The nation of Britain has ‘saved’ a work of art, an act that spells patriotism like nothing else. The iconic portrait of Queen Elizabeth I has been put into public ownership for the first time in its history, thanks to a public appeal and a large grant from the U.K.’s national lottery fund. The portrait was purchased, after thousands of donations to a fundraising campaign to keep the painting in Britain, according to auctioneers. The life-sized portrait that shows Elizabeth I in all her pomp, celebrates the 1588 defeat of the Spanish Armada,through its depictions of English fleet in calm waters and Spanish fleet being wrecked in a storm. The painting was being sold by the descendants of Francis Drake — the vice-admiral who co-led England’s defence against the attempted invasion. Royal Museums Greenwich — a group of four London museums — bought the oil painting from the Tyrwhitt-Drake family in a private sale, Christie’s auctioneers said, after £10.3 million ($13.6 million) was raised. £1.5 million for the painting came from more than 8,000 public donations raised since May, with the museum group putting up £400,000. Now part of the national collection, it will hang in the Queen’s House, built in 1616 on the site of the original Greenwich Palace in southeast London, which was queen Elizabeth’s birthplace.

Inspired by the atmosphere of the Fall-Winter 2016/17 show, the windows and atrium of Printemps Parisian department stores will be transformed into a lunar fantasy, celebrating femininity and highlighting an inner escape. Eleven windows of the Printemps will reveal a cosmic universe with strata of sand, ochre stone and intense blue light. These contrasting landscapes and their otherworldly glow will showcase leather goods, accessories, shoes and prêt-à-porter alongside bottles of the Louis Vuitton’s latest creaton,le Parfum, as well as a selection of exclusive products created especially for the event. Within a dedicated pop-up store, Louis Vuitton will offer a selection of exclusive products for the Printemps: a knitwear dress and ankle boots from the Fall-Winter collection, plus designs from the ‘Monogram World Tour’ range including the House’s emblematic bucket bag ‘Petit Noé’ customised with travel stickers. From its launch on 1st September, the Louis Vuitton perfume will be showcased in the pop-up store which will also feature the inner journey taken by Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, Louis Vuitton’s Master Perfumer. This event will highlight both the art of travel, so important to the house, and the long-awaited arrival of perfume in the world of Louis Vuitton.

The Forged Carbon Fiber Wedding Ring offers a departure from the regular gold and platinum fare.Constructed using an unusual process of forging carbon fiber, each wedding band is hand-finished to achieve a marbled look revealing deep, radiant layers of the sleek material.  The ring isits light on your finger but don’t let the feel fool you—it’s also super strong and the perfect companion for working around heavy machinery and generally indulging in rugged stuff.  The company behind it also offers carbon fiber rings lined with tarnish-resistant solid silver, or with a luminescent interior, and a stainless Damascus Steel collection featuring one-of-a kind exclusive patterns. If you fancy this super macho ring with a zing, it’s all yours for $125.

Book lovers always have their favourite corner under the lamp, getting their daily reading fix. But did you ever imagine a lamp that could be, quite literally, a book? This is the Lumio Lamp, which, when closed, looks like an ordinary notebook, but when opened, it’s the most interesting light fixture you’ve ever seen—with ‘pages’ that light up your world!  San Francisco-based designer Max Gunawan created this cool fixture by combining concepts from origami with his interest in flexible, adaptable lighting solutions. The pages are actually water-resistant Tyvek with LED lights inside that offer a creative and bookish take on illumination. The multifunctional lamp comes with a custom orange micro-USB charger and magnetic wooden pegs for mounting, and has an 8 hour battery life. There’s also a leather strap that you can use to suspend the lamp. The original Lumio comes in walnut and maple wood finishes and is priced at $190 each. But you can also buy smaller variations with magnetic spine covers priced at $125.

A very secretive project was unleashed in the labs of the German automaker on the completion of 50 years of AMG’s existence, and it involves the making of a hypercar with the codename R50—with guesstimates that place the price way upward of $2 million. The car will be designed along the lines of a Le Mans prototype racer, boasting an adaptive suspension and innovative rear wheel steering, with an amazing combination of a slight engine with incredible capabilities, and a total carbon fibre body. Reportedly, the car aims to employ a ‘hybrid powertrain consisting of 2 electric motors and a mid-mounted petrol engine’. A maximum of 1000 horsepower is expected from the engine with an additional 300 horsepower being pumped in by the electric motors.

