monogram collection

Louis Vuitton has revisited its iconic Monogram icons to present a collection that inspires wanderlust—for the holiday season. Historical trunks of the House have always influenced the designers at Louis Vuitton. And so Nicolas Ghesquière immersed himself in the archives and started designing models with the sticker spirit that used to be sprinkled on the trunks in the past, coming up with a fabulous collection where Monogram icons come printed on bags and purses with new stickers referring to the utmost cosmopolitan cities or paintings from the Hyperrealistic movement: the Monogram World Tour collection. From the Pégase suitcase to the now essential Petite Malle, this collection embodies the art of travelling in style.

surat trader gifted

Who wouldn’t want an employer that gives away flats, cars and jewelry as Diwali bonus every year?Well, Surat businessman Savjibhai Dholakia, owner of Hare Krishna Exporters that trades in diamonds and textiles, has hit headlines by becoming one such model employer. His firm just gifted apartments and cars to 1665 employees, out of more than 5,500 people that are employed in his company, which makes a turnover of Rs 6,000 crore every year. Last year, the firm had gifted such bonus to 1716 employees (different from the present ones.). Around 1200 of the 1665 employees earn between Rs 10,000 and Rs 60,000 per month, and they’re selected on the basis of their performance. “Our aim is that each employee must have his own home and car in the next five years. So we have decided to gift cars, homes and jewellery to employees,” Dholakia stated. 400 employees will be given houses, and they won’t have to make any down-payment—the company would be taking care of that. AS for the EMI, the company will pay Rs 5,000 for each worker for 5 years, while the rest will be paid by the employees. Of the rest, 1260 get cars while 56 employees get jewellery boxes. These bonuses have been an annual ritual at the firm since 2011. Now that’s one brilliant way to celebrate Diwali !

graff venus

Crafted from a massive 357 carat rough stone, this 118.78 carat stone is a Mountain of Light in its own right. Presented by Britain’s iconic jewellery brand Graff this Flawless heart shaped diamond took over 18 months for craftsmen to analyse, cut, and polish. Named Graff Venus after the Roman goddess of love this would surely make for the ultimate token of love.

italian stationery company

Italian stationery company Moleskine has created two limited edition collectible notebooks inspired by the magic of boy-wizard Harry Potter and the world contained in the books. The two notebooks take a leaf out of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which introduced the world to the Marauder’s Map and Patronus Charms. Accordingly, The Map inspired book is a clothbound edition whose cover resembles the secret, illicit map of Hogwarts with the map’s secret password printed upon it: “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” The notebook is accompanied by a sticker set that references favorite spells and objects from the series. So this one’s for your dark and juicy secrets! The other collectible cover features the spell ‘Expecto Patronum’ and depicts a gold debossed young wizard against a burgundy backdrop, and he’s seen casting the Patronus charm to ward off a bunch of dementors. You can just make out the shape of a stag, too – Harry’s iconic patronus. This one, then, is for the lovely memories that you hold dear. The inside covers of both books feature the letters L and J, the initials of Harry’s parents Lily and James. Can’t wait to get your hands on them? Head to Moleskine e-store and get the notebooks for $24.99 each?

roberto cavalli

Roberto Cavalli new line of fragrances, termed The Gold Collection features six fragrances for both men and women and is a whiff of exclusivity that the brand is renowned for. Each of the perfumes is crafted from distilled components like irises from Italy, freshly plucked roses from Bulgaria and precious sandalwood from Sri Lanka. The Baroque Musk combines the aroma of musk with fresh scents of Neroli and Ylang Ylang, while the Supreme Sandal is an exotic blend of sandalwood, honey, black vanilla and saffron. The Divine Oud contrasts outwood with undernotes of rose, raspberry and violet and the Royal Iris is a powdery concoction that combines delicate Iris rhizomes with an enveloping accord of sensual leather. The Golden Amber lends a burst of blazing coriander and pear to base notes of amber while the Sumptuous Rose offers a classic mix of roses, sweet honey and noble sandalwood. We’re seduced by the mere names of these; a whiff would just have you floored.

