Apparently there's a Macbook in there somewhere, believe it or not. We've covered blinged up laptops before but this one is dolled up as a workstation, not a glitzy fashion accessory. Munk Bogballe has taken a basic Apple Macbook and added an anodized aluminum surface on the top and a European aniline leather underside, plus a sophisticatedly simple (but expensive) leather case to put it in. The 2.4Ghz Macbook underneath stays pretty much factory spec, plus 4GB of RAM and Windows XP pre-installed. £3,500
Not even 30 years old and already making a huge name for himself in fashion, Australian designer Angelo Katsapis is one to start paying attention to if you haven't already. His much anticipated signature line (called Angelokatsapis) was in the works during the years he spent in Milan as a senior designer for Giorgio Armani, once launched it immediately became a favorite among fashions toughest critics. Sold at the only finest boutiques including Harvey Nichols you can also purchase select pieces from the collection online. The quality and unsurpassed design is reflected in the prices, dresses range from $1300 up to $10,000.
Lavender Trust is an charitable program that helps women dealing with breast cancer. What makes Lavender Trust different than all the other cancer care organizations, is their focus on a younger age group, they work primarily with women around the age of 30 who've been recently diagnosed. Programs are all free to the public and include a helpline, peer support and direct health care advice. Last year many celebrities generously donated dresses to an auction which raised funds to keep these worthwhile programs going. You can help support their cause by donating directly or by shopping at their fabulous online boutique, all proceeds go directly to Lavender Trust breast cancer support initiatives.
Beware of acute real estate envy setting in with a new book called The Houses of Greenwich Village (Abrams, $45), by Kevin D. Murphy and Paul Rocheleau. We happen to think it's the nicest neighborhood in New York, and having resided there on occasion look forward to retuning some day - preferably to one of the palatial places pictured in this amazing anthology.
From the incredible Walter W. Price house, built in 1866 (the elaborate parlor of which is pictured above), to the quaint row houses that still command prices in the millions, Greenwich Village is a throwback to a simpler and more gracious time in the city's rich history. And thanks to the unswerving efforts of preservationists, it's likely to remain that way. Check out the gallery for a tour through this exclusive and desirable district.
The gorgeous Grace Bay Club in the Turks and Caicos has unveiled plans for The Estate, a collection of 22 "custom-designed ultra-elegant residences" set to debut in November. The luxury resort is building the deluxe dwellings on its prime parcel of 11 oceanfront acres just steps from the beach. Each 4500-sq.-ft. unit will have four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a steam shower, a library/media room and wraparound terraces; floor plans are customizable. The Estate development also includes a multi-tiered oceanfront pool, luxury cabanas and a Personal Concierge program. Prices range from $2.8 million to $5 million-plus for a penthouse.
The luxe all-suite resort is also home to the "longest bar in the Caribbean", which stretches 90 feet across the Grace Bay Club beach with its cabanas and spa tents. Constructed of black marble, the infinity design "creates the illusion that the entire structure is floating above the Caribbean sand and extending indefinitely into the ocean." We're getting thirsty just thinking about it.
Check out the gallery below for more pix and renderings of the Estate project.
Former NBA player and popular sports analyst Charles Barkley might want to steer clear of the gambling tables for a while. Barkley has spoken of his love of gambling before, in a 2006 interview he estimated that he's lost $10 million. Now his love of games of chance has landed him in hot water, Wynn Las Vegas filed a lawsuit in District Court on Wednesday saying Barkley owes $400,000 in gambling chits from last year. The casino has asked the Clark County district attorney's bad check unit to open a criminal investigation. Barkley will be given the chance to make restitution and avoid being charged with a felony. The lawsuit shows that the four $100,000 gambling markers date back to October.
An incredible collection of Ferraris spanning 50-plus years of the company's history goes up for auction this Sunday at the Ferrari factory in Maranello. The stars of the sale are undoubtedly a 1961 250 GT SWB California Spyder that belonged to The Magnificent Seven star James Coburn, which is estimated at $4.6 - $5.9 million; and a 1964 250 Le Mans, est. $6.5 million - $7.4 million, making it one of the most expensive Ferraris ever to go on the block. There are plenty of other incredible machines on offer in the Ferrari: Leggenda e Passione event being staged by RM Auctions, however.
Our personal favorite is this beautiful 1962 250 GT Lusso, the very first production unit and one of only three known examples raced, which is considerably cheaper at est. $1.2 million - $1.5 million. Other highlights include a 1990 Ferrari F40 Le Mans, est. $1.5 million - $2.1 million; a 2004 Enzo specially made for a member of a Middle Eastern royal family in a one-off shade of gray, est. $1.2 million - $1.5 million; and a dashing dark blue 1967 GTB/4, est. $1.2 million - $1.6 million. If you can't make it to Italy this weekend, LiveAuctioneers.com has opened bidding online, and will also carry streaming audio/video of the event.
The perfect addition to your summer/spring handbag collection has arrived! The Chloe Python Bay Bag is the bag du jour, in demand and stylish it features thick quilted ivory leather giving it a sturdy look and feel. Accents include visible stitching, a plaque on the front, feet on the bottom and over sized zipper pulls all done in gold. I love all the pockets on this bag, and the fact that everything zips tightly shut. Overall a very usable and chic purse that won't go out of style with the rest of the white hand bags. Available on net-a-porter.com, $4,000.