One of Pablo Picasso’s most prolific Cubist portraits has smashed records at Sotheby’s UK auction with an astounding $63.4 million, becoming the most expensive painting sold in the UK for six years. Picasso’s ‘Femme assise’, last sold 40 years ago in a public sale, had fetched $450,000 but this time it has taken the international art scene a giant leap ahead. Earlier estimates had pegged its going price at $40 million. Helena Newman, global co-head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department, stated, “The last time a painting sold around at a comparably staggering price was back in 2010 when Alberto Giacometti’s ‘Walking Man I’ sold for US$85.7 million. Picasso first painted this piece back in 1909, when he was only 27, during a journey to Spain. He produced a canvas series based on Fernande Olivier, his lover – during a time also commonly regarded as the artist’s most significant and productive in his entire career.”

Launched in May 2016, the Rolls Royce Dawn is already rocking the world with major awards. The German Design Council, one of the world’s leading centres of expertise on design, has bestowed the ‘Best of the best’ award upon it, in two separate categories—stylish interiors and stunning exteriors. Scheduled to be officially presented at the Paris Motor Show, The German Design Council awards enjoy international fame and repute, for their recognition of outstanding product design. The jury comprises of some of the most respected commentators and experts from the automotive and design world.

A match made in heaven—modern art with the roaring finesse of the automotive world, these lounge chairs by Philip Caggiano are a statement in themselves. And you are literally spoilt for choice. There’s the Xosted Lounge – curated from Stainless Steel S304 exhaust pipe tubing and hand-polished for nothing less than 300 hours to achieve a mirror-like finish. Should that not be enough, you can opt for a 24 K gold plated one, too. Or take the splendid Harley lounge, inspired by Steve McQueen & vintage motorbikes. It features burnished, waxed leather from the worn out Jaguar C and is all decked up in British racing olive green. But if that isn’t your style, go for the Chaise Me chair – handstitched & sewn from Ferrari Nero black leather and shaped after the stunning 1960s Bizzarrini GT Strada supercar. Now that is some serious style! But there’s more: the Magnum Lounge, which features solid brass round bars and a polished finish, and—hold your breath— leather studded with 50 caliber Smith and Wesson bullets! If that’s not some jaw-dropping piece of comfort, we don’t know what is.

The AB 100 Spectre isn’t just the fastest luxury yacht in production, but also one of the best looking by our reckoning! The 98 feet long Italian-made, elegant vessel, packs some serious German horsepower. The AB 100 is designed to maximize interior spaces, while keeping “the ease of management and running costs of a small yacht”. Large lateral windows let natural light in and provide panoramic views from the comfy seating around the dining table or from the saloon sofa.  Inside there’s a master bedroom, two guest rooms, kitchen, a lounge with a huge flat screen, a spacious sunbathing area at the rear, and a stern with an added chill-out spot. Propulsion is delivered by three MAN engines producing 1900 hp  each, coupled with MJP waterjets, which allows the ship to reach top speeds of 54 knots (62 mph/100km/h).

In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy Dress, Roland Mouret has recently unveiled the complete limited edition capsule collection of the iconic design in seven colours. The French fashion house will see its second blogger collaboration for the launch of ‘Ten Years of the Galaxy Dress’.  The iconic Galaxy Dress became one of fashion’s most revolutionary and sought after pieces in the year 2005, adorning the frames of celebrities such as Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson and Rachel Weisz. The Dress continues to grace the silhouettes of a galaxy of stars. The capsule collection that comes ten years later will feature the timelessly versatile galaxy dress in seven different colours with an addition of modern silhouettes in the form of a top, skirt, jacket and jumpsuit. Founder of fashion blog ‘Chicmuse’ and social media specialist within the fashion industry, Denni Elias who has built her reputation as an international stylist, selected her favourite pieces from the collection for the Galaxy 10 launch collaboration and styled them in her unique way, resulting in a spectacular shoot at newly opened boutique hotel Casa Fayette, Guadalajara, Mexico. The collection is now available at Roland Mouret’s flagship stores in London and New York, and online at www.rolandmouret.com