EPICUREAN EXCLUSIVE | The Club des Chefs des Chefs raised funds to support the Kailash Satyarthi Foundation-India and Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, Jaipur
EPICUREAN EXCLUSIVE | The Club des Chefs des Chefs raised funds to support the Kailash Satyarthi Foundation-India and Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, Jaipur

The Club des Chefs des Chefs (CCC), the most exclusive gastronomy club comprising chefs to heads of state across the world, held a charity dinner at The Imperial, New Delhi, on 25th Oct to raise funds to support the Kailash Satyarthi Foundation-India, a charity headed by Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, and Princess Diya Kumari Foundation, Jaipur.

The club, whose members comprise chefs to Presidents, Prime Ministers and royals across the world, including US President Barack Obama, the British Queen and the German Chancellor, were in India as part of their General Assembly, which takes place once every year in a different country. The Paris-based CCC also announced a three-month long scholarship for the top student of the Institute of Hotel Management, Pusa in New Delhi to train in the palaces of Europe, including in Monaco.

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These chefs are all ambassadors of their respective countries. Previously, we have raised money for Syrian refugees in Geneva and in Milano we held a fundraising dinner to benefit a hospital

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Five chefs, including Chef Montu Saini, the Executive Chef to the President of India; Chef Cristeta Comerford, chef to the US President Barack Obama; Chef Mark Flanagan, Royal chef of the UK; Chef Fabrizio Boca from Italy and Chef Christian Garcia from Monaco who is President of the CCC, cooked special dishes for the 6 course gala charity dinner at the Imperial.

“These chefs are all ambassadors of their respective countries.  We use their services for good causes and help for various charities.  Previously, we have raised money for Syrian refugees in Geneva and in Milano we held a fundraising dinner to benefit a hospital. Two weeks ago, Britain’s Royal Chef Mark Flanagan helped to raise one million dollars for ‘Artists for Peace and Justice’, a US-based charity, which builds and manages schools and colleges in Haiti,”said Gilles Bragard, founder of the CCC.

The gala charity dinner featured a menu where Chef Comerford cooked a special vegetable soup; Chef Boca rustled up a veg Risotto; Chef Garcia presented a Mediterranean dish while Chef Flanagan prepared a special lamb dish. Chef Saini created the dessert. Saini, who represents India in the CCC, said he had been working to put together the event in India for the past 8 to 9 months. The chefs were also given a tour of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

“Yesterday, the chefs cooked in my kitchen; tomorrow I will probably cook in their kitchens,” said Chef Saini. “It is a dream come true for me; it is an exchange of culinary team,” he added.  “We gave them golgappas cooked especially for them. They also had freshly made aloo tikkis. The idea is to give them a taste of the local cuisine,” he explained.

cake mixing ceremony

The chefs also participated in the ‘world’s best cake mixing ceremony’ with chef Prem K Pogakula – Executive Sous Chef at The Imperial, mixing 200 Kgs of mixture to make the dough for 1000 kg of Imperial Christmas Cakes

Chef Prem K Pogakula shared his experience of working with the coveted culinary masters: “Le Club Des Chefs Des Chefs at The Imperial required immense planning from the beginning, so taking the culinary foot forward I started working closely with the Director- Mr. Gilles Bragard along with all the member chefs over emails and con-calls, for almost eleven months. This was crucial to understand their preferences, to source specific ingredients and to undertake even the minutest requirements of one and all. There was rigorous coordination especially to put together the menu for the grand Gala Charity Dinner, to culminate the general assembly in Delhi at The Imperial.”  He further said “The chefs have been working with me in the kitchen too and were highly impressed with our hygiene standards, infrastructure, team and the local produce and flavours. I believe they have taken home with themselves not only Indian culture and food but also our traditional Indian hospitality, post their stay at The Imperial.”

