Harrods owner Qatar Holding LLC has bought a 1.03 per cent stake in luxury conglomerate LVMH. LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault and his family still holds 46.5 per cent of the company and 62.4 per cent of its voting rights – meaning he still has majority control of corporate policies and decides who sits on its board. All investors are asked to notify LVMH if they make any acquisitions over 1 per cent. – read more via Vogue
Make sure to catch “Luxury Boom: The New Big Spenders” on CNBC. In the fantastic new series, CNBC’s Courtney Reagan reveals an interesting gender twist among the newly affluent. Where men shop like ladies, and women are buying like men. Courtney talks one-on-one with Ferrari, Coach and other iconic brands to reveal the luxury newcomers that are on a high-end shopping spree. This is must-watch series for everyone in the luxury industry….
From Ferraris to high priced heels, a new breed of shopper is hungry to spend big bucks on luxury. Go inside the boom for a revealing look at the new big spenders, surprising new trends and unexpected gender twists pushing big name luxury brands to new heights. CNBC’s Courtney Reagan reports. – learn more
A Lhasa Apso called Elizabeth on Sunday won the Best in Show award at Britain’s Crufts festival, the world’s largest annual dog show.
Elizabeth, from Coventry, central England, earlier won the Best Utility category before being crowned champion ahead of 21,000 other dogs at the NEC arena in Birmingham, central England.
“I can’t believe it,” said Margaret Anderson, the winning breeder.
“I’m sure somebody’s going to pinch me in a minute and I’ll wake up and it’ll all be a dream,” she added. “It hasn’t sunk in at all. I’ll go home and probably burst out crying.”
Anderson described the winning dog as “very easy going and laid back”.
The show, which is organised by The Kennel Club, celebrates its 121st anniversary this year.
Tennis stars Andre Agassi and his wife, Steffi Graf, are offering a one hour private tennis lesson with them for charity. The duo will give the lesson to the lucky bidder in Las Vegas and the auction is benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The current bid is at $26,000.
Singer Justin Bieber was presented with a 2012 Fisker Karma on his 18th birthday during The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Thursday. The gift was a surprise from Scooter Braun, Bieber’s manager, who said that “we wanted to make sure you are environmentally friendly.”
The Fisker Karma is the first model from Fisker Automotive. It’s a sexy four-door sedan with an electric motor and a 2.0L turbocharged range-extending engine.
The 403-horsepower Karma can travel up to 50 miles on electricity alone and reaches 0-60 mph in 6.3 seconds. The Fisker Karma Eco Standard starts at $102,950.
If you can’t remember the bit in The Wind in the Willows when Mole and Rat go searching for a missing baby otter, only to find him asleep in the hooves of the muscular, horned god Pan, then you’re not alone. “It is the chapter that everyone forgets about it,” said Jamie Andrews of the British Library. “For most editions it’s left out.”
Kenneth Grahame’s handwritten version of the chapter, together with illustrations by Arthur Rackham, will though be part of a summer exhibition at the library called Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands, details of which were announced on Tuesday.
The chapter – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn – is normally dropped because it jars, seems so strange compared to all the others and, to some, is vaguely homo-erotic. Grahame thought it essential.
The library said The Wind in the Willows would be one of more than 150 literary works to feature in a show that aims to explore how writers in Britain, from Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare to Angela Carter and Hanif Kureishi, have been inspired by and helped shape our understanding of landscape and place.
Curators have delved into the library’s vast collection and chosen exhibits that include one of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Lake District notebooks; the poetic/photographic celebration of the Calder Valley by Ted Hughes and Fay Godwin; and Laurie Lee’s handwritten manuscript of Cider with Rosie, his autobiographical account of growing up in Slad, Gloucestershire.
The show will reveal some unlikely connections, for example between the very different writers JG Ballard and GK Chesterton who both explored London gated communities and the potential for violence therein with works a century apart (Ballard’s 2003 novel Millennium People and Chesterton’s 1908 work The Man Who Was Thursday).
Andrews, the show’s lead curator and head of English and drama at the library, said: “We think that every item here will connect to another in some way and the best thing is, sometimes the connections will be obvious – Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath to the Brontes say – and sometimes they won’t, like Ballard and Chesterton.
“We’d like to think everyone can have an individual experience navigating their own connections.”
Andrews conceded they were choosing from millions of things. “We know we’re leaving things out. We’re trying to choose things we know that, on their own, are redolent and exciting but they also add up to a larger whole – they spark these connections.”
Because the library can only paint a partial picture it will launch an online initiative inviting people to make their own contributions – whether that is saying who wrote the definitive novel for Milton Keynes, or who created the great ode to Didcot. “We want to create this literary map of Britain, where every space and place is in some way linked to a literary text. We can’t do that but we believe it must be possible to do.”
The exhibition will span 1,000 years of creative writing and include sound recordings, letters, photographs, drawings and song lyrics as well as yet to be revealed contributions from contemporary writers.
The show will be part of the Cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 Festival and will run from 11 May – 25 September.
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Sacha Baron Cohen was escorted off the red carpet at the Academy Awards tonight, in what appeared to be a carefully orchestrated publicity stunt for his new film, The Dictator.
