dress for sale

Marilyn Monroe’s most memorable and iconic ‘skin and beads’ dress—flesh coloured, backless and studded with thousands of rhinestones— is now going to be auctioned off on November 17, by Julein’s Auctions in Los Angeles. Prior to the sale, the dress will embark on an exclusive world tour with stops in the United States and Ireland. The legendary dress has an amazing piece of history attached to it, and a fair bit of jaw dropping tidbits such as this: apparently it was so form-fitting, Monroe had to be sewn into it prior to her performance! No wonder the last sale of this dress in 1999 had fetched in a handsome $1 million dollars—and here’s the reason why. It was the year 1962, when more than 15,000 guests had gathered in Madison Square Garden to celebrate US President John F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday. The evening was packed with star-sudded performances but Marilyn Monroe stole the show with her sultry rendition of “Happy Birthday, Mr. President,” which impressed Kennedy so much that he joked “I can now retire from politics after having had ‘Happy Birthday’ sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way.” The performance was one of Monroe’s very last public appearances before her unexpected death less than three months later, and the dress was immortalized for all ages to come.

DENIZEN OF THE DEEP | The Super Falcon employs intuitive controls, fly-by-wire technology, and a simple layout, enabling it to be driven with minimal training
DENIZEN OF THE DEEP | The Super Falcon employs intuitive controls, fly-by-wire technology, and a simple layout, enabling it to be driven with minimal training

Aquatic exploration is always one of the most thrilling adventures one can indulge in. But nothing beats the feeling of having your personal underwater sojoun in a private submersible craft. Here’s a selection of personal submarines from submersible specialists DeepFlight Adventures, for your next luxe vacation:

Dragon

the dragon

The Dragon is the first DeepFlight craft to offer hovering capability, through which you can dive and cruise alongside big animals or stop and hover over ancient shipwrecks. Quad brushless DC thrusters and an underwater lithium battery pack provide quiet, efficient operation for up to 6 hours between charges.  The Dragon comes quipped with DeepFlight Dive Manager (DDM), a proprietary technology that monitors and manages critical functions, allowing the Dragon to be piloted with minimal training and provides the ability to set the depth limit on any particular dive.  This personal submarine, like all DeepFlight crafts, has fixed positive buoyancy, meaning that it will always naturally float back to the surface—no need for variable ballast system or drop weights. At 1800 kg and only 5 m in length, the Dragon is able to fit on more yachts than any other submarine on the market, with little or no retrofit required.

deep flight dragon

Super Falcon

The Super Falcon leverages the principles and dynamics of flight by incorporating a patented inverted winged design.

falcon-2

It is the underwater equivalent of an airplane. Diving the Super Falcon Mark II is a radically different experience from a conventional submarine. Like the Dragon, this too weighs 1800 kg and measures 5.9 m in length, again enabling it to fit on all kinds of yachts, with little or no retrofit required.  The company additionally promises to provide integration services onto yachts as well as into shore-based operations, inclusive with a purchase.

falcon-1

Unlike traditional submarines with cockpits as complicated as a 747, the Super Falcon employs intuitive controls, fly-by-wire technology, and a simple layout, enabling it to be driven with minimal training. And of course, the positive buoyancy ensures safety through float-to-the surface feature. Sounds perfect for a cosy, private adventure.

Super Falcon 3S

super falcon

This is the latest and larger version of the original Super Falcon and measures 25 feet in length, 10.8 feet in width, and 5.2 feet in height. Unlike the previous model, the new addition features three inline viewports (interconnected via a closed-circuit communications system) to accommodate a pilot and two passengers—ostensibly with an eye on high-end adventure seekers in underwater tourism. Each person benefits from their own cast-acrylic hemispherical canopy that lets them take in the sights while descending to a maximum level of 400 feet.
three axis flight

Equipped with a fly-by-wire, three-axis flight control system, the winged wonder travels through liquid space much like an airplane and is even capable of hydrobatic maneuvers. Propulsion is provided by two pressure-compensated, direct-drive brushless DC thrusters and a large composite propeller that enables a top cruising speed of 6 knots. And a 14 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery (supported by two 120–240 VAC charging systems) allows for up to 8 hours of autonomous travel under normal conditions. As with all of the company’s crafts, this too is positively buoyant; in the highly unlikely case that any system failure occurs (there has never been one to date), the sub will naturally ascend due to the physics of its design and construction.

You’d soon be able to cruise in The Super Falcon 3S at indulgent tropical resorts. Meanwhile, gear up for the craft’s debut at the Monaco Yacht Show on Sep 28.

lamborghinis huracan

Lamborghini launched their Huracan special edition Avio in India this week, with prices starting at Rs 3.71 crore (ex-showroom). The Huracan Avio is a tribute to both aviation and aeronautics and will see a limited production of 250 units. This special edition comes in five new colors: Blu Grifo, Grigio Nibbio, Grigio Vulcano and Verde Turbine — all inspired by the different courses at the Accademia Aeronautica. There are a host of one-offs, too, like the white-grey paint scheme with dual stripes that run from the bonnet to the roof. In addition, there’s the distinct L63 logo wherein the “L” denotes Lamborghini and the 63 signifies the year in which the company was founded. Just like the regular Lamborghini Huracan, the Huracan Avio gets a carbon-fibre aluminium hybrid chassis. There’s also the option of selecting from three driving modes — Strada, Sport and Corsa. Inside too, one can see the fighter jet inspiration as seen with the edgy cluster, centre buttons and the red ignition button. The seats are finished in Alcantara-finished black leather. Lamborghini claims that the Huracan Avio can reach top speeds of 324kmph and sprints from 0-100kmph in the blink of 3.4 seconds. It can sprint from 0-200kmph in 9.9 seconds, and can shed speed almost as quickly owing to carbon-ceramic disc brakes at the front and rear.

