World’s most coveted (and in this case, most rare) handbag – the Hermès Himalaya Birkin Bag – has been auctioned by Christies at Hong Kong at a sum totaling above INR 2 crore.

Everything about this handbag is exquisite. It’s crafted out of matte white Nilo crocodile leather – a rarest of rare albino crocodile raised by Hermès itself. The handbag has its three structural elements— the Plaques de Sanglons, the Touret and the Pontets— encrusted with 245 diamonds set in 18 karat white gold fittings. They total to 8.2 carats.

However it’s the Hermès craftsmanship and meticulous dyeing procedure that lends the bag its name. The dyeing renders the product a unique yet subtle color gradation – that resembles the picturesque snow-clad mountain range of the Himalayas.

Celebs such as Victoria Beckham & Kim Kardashian West have been seen carrying it.

When world famous auction house Christie’s began auctioning fashion articles two decades back, little would it have known how big a proportion these articles would consequently acquire. And especially handbags – that sit right at the top!  Even at this two-day auction event, which included 200 handbags— more than half of them were Birkins; their sale totaling to a whooping 33 crore.

Source: www.lupresso.com | image: 1stdibsx

After a nearly four-year long renovation, the iconic Ritz hotel at Paris has finally seen reopening. The hotel has been an integral part of the Parisian history, a French icon – with the biggest icons such as Coco Chanel, Ernest Hemingway, and Marcel Proust themselves calling it their ‘home’.

The classics such as the Bar Hemingway (with cocktails by Colin Peter Field) and the Duke of Windsor suite have been retained; they are now complemented by a winter garden with a retractable roof in summertime, a Chanel spa, and even more boutiques at the Ritz Galerie.

It’s no wonder then that this grand opening was to be marked with something equally grand. For the purpose, the Ritz had director Zoe Cassavetes create a short film titled “Behind the Door” that embodies the spirit of the hotel.

The Ritz Paris opened yesterday, June 6, at 15 Place Vendôme, Paris.

Source: www.vogue.com

French haute couture and accessories brand Givenchy has turned to popular social networking website Instagram for the launch of its Fall Winter 2016 campaign. The brand has done so with the help of the biggest names in the modeling business, namely Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and Lily Aldridge.

Styled by Carine Roitfeld, they are seen sporting office style blazers with a dramatic cat-eye liner and hair tied into sleek low buns. The campaign has been shot by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott under the creative direction of Riccardo Tisci – with red, black and gold as the dominant palette.

However, we at the Luxe Café are smitten by the ‘The Horizon’ – the house’s new structured square leather bag in red and black.

Indeed, #InstaLove.

Source: www.instagram.com/givenchyofficial

While the works of the French Impressionists such as Monet, Degas, and Renoir are well known, a similar strain of largely forgotten art emerged in Russia around the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Now, a new museum has opened in Moscow celebrating the Russian strain of Impressionist art – aiming to let visitors in on this lesser known movement. It comes from the personal collection of entrepreneur and philanthropist Boris Mints, who invested some $20 million into a project seeking to illuminate Russia’s contributions to the arts. “Up until now, only the icons of Andrei Rublev and the works of avant-garde artists (Kazimir) Malevich or (Wassily) Kandinsky were known all over the world,” said museum director Yulia Petrova. Now she plans to add a host of other names to that list, including painters like Konstantin Korovin, Valentin Serov and Pyotr Konchalovsky. Some of their works, such as Serov’s The Girl With Peaches, are now experiencing a popular revival – as an exhibit of his paintings broke attendance records at Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery, with visitors queuing for hours in the snow and even breaking a door. The whole museum was designed by British architects and is housed in a new circular building with an ultra-modern style, built on the site of an old sugar silo of a famous Soviet-era Bolshevik confectionery factory. This could be viewed as a massive ironic attack on the Bolsheviks who glorified Soviet realism and shunned impressionist art up until the political thaw of the 1960s.

(Source: www.luxuo.com)

Hydrofoils, such as the GoFoil For SUP ($1750), are regarded as the future of water activities. When attached to a surfboard, these wing-like structures lift your craft out of the water, allowing for greater speeds and the sweet feeling of “taking flight.” And who doesn’t like flying? Boasting an oven-cured, proprietary carbon construction, the sturdy surface attaches to your board using a mounting Turtle box.  Once you hit between 4-8mph, the hydrofoil takes over, raising your board above the surface, which means decreased friction and drag. This results in less effort required to maintain and propel speed, leaving you with only one main focus: catching the next glide.  Tested in both downwind paddling and wave riding, the GoFoil is said to perform well in both configurations, making it a must-have surfboard upgrade.

(Souce: www.mensgear.net)

An outstanding racer (the fastest of its time) that looked good on the road too, the 1936 R 5 is regarded as one of the very best pre-war BMW boxers.  To celebrate its 80th anniversary, BMW Motorrad set to create a bike to “showcase all the classic beauty of the original, but incorporating a whole host of modern twists.”  The result is the elegant, timeless BMW R 5 Hommage Motorcycle. Hand-made from scratch, the bike is fitted with a restored original 500 cc two-cylinder engine on a custom frame, and has a modern front fork & rear suspension, state-of-the-art Öhlins shock, a hand-hammered steel tank, custom stainless steel exhaust, and blacked-out aluminium rims wearing old-school Allstate rubber.  Finished in a shiny black paint scheme with pearl-white pinstripes, and boasting brilliant details like the one-off seat with hand-stitched leather & custom handlebars with adjustable controls, the R 5 Hommage is a fine “mix of old-school engineering and modern technology wrapped up in the pleasing proportions of a ‘bobber’.”

