above). What a great gift for the hard-to-shop-for man! And I’m hoping they start up a women’s department soon because I’d love to have an “R” like the one above but on a pendant or a ring or something. Beautiful! $900 - $4800, depending on options.

One-of-a-Kind Cufflinks Made From Your Signature originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A trip to space is still big on the list of the uber-rich, and the latest news from the space tourism industry is the announcement of the world’s first commercial space station by two Russian aerospace companies - Orbital Technologies and Rocket and..

Here comes a bike James Bond fans would love to ride. Set to be unveiled at the Cycle Show 2010 in London next week, the B.O.N.D (Built of Notorious Deterrents) Bike comes equipped with a flame-thrower fitted in the handlebars, ejector seat,…

Filed under: Estates

Each year since 2003, Esquire Magazine has taken a house and turned it into a design showcase. They call it their “Ultimate Bachelor Pad” but it really does serve a higher purpose: The remodeled space is used to host some of the season’s biggest charity and celebrity events. And the house for sale winds up getting a lot of terrific exposure.

This year’s house is located in the Doheny Estates in the storied Hollywood Hills. The 9,000-square-foot house was completely rebuilt from the ground up and newly outfitted by top designers. What was once a family home was transformed into a contemporary indoor-outdoor lifestyle property for Esquire under the watchful design eye of Elaine Culotti of Porta Bella.

It has 11 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms, an infinity pool, two-story pool house, hot tub and gym. The home was given a $500,000 music studio complete with state-of-the-art recording equipment, a one-of-a-kind flight simulator costing $200,000 that responds to body movements (created by Luxurious Animals), and an interactive 65-inch multi-touch video wall from Obscura Digital featuring Hard Rock memorabilia. The world premiere of the Esquire House is Oct. 15 with a benefit for the International Medical Corps, a global humanitarian relief organization. The event will be hosted by Sienna Miller, Jude Law and Felicity Huffman. Other fundraisers scheduled for the Esquire House include ones by OXFAM, City of Hope and Oceana. Minnie Driver, Emile Hirsch, Colin Firth and Mark Ruffalo are among the spotlighted celebrities expected to be in attendance. All events are by invitation only and attract a mix of celebrities, high-profile philanthropists and Esquire clients. For those not invited in, there’s always the Facebook page.For the first time this year, there will be a cable TV show on the re-making of the Esquire House. The DIY Network has scheduled it to air in January, hosted by Amy Matthews, host of various DIY Network shows. This is the fourth property Esquire has created in Los Angeles. The concept began in 2003 and has since alternated between New York and Los Angeles. The original property remodeled was the Esquire Apartment at the Trump World Tower.

Some of the top designers who contributed to this year’s project include Mark Cutler, who did the study; Annette English who designed the master bedroom; Lonni Paul on the gym; and Ron Boren did the landscaping.

Mauricio Umansky of Hilton & Hyland in Beverly Hills is the listing agent for the property.

Esquire’s Ultimate Bachelor Pad Listed at $18.9 million originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 06:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Art

Faber-Castell has a big time anniversary coming up, 250 years, and to help mark the occasion they’re offering a special “Birthday Box” art set. The limited edition box features a wide array of art tools in every color imaginable (isn’t it pretty just sitting there?) that is sure to inspire creativity in professionals and casual art geeks alike (I’m drooling a little). The box will available during the month of October and will be limited to 1761 pieces, which is the year the company was founded, and would make a great ‘can’t-go-wrong’ gift for your creative self or an artsy family member or friend on your list. $1683

Via acquire

Faber-Castell 250th Anniversary Box Set originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Our sibling blog Housing Watch led us to the listing for comedian Dan Whitney’s Florida home. Whitney is better known as “Larry the Cable Guy” and is famous for his sleeveless shirts and the phrase “Git-R-Done.” The Sanford, Florida home is on 18.79 acres. Housing Watch says that Whitney bought the home in 2001 back in his bachelor days and handle the renovations but he and his family have outgrown the home. There are four-bedrooms in the main house. The property is full of fun details including Whitney’s collection of guitars and a large “man cave” with a poker table, pool table, bar area, television, several bar signs and what looks like fake grass on the floor.The pool area has a waterfall and an outdoor spa. The home also has an outdoor movie theater. The property also includes a stocked fishing pond, a separate gym, a three car garage with a bonus area above for guests and a safe room. It is listed at $1.55 million.

Continue reading “Larry the Cable Guy” Lists In Florida

“Larry the Cable Guy” Lists In Florida originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 22:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Vacheron Constantin has released a sneak preview of an upcoming limited edition watch with a dial that will replicate Marc Chagall’s famous ceiling for the Paris Opera House (Opera National de Paris). Details are this point are quite scant, but this highly limited edition Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art watch will feature a beautifully hand done replica of the ceiling. Over the last several years Vacheron Constantin has been wowing its fans with Metiers d’Art collection watches that come out about once a year, and all utilize impressive artistic techniques.

The fact that the ceiling mural is round sure helps it fit into a watch dial. The design will even feature some of the sculpted decor around the periphery of the mural (that will be on the bezel of the watch). No details yet on the complications or materials used in the watches. Vacheron Constantine has been a sponsor of the Opera National de Paris since 2007. We will get more details about this upcoming high-luxury watch collection in November.

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

Vacheron Constantin Métiers d’Art Limited Edition Watch For The Opéra National de Paris originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Apparel, Timepieces / Watches, Luxury Cars & Autos, Writing Instruments, Men’s Style

For many customers, a Bentley is as much about the badge on the hood as the engine beneath it. So it should come as little surprise that the company’s range of branded merchandise has expanded over the years to become one of the most extensive and the most exquisite in the business.

Among those partnerships on which Bentley has embarked with merchandising partners are timepieces by Breitling, writing instruments by Tibaldi, sunglasses by Estede, skis by Zai, leather goods by Robert Ettinger of London and newly-announced scarves by Heritage Cashmere. The full collection will be on display at the Paris Auto Salon, beginning precious few days from now at the Port de Versailles, but you can see them for yourself in our extensive high-resolution image gallery below.

Bentley’s Expanded Collection on Display in Paris originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Gadgets

This is one of the first iRetrofone designs I’ve seen where the iPhone actually blends into the design and isn’t immediately apparent or sticking out like a sore thumb. ‘Fusing art with function’ is the aim of artist Scott Freeland with this creation, which although it’s awesome to look at will certainly require a very specific decor scheme to pull off. Each iRetrofone Steampunk is hand-sculpted, hand-cast in urethane resin and then hand-painted. They’re each a fully functional iPhone dock complete with USB compatibility for syncing and charging and an enormous (but also functional) old-fashioned handset for conversing like grandma used to while reducing your radiation exposure. Get yours for $350 on Etsy.

The iRetrofone Steampunk for iPhone originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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