antique gandhian watch

Zenith Watches hosted an exhibition of an antique pocket watch in Delhi on 23 September—a watch that took you right back to the Gandhian era, because this is what the Father of The Nation carried. The exhibited watch is the exact same model of the watch gifted by Indira Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. Only three of these watches remain today, two of which are owned by the Zenith museum and one belongs to an Indian collector. Zenith has legacy of more than 150 years in the watch making industry. The exhibition coincided with the launch of the brand’s two new collections in India—the Pilot and the El Primero collection. Held at Johnson Watch Co. located at Connaught Place, the exhibit also featured highlight watches such as a bronze Zenith Pilot watch and the El Primero Cohiba chronograph.

harry potters house

You heard that right. All crazy Potterheads out there—at least the ones with an insane amount of money— actually have a chance to own the house that Harry Potter lived in. The Dursley’s house— 4 Privet Drive, from the first movie— is located in Maritns Heron, Bracknell. The abode of Harry’s nasty Aunt Petunia and uncle Vermon humble abode, the property in suburban Berkshire has been transformed into a lavish space that opens with the familiar driveway into a large reception room, an upscale kitchen and diner and a bathroom on the ground floor, with three bedrooms on the first floor that include a tastefully done master bedroom and a common restroom. Of course, the icing on the cake is Harry Potter’s unforgettable room below the stairs, the use of which is left to the new owner’s imagination. After extensive upscaling, the house with all its added amenities is up for sale for £475,000. According to the listing, this home is: ‘Situated in a quiet cul-de-sac location’ and has ‘recently undergone complete renovation to an extremely high standard.’ It was last sold for £290,000 in May 2010.

good earth for nilaya

This collection of luxury wall covering designs titled ‘Silk Route’ has been created exclusively by Good Earth for ‘Nilaya’ by Asian Paints. The collection aims to bring home fresh new design experiences in three ways – creation, curation and collaboration. Taking its inspiration from the ancient trade routes to the East and the fabled places and cultures along the way, the Silk Route collection is a visual delight. Three evocative themes – Charbagh, Palmyra and Xanadu and 17 designs, all carefully curated by Anita Lal, Pavitra Rajaram and Asha Madan of Good Earth, showcase Mughal gardens, balmy Mandalay groves, the floral paradise of the islands of the Indian Ocean and magical Chinoiserie scenes.

swarovskis latest

The irresistible Crystal Dust Bangle is Swarovski’s new signature design to equal Stardust and Slake, crafted using Swarovski’s Crystal Rock technique. Lavishly encrusted with crystals of six different colours for six different bangles—gold, silver, rich blue, grey, black and dark multi-hued, the bangle has an on-trend spiral silhouette. The gold version has gold PVD metal capped ends, embellished with crystals, while the rich blue version has brilliant blue crystals for unparalleled sparkle with stainless steel capped ends.  The Crystal Dust style is also available in brilliantly glittering cuffs with an open-shank silhouette with stainless steel capped ends, embellished with crystals The clean design can be  worn alone as a finishing touch or layered with others.

sold gold toilet seat

The Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan has a brand new art installation that’s drawing in visitors like bee to honey: an eighteen carat solid gold toilet titled ‘America.’ The fully functional gold toilet has been created by the famed Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, provocateur of the art world. This is Cattelan’s first work after nearly 12 years, and crowds are lining up outside the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan, because this piece of art is free for the public to use. Cattelan has called it the “one-percent art for the ninety-nine percent.”  Though, of course, a security guard stands outside the toilet to ensure no one carries off bits and pieces of this interactive art piece!

burberrys see

In line with the see-now, buy-now argument that’s been brewing in high fashion circles for quite some time, Burberry has put on sale its entire September collection as soon as it was previewed on the London catwalk, days after Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger made similar moves in New York. This move had been in the making for some time, with the idea gaining momentum that the months of gap between viewing a collection and owning it is frustrating. The show was streamed online around the world, and was rich in historical references with heavy prints, military embroidery on jackets and ruffs inspired by Virginia Woolf’s epoch-spanning novel Orlando. The move to “buy now” is built upon doing away with the long held custom of displaying collections one season ahead. And now this change has pitted the more business-centric fashion weeks in London and New York against Milan and Paris, where luxury labels such as Dior and Chanel argue that instant gratification will disrupt the creative process. The path that high fashion takes from here will be an interesting thing to follow!

the iconic guide

The iconic guide for connoisseurs of fine dining has been finally launched in China to much fanfare. Lining up an array of winners from both luxury establishments and haunts for authentic traditional dishes, the China Michelin Guide follows in the wake of the Singapore edition and is the first of its kind in the country. There’s also a Seoul edition coming up soon, too. Covering the commercial hub of Shanghai, the guide awarded around 26 restaurants including a humble two-star establishment that is popular with local families, Canton 8, for quality cooking. The highest accolade by the guide, a three-star rating, was awarded to T’ang Court – a six table joint in the Langham hotel. The Cantonese restaurant is famous for dishes such as braised sea cucumber and Wagyu beef.