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!

sabyasachi collaborates

Designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee has launched a capsule home décor collection, blending the Indian with the American, through his collaboration with American home store Pottery Barn. The range of 50 exquisite pieces comprises jewelry boxes, embroidered pillows, reversible quilts, and tufted rugs. Sabyasachi stated that this collection is an attempt to bring exotic colours into American homes. Earlier in 2015, Sabyasachi had also designed a line of wallpapers with Asian Paints. This latest home décor line, therefore, is a natural continuation of the extension of his creative abilities. The pieces in this collection are crafted by artists from the self-run Sabyasachi Art Foundation, an organisation that aims to empower Indian craftspeople. The collection, titled ‘Sabyasachi for Pottery Barn’ will be available in Pottery Barn stores and the brand’s website from November 1, 2016.

burj khalifa

As if the Burj Khalifa itself were not enough, Dubai now holds the tallest Lego building in the world, too. Legoland, the latest amusement park that is all set to open doors at the end of October, will showcase this Lego Burj Khalifa, inside Miniland. The model stands 17 metres tall and weighs a ton, and was designed and built in over 5,000 hours using 439,000 Lego bricks. Legoland Dubai, which is considered to be the region’s largest integrated theme park destination, will also have a creative LED light show and a recreation of the famous dancing fountain that is iconic to the real Burj Khalifa. The park is designed for families with children aged 2-12 and will feature over 40 interactive rides, shows and attractions as well as 15,000 Lego model structures made from over 60 million Lego bricks. There will be six-themed lands – Lego City, Adventure, Kingdoms, Imagination, Factory and Miniland. Admission tickets cost AED250, and if you desire additional passes for a day at the waterpark housed within, you’ll have to shell out a cool AED 350. Well, here’s to another feather in Dubai’s cap.

virgin voyages

Richard Branson now wants you to embark on Virgin Voyages. The British entrepreneur-philanthropist-adventure lover has announced his plans to expand his travel empire into the world of high-end sea journeys with Virgin Voyages. This latest venture will have Branson investing $1.95 billion with an eye on reshaping the world of cruises. Calling cruises “stuffy and dull” Branson points out that the idea of a voyage is far more thrilling—“ adventurous, exciting and glamorous.” And that is why what is really his cruise line won’t be called “cruises” at all. Virgin Voyages, has been created to address what Branson sees as gaps in the cruise market. And its first ship will drop anchor by 2020, in Miami, which will be the home port, from where the voyages will all be undertaken to the Caribbean.  The line will comprise of three ships, all of which are being built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. In addition, Branson upholds his commitment to sustainability by partnering with clean energy company Climeon for powering these “voyages.”

monet meule

A highlight of Christie’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale on 16 November in New York, Monet’s Meule (1891) is among the most formally adventurous in the Grainstacks series. It is also one of five paintings from the series that the American-based dealer Knoedler selected from the artist in September 1891, and the only one from that group to still be in private hands. The majority of the Grainstacks series are now housed in major art museums around the world, including the Musée d’Orsay, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Gallery of Scotland.  ‘We have been extremely aware of the growing passion for classic Impressionist paintings among our Asian collectors,’ said Jussi Pylkkäne, Christie’s Global President. Meule was exhibited for the first time in Asia at Christie’s Hong Kong (17-19 October), currently being exhibited at Christie’s London and will be on display to the public at Christie’s Rockefeller Center galleries in New York from 5 November. Prices for exceptional examples of Monet’s work have soared in recent years, driven by demand from collectors worldwide for museum-quality works by the greatest master of the Impressionist period. The top price at auction for any Monet painting is $80.4 million for Le Bassin aux Nympheas from 1919, sold at Christie’s London in June 2008 against an estimate of $35-47 million.

collecting at christies

Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie’s is the book that will be launched on Oct 24, priced at £39.95, being published by Phaidon. Its publication is a way to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Christie’s, the world’s leading art business. The book charts the history of taste and collecting through the stories behind 250 iconic and often record-breaking sales, from Picasso’s Les femmes d’Alger (Version ‘O’) (1955) and Elizabeth Taylor’s jewellery collection to a London bus, Star Trek memorabilia and Pelé’s football shirt. The items featured in the book reflect the variety of masterpieces auctioned by Christie’s since 1766. Many of the items were auctioned in record-breaking sales that made news headlines. They include the Rothschild Fabergé Egg commissioned by the family in 1902 and sold over a century later for almost £9m ($19m) in 2007; Lucian Freud’s Benefits Supervisor Sleeping (1995), which, in 2008, became the most expensive painting by a living artist sold at auction when it was bought for $33.6m (£17.2m); and a dozen bottles of Château Pétrus 1945 that fetched £45,000 ($72,600) in 1997. Others are included for reasons other than fiscal, from romantic – Lord Nelson bought a portrait of his mistress Emma Hamilton so that no other man could own her likeness – to curiosity: the skeleton of a woolly mammoth, a meteorite that fell to earth in 1803, a Spitfire Mark I that was shot down and crashed on the beach at Calais and the golden typewriter on which Ian Fleming wrote some of the James Bond novels. Christie’s has auctioned the possessions of Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Yves Saint Laurent, Margaret Thatcher and many others. The book demonstrates how world events and changes in society influenced the expansion of collecting.

bike from viks

Based in Tallinn, Estonia, Viks has made a mark for itself in the commuter bike industry. Being the company that hand crafts every man-powered-2-wheeler from start to finish, their latest creation lays emphasis on unique frame design. The Viks GT ‘Lamborghini’ Bike takes its inspiration from the Italian Lamborghini sports car and is made from aluminum alloy instead of stainless steel for a 40% weight reduction. Despite the lighter metal, the bike’s double frame build still provides more than adequate strength. The frame of the Viks GT imitates the look of the iconic automobile with angular lines and sharp edges, while the color on the original release is done in Lamborghini yellow to show off the similarities between the automobile and the bicycle. But the bike would be available in a variety of colours and frame sizes too.