Gilles Bragard, who founded the CCC club in Paris in the year 1977 as a place for the chefs to meet once a year and exchange notes and recipes and learn each other’s traditions and cultures, said the idea was to make the club a ‘G 20 of the chefs’.

As part of the club’s mission to promote local food and healthy eating habits, the chefs took a culinary tour of the famous spice market in Chandni Chowk. They were also honoured by a Hi Tea hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee and later, a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The chefs were also taken for a trip to Agra and Jaipur via Fatehpur Sikri, and hosted for a lunch by Princess Diya Kumari at the City Palace in Jaipur. En route, they also stopped at the Maharajas’ Express, one of the world’s most luxurious trains.

diors latest

J’adore, Dior’s classic bestselling fragrance since 1999, has just been reincarnated in a new, lustrous avatar—the gold version. Opening with strong sweet-citrusy notes of peach, melon, mandarin, and bergamot and later switching to a strong floral essence of Jasmine, the upgraded J’adore is as much of a charmer as its original version. And to up the ante, here’s a nugget of enticing information about this floral fragrance: the extracts used in its creation have been derived from nothing less than six million of the freshest and most delicate jasmine flowers sourced from Grasse, France. The base notes of the perfume combine musk with vanilla, cedarwood, and blueberry, with the brand promising a lingering whiff for more than half a day, enhanced by a tantalisingly subtle shimmering effect on the skin. The campaign for the gold J’adore has been shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and stars the ever drool-worthy Charlize Theron, who has been the face of Dior perfumes since 2011. Quite a potent combination!

nappa dori

Delhi-based leather goods brand Nappa Dori’s first Mumbai store is all set to open its doors to discerning customers by the middle of next month. The brand is known for their luxe yet quirky products featuring ethnic Indian imagery on things like laptop bags and satchels, such as vintage pictures of cows and old cars.  A few leather accessories also feature paintings of British soldiers and commanders on Indian streets. The Mumbai store, which is still under construction, is located right next to Taj Palace Hotel in Colaba and you can expect to browse through a lineup of exquisite leather products, right from trunks and bags to a full range of stationery, along with home decor and quirky umbrellas. What’s more, the Mumbai store will offer something unique: the opportunity of owning a customised, bespoke luxe leather product. The brand intends to introduce personalisation services at the Mumbai store. This boutique would take the brand’s tally of stores to six, after their stores in Delhi, NCR, and Bengaluru. Nappa Dori is now also eyeing the international market, with plans to open their first international store in Maldives by the end of this year.

sailing yacht

Commissioned by Russian tycoon Andrey Melnichenko for a price of approximately $318 million, the 468 foot sailing yacht titled ‘A’  has been designed by Philippe Starck and built by Nobiskrug. This  three-mast monolith (with a beam greater than 81 feet) is the largest vessel in the world to be powered by sail and boasts of eight decks all dressed in teak, with a steel hull and a composite superstructure. The three masts are all fashioned from carbon fiber, each measuring about 300 feet in height. The yacht’s propulsion system comprises two MTU 3,600 kW diesel engines and two 4,300 kW electric motors, propelling it to a top speed of 21 knots and a range of 5320 nautical miles.  The yacht’s delivery is expected sometime in early 2017.

hi tech smart

Feast your eyes on a pair of ‘aircraftsy’ sneakers that feature not just a metal buckle of the kind found on airline seat belts, but a host of sophisticated gadgetry like a mini video screen, Wi-Fi hotspot, mood lighting, and a USB cell phone charger! And all of this, powered by a rechargeable battery. Created by Virgin America in collaboration with creative agency Eleven Inc, and Italian design connoisseurs from SearchnDesign, these leather hip- trainers are inspired by the features of the airline’s luxurious first-class cabin offerings. The futuristic ‘First Class Shoes’ come with a rubber outsole, white Italian leather upper (where the TV is built in), and a stainless steel aircraft seat strap that wraps around the shoe’s uppermost part, functioning like ankle buckles. We don’t know whether the shoes would give one the feeling of a Virgin America first class cabin, but they are eye-catchers for sure!