The big wow from Sotheby's contemporary art sale on Wednesday, was the record price set for a Francis Bacon. His "Triptych, 1976" sold for $86.281 million setting a record for postwar art and topping the estimate of around $70 million. Sotheby's had their best night in their nearly 300-year history bringing in a total of $362 million, which bested the $348.2 million haul from Christie's just the night before. While at the Christie's sale a Mark Rothko painting went for over $50 million, at this sale a similar painting went unsold. Seventeen other artists also set record including Robert Rauschenberg, who died this week. His "Overdrive" sold for $14.6 million. Takashi Murakami's amusing sculpture "My Lonesome Cowboy" went for $15.16 million which is rather amazing considering his previous record for $2.7 million. At the sale 87 percent of the 83 lots were sold and the sale exceeded the high presale estimate of $357 million. Fine art spending is alive and well, if there's a fall coming, well, inevitably there will be one, it seems it won't be for a while yet.
Lotus Flower Chandeliers are created by artisans combining hundreds of hand-cut capiz shells edged in metal together into large pearl and smoke colored spheres. When lit from within the pendants shimmer and shine like stained glass and look equally impressive hanging alone or in a grouping. Two sizes (13" and 21" diameters) are available from Viva Terra for $329 and $629, and in keeping with their eco-friendly and sustainable stance as many supplies as possible are recycled and reclaimed in the manufacturing of the product -- plus the company recommends using an energy saving light bulb to illuminate your new purchase.
The always charming Blake Lively from the hit series Gossip Girl had her work cut out for her at a recent Vanity Fair photo shoot. Her day included prancing around in a 33-pound Christian Dior gown! The yellow satin gown dazzled with Swarovski crystals detailing, 6,000 sequins (I counted), and detailed hand stitching. Lively, always a star, rose to the occasion and truly owned the dress, the photos are effortless and pretty. I wonder how much a gown like that would cost, any guesses?
I would have taken bets that Donald Trump wouldn't get his $100 million price for the home he's been trying to sell in Palm Beach, Florida for two years but I would have lost. The Palm Beach Post reports that Trump has sold the property he bought in 2004 from Abe Gosman for his desired price. Trump bought the home for $41.35 million and spent another $25 million in a renovation headed by Kendra Todd, winner of the third season of The Apprentice. He first put it on the market for $125 million which made it the most expensive home for sale in the U.S. but even Trump knew that price was optimistic and predicted three years ago that it would go for $100 million.
The home has nine bedrooms, a ballroom and a conservatory as party of its 62,000 square foot expanse. It also has a 48-car garage. Believe it or not, the unnamed buyer might tear down the huge mansion and subdivide. The waterfront property has been a prized piece of land for over 100 years and has the current house, Maison de L'Amitié, was only built in 1990. The property is appraised at $58 million by the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser's Office, meaning the 2007 tax bill at $980,033, is higher than the price of many homes in America. Trump's sale comes after a rash of big home sales in Palm Beach including Jones Apparel Group founder Sidney Kimmel who recently sold his home in the area for its $81.5 million list price.
I don't have great pictures or a lot of details on this one but it's special enough to cover based on size alone. This is the home of the Craven family, who owns Craven Original, a company that creates fine home gardening products and pottery. The home is an Italian-style villa on a whopping 1,410 acres at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a small town north of Atlanta, Georgia. There are currently seven homes on the property. It took the Craven family 28 years to collect the property which is also home to 850 cows, 450 of which have calves. There are 20 barns and sheds for hay storage. The property includes miles of fencing and gates spread out over three counties. The land also includes five ponds and three miles of Chandler Creek that could maintain a 250 acre lake to produce power and water for municipalities. The land itself is zoned for 2400 plus homes, golf course, retail center or can be left as a horse and cattle ranch.
The main home is 18,000 square feet and is built on a grand scale with 16 to 32 foot ceilings and 317 arches and a 540,000 artistically laid brick, tile roof, two eight-foot by 16-foot chandeliers in the great hall. All the architectural details such as cupolas, balustrades, fountains and statues were sculpted and cast by Craven Original. Much of it such as the ironwork was manufactured by members of the Craven family. I'm told that the property is appraised at $49 million, but is available for $31 million.
I've never been a big fan of fake fruit as decor but these fruit sculptures of glass by Anthony Biancaniello are really beautiful. Each of Biancaniello's designs have a common theme, be it a uniform shape or color scheme, used throughout and he usually works with pairs or groups of objects to create the desired artistic effect. He also, apparently, really likes fruit.
These sculptures are a great way to have the classic beauty of a fruit still life in your home without the often associated tackiness. Prices range from $245 to $1150.
Gallery: Art Glass Sculptures by Anthony Biancaniello
Lately celebrity moms have been spotted wearing necklaces engraved with the first letter of their new baby's name, a cute trend that's quickly increasing in popularity as more and more A-list ladies get pregnant. Among the first to do so was Nicole Richie, who is frequently seen sporting a gold "H" pendant (for daughter Harlow) . So who's behind the initial craze? Meet LA based jewelry designer to the stars Jennifer Meyer, she's the daughter of Ron Meyer (the President and CEO of Universal Studios) and she's married to Tobey McGuire. You can see her fabulous designs at the hippest jewelry boutiques around. Her famous 18K yellow gold and diamond initial pendants are now available online at twistonline.com, they cost $1,375.