(Souce: www.mensgear.net)

Volvo has built its reputation on safety, but the Swedish automaker has of late been placing an increased emphasis on luxury. To show the way forward for its elite clientele, Volvo showcased a new Lounge Console concept this past April at the Beijing Auto Show. The concept is based on the company’s top-of-the-line S90 Excellence luxury sedan, but unlike most show cars, Volvo does away with the exterior of the vehicle altogether to focus purely on its vision for a luxurious cabin space. Like the XC90 concept that preceded it, the latest Lounge Console concept jettisons the front passenger seat to maximize space and comfort in the rear. In its place, Volvo installed a unique console that not only increases visibility and open airiness for the rear-seat passenger, but incorporates additional functions. The fortunate passenger would be able to work while under way thanks to a fold-out desk and computer screen, sit back and watch a show or movie with the monitor placed further back, or put it all away and just stretch out. The concept is further augmented by an arm-rest console that includes a refrigerator, a pair of hand-cut Orrefors crystal glasses, and temperature-controlled cup holder. Additionally, the seats offer a broad range of adjustment as well as massage function. It’s a novel take on the luxury sedan, and one which we wouldn’t be surprised seeing Volvo put into production – assuming enough customers make the request.

(Source: www.justluxe.com)

Art collectors will have a unique opportunity come June 21, when Sotheby’s London auctions an early Picasso portrait. Painted in 1909, Femme Assise is rumored to be inspired by his lover and model Fernande Olivier. Ahead of his time, Olivier is represented by Picasso in angular gold, silver, green, and bronze shapes and is considered one of the hallmark pieces that ushered in the revolutionary modern style now known as Cubism. Femme Assise has been in private hands since 1973, when it was first sold by Sotheby’s for £340,000. “It has been decades since a Cubist painting of this caliber has been offered at auction, since virtually all the significant works of this period are in international museums and institutions,” said Helena Newman, global co-head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art department. “Femme Assise is one of the artist’s greatest masterpieces to be sold in a generation.” The painting is expected to sell for more than $40 million when it’s auctioned at Sotheby’s June Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale in London. The sale will also include works from Renoir, Sisley, Gauguin, Giacometti, and Kandinsky. Femme Assise will be able to be viewed at Sotheby’s Hong Kong from May 26-30 and at Sotheby’s London from June 10-21.

(Source: www.justluxe.com)

It’s an exciting time in luxury travel. With an experiential focus, the industry is continuously creating new immersive opportunities for sojourners looking for creative getaways. These curated packages are even being fashioned by luxury brands such as Bentley’s Be Extraordinary experiences. Launched late last year, the automaker began organizing invitation-only gatherings featuring some of the world’s leading minds. Recently the brand unveiled its Extraordinary World itinerary in Chile and Bolivia from September to October. Open to the public, the four separate trips for 10 guests each will be six-day retreats featuring on- and off-road adventures. Meant for two people per car, travelers will start off at El Loa Airport in Calama, Northern Chile. From there, it’s time to get behind the wheel and drive to San Pedro de Atacama oasis for a stay at Tierra Atacama Hotel & Spa. In the morning, you’ll head across the Andes in search of the geysers of Sol de Mañana, Lincancabur Volcano and the rock formations of the Siloli desert. Tayka del Deserto hotel will be your home front for the night. On the third day, make your way into Bolivia and experience the Salar de Uyuni salt flats, the largest salt flat in the world. The Andean plateau is filled with beautiful local wildlife to multicolored lagoons. For accommodations, Bentley chose the Luna Salada, built entirely from blocks of salt. The next day before arriving at a luxury campsite, drivers will venture to the Tunupa volcano and the islands of the Salar in Chile. With the final day at hand, you’ll see the famous theater of Dakar and the highest dune in the world, The Dragon Hill of Iquique. The six-day trip begins at around $22,000 per person and does not include airfare.

(Source: www.justluxe.com)

Set as the centerpiece for an upcoming sale by Christie’s, the Cullinan Dream is the largest Fancy Intense Blue diamond offered to be offered on auction (capital letters used there as Fancy Intense Blue is the technical term). It comes with an estimated value of $23 – $29 million and stands as a part of 260 lots (selling alongside jewelry by companies such as Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, and Cartier) offered for the Magnificent Jewels And The Cullinan Dream auction on June 9. This auction is one of many such jewelry sales across all the majors at this time. The Cullinan Dream is one of four diamonds cut from the 122.52 carat blue diamond that Petra Diamonds discovered in their South African Cullinan mine. It is a cut-cornered rectangular mixed-cut diamond of approximately 24.18 carats mounted on a platinum ring. The gem was rated as Type IIb by the Gemological Institute of America, which attests to its rarity. “The success of the Oppenheimer Blue speaks to the international demand and market value of these exemplary colored diamonds and with the Cullinan Dream, Christie’s is proud to present another opportunity for collectors to acquire a rare gem being offered for the first time at auction” noted Rahul Kadakia, Christie’s International Head of Jewelry, making reference to an earlier sale made on May 18 in Geneva. Petra Diamonds themselves have produced some of the most exemplary blue diamonds in the world. As a part of the sale, they’ll receive 15% share of the proceeds, after expenses.

(Source: www.luxuo.com)