At the ceremony, which is taking place in Hollywood tonight, Baron Cohen appeared in costume flanked by two female “bodyguards”, carrying a golden urn supposedly containing the ashes of North Korean premier Kim Jong-il. Baron Cohen then emptied the urn over red-carpet reporter Ryan Seacrest.
Baron Cohen was then asked to leave from the red carpet, but was allowed to pose for photographs before making his leisurely exit.
Moneyball actor Jonah Hill, who is up for best supporting actor, who said: “I guess the Oscars isn’t the best place to sell your movie. I think he’s a funny guy, though.”
Baron Cohen had been engaging in a war of words with the Academy all week, after they objected to his plan to appear in character at the awards ceremony. Baron Cohen responded by accusing them of being “Zionists” on a filmed appearance on NBC.
Our Oscars coverage continues on our liveblog.
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Billionaire investor Warren Buffett announced Saturday that a successor has been chosen to lead his Berkshire Hathaway holding company, although he did not identify the person. Buffett, 81, wrote in a letter to investors that Berkshire Hathaway’s board of directors chose his successor and two back-up candidates.
Your Board is equally enthusiastic about my successor as CEO, an individual to whom they have had a great deal of exposure and whose managerial and human qualities they admire. (We have two superb back-up candidates as well.) When a transfer of responsibility is required, it will be seamless, and Berkshire’s prospects will remain bright. More than 98% of my net worth is in Berkshire stock, all of which will go to various philanthropies. Being so heavily concentrated in one stock defies conventional wisdom. But I’m fine with this arrangement, knowing both the quality and diversity of the businesses we own and the caliber of the people who manage them. With these assets, my successor will enjoy a running start. Do not, however, infer from this discussion that Charlie and I are going anywhere; we continue to be in excellent health, and we love what we do. – Warren Buffet
For the first time in at least two decades of reporting the worldwide cost of living survey Zurich sits atop the ranking as the world’s most expensive city.
An index swing of 34 percentage points pushed the Swiss city up 4 places compared to last year to overtake Tokyo which remains in 2nd place.
Geneva, the other Swiss city surveyed saw a 30 percentage point rise in the cost of living to move up six places into joint third alongside Osaka.
The authors of the bi-annual report said both Japan and Switzerland have seen strong currency movements over the last few years which have made them relatively more expensive.
Currency movements in Australia also explain the presence of both Sydney and Melbourne in the list of top ten most expensive cities to live.
Hong Kong, which has long been noted as an expensive place to live, is surprisingly ranked at 22, much lower than its third-placed position a decade ago.
The survey of 130 cities worldwide compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products, including food, clothing, transport, rents and private schools.
The price of a litre of petrol for example varies hugely from city to city. In its breakdown, the EIU shows that it is $2.17 in Paris but only $0.96 in Moscow.
Despite eurozone weaknesses, western Europe still accounts for 24 of the most expensive cities in the top 50, with 14 hailing from Asia.
Top 10 Most Expensive Cities In The World – 2012
1. Zurich, Switzerland
2. Tokyo, Japan
3. Geneva, Switzerland
4. Osaka, Japan
5. Oslo, Norway
6. Paris, France
7. Sydney, Australia
8. Melbourne, Australia
9. Singapore, Singapore
10. Frankfurt, Germany
From guest contributor Tiffany Dowd, please follow at twitter.com/@LuxeTiffany
Nira Alpina is the hottest new luxury hotel to hit the St. Moritz region located in the Switzerland ski resort of Surlej just 5 km from St. Moritz. This ultra-stylish ski in, ski out hotel is modern with an Alpine flair and is conveniently located just steps Corvatsch cable car station for some of the finest skiing in the area.
The sexy yet unpretentious vibe makes it a standout from the glitz and crowds of neighboring St. Moritz. Each of the 70 rooms features a large terrace or balcony with stunning panoramic windows overlooking the Engadin mountains. Spacious accommodations are adorned with natural woods, Italian stone, and modern granite bathrooms with relaxing soaking tubs and waterfall showers.
The restaurants at Nira Alpina are an exceptional addition to the St. Moritz restaurant scene. Menus are created around locally farmed, caught, raised or bred ingredients. For some of the most breathtaking panoramic views of the lakes and mountains, head to Stars to enjoy delectable international fare such as tandoori prawn, sliced duck, satay and sashimi perfect for sharing.
Stalla Veglia is an intimate setting for warming alpine dishes. The Bistro, with its open-air kitchen, is ideal for quick lunch.
The Rooftop Bar is the perfect après-ski scene where you can sip champagne by the sultry fire while taking in the breathtaking Swiss Alp views as the resident DJ sets the mood.
The aroma from the Bakery will entice you to try most delicious apple strudel, traditional Swiss bread, pastries and bread, all fresh baked each morning. Grab a mouthwatering cupcake or two for a midday delight.
After a day of summer or winter adventure, visit the world-class Nira Spa for rejuvenating spa treatments such as a Swiss Chocolate Body Wrap or a regionally inspired massage.
Nira Alpina is also spectacular setting for a summer holiday in the Alps where you can enjoy hiking, sailing, swimming or windsurfing on the nearby lakes.
Nira Alpina is a member of Design Hotels and is a Nira Hotel & Resort. Nira Hotels & Resorts offers a collection of luxury hotels designed for discerning guests who seek a more authentic, exceptional experience.
www.niraalpina.com
www.nirahotelsandresorts.com
