Shoppers, say “Au Revoir!” French country furniture store, Pierre Deux, unexpectedly closed its doors last Thursday, June 23, at all 23 locations around the U.S. With no warning, employees were instructed to pack up and exit the store. Owners André J. Cointreau and Hedwidge Cointreau de Bouteville reportedly called in to issue the closing.

According to the store’s spokesperson in New York, the company has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Pierre Deux has been around for decades, a popular go-to for French country style in the states. Since Pierre Le Vec and Pierre Moulin opened the first shop in Greenwich Village in 1967, the company expanded across the nation, with stores from California to Massachusetts.

Now the renowned Pierre Deux’s doors and windows have been shuttered up nationwide. No doubt many Pierre Deux lovers will be disappointed about this news!

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Billionaire hedge fund manager Philip Falcone and his wife Lisa Maria have agreed to pay $700,000 to rent Stone Meadow Farm, the 18,000 square-foot property in East Hampton, NY for the summer months- that’s $300,000 less than the original asking price. If his lease indeed runs through Labor Day, Falcone will be paying around $65,000 a week, likely just to spend weekends at the estate. Back in 2008, Mariah Carey paid $125,000 a week when she leased the same house.

[Photo from Forbes]

The current owner, Isabel Rose of the Rose Associates real estate dynasty, acquired the 8-acre estate in 2009 after a bidding war with Mr. and Mrs. Falcone themselves. She paid around $12.5 million for the mansion, which was the most expensive real estate deal ever brokered on the North Fork at the time- and the house isn’t even on the ocean. The home includes a three-floor main house with 5 bedrooms, 9.5 bathrooms and 5 fireplaces and an attached guest house with an additional 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms and 3 fireplaces. The nearly 3,500 square foot finished basement contains a media room, play room with wet bar and fireplace, gym, spa facilities and a staff lounge. The extensive grounds feature a five-horse stable, stone courtyards and terraces, a swimming pool and pool houses, spa and tennis court.

[Photo from curbed.com]

The Falcones, who are currently building a 13,000 square foot home in Sagaponack, reside in a New York City townhouse for which they famously paid about $49 million–in cash–on East 67th Street.

[photo from Brown Harris Stevens]

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The Bobbies will be concerned with a handful of automotive grandeur leisurely ripping through the streets of London this summer. At each year’s solstice, a fleet of Sheikh oil tycoons escape their scorching domiciles for repose in the city. Their form of relaxation lies in the speed of their extraordinary sports cars, which they have no difficulty trekking through plush-deluxe neighborhoods, fully equipped with vexed residents ready to defend against the unconcerned racers.

On the list to blame, the royal family of Qatar ranks toward the pinnacle of the guilty. Owning $2 million custom made supercars in that distinguishable turquoise may allow them think they have the right to exceed the speed limit, but the placement of more patrols is just the beginning of the recently budding anti-speeding campaign.

According to the London Evening Standard, officers will perform random checks to any foreign super cars coming into London for the summer by the moneyed Arabs. And because the Qatari Royals just purchased the renowned high-end London department store Harrods, the Brompton Road area neighborhood has become concentrated for concern.

Although their infamous turquoise speeders have put the Qatar name on high watch, a recent discovery of a Ferrari 599 that was videotaped zipping over Sloane Street revealed that the driver was an Iraqi playboy, who scored the vehicle from a Qatar comrade. “Normally it’s the Qataris and billionaires from Saudi and Bahrain who have the best cars, but this guy is proud of his roots and wants people to know there is an Iraqi on the scene now,” a Met spokeswoman told the London Evening Standard.

[Sources: JamesList, London Evening Standard, Luxist]

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Continuing its popular movie night tradition, the famed Soho House in West Hollywood screened the new film “Balls to the Wall” last night.
Guests included Director Penelope Spheeris and film cast Mimi Rogers (Lucky), Melissa Molinaro (Honey 2), Jenna Dewan-Tatum (The Playboy Club.) After an introduction to the film by the Director, attendees enjoyed GREY GOOSE Le Citron Fresh Berry Lemonade cocktails. (Recipe below.)

Opened in spring 2010, Soho House West Hollywood is the second members- only American House, and occupies the top two floors of the 14-story, 9200 Sunset Boulevard.

Post-screening, the film received a standing ovation by the guests and cast in attendance.

Soho House Grey Goose Le Citron Fresh Berry Lemonade
I N G R E D I E N T S
1 1/2 parts GREY GOOSE® Vodka
Fresh-squeezed lemonade
5 raspberries
1 tsp sugar
I N S T R U C T I O N S
In the bottom of a cocktail shaker, muddle raspberries with sugar. Pour into a tall glass over ice. Top with GREY GOOSE and lemonade. Present with raspberries and a lemon.
T I P S
This cocktail features the perfect union of sweet, ripe berries and tart lemonade. Ex¬plore variations on this drink by substituting other berries when they are in season, such as blackberries or blueberries.

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This property is comprised of 100 ft. of ocean frontage and is nearly 400 ft. deep. The flora hedge provides privacy and seclusion. This seaside home sits high upon the dune and offers uninterrupted views of the ocean. Vibrantly painted and decorated with classic and island tones, this home has both quality and charm and is located in prestigious Indian River Shores, close to shopping and dining.

Offered @ $4,500,000

Contact Lucy Hendricks @ 772.774.4425 or leeleevero@bellsouth.net. Or visit http://www.lucyhendricks.com

Six bartenders in the Hamptons are in some hot water this summer after being arrested over the weekend for serving alcohol to minors. Hailing from three different bars – Dream nightclub in Hampton Bays, Nello Summertimes, and 75 Main in Southampton Village – the bartenders were the subjects to a series of undercover crackdowns on underage drinking at Hamptons hotspots.

The police caught the bartenders by sending an underage police agent into the establishments to try to obtain alcohol while plainclothes police officers were nearby to observe. Chief Thomas Cumming explained, “The agent was to present legitimate identification if asked and not to mislead the bar employees if confronted.”

The Saturday prior, a State Liquor Authority inspection at Nello’s revealed several additional violations, including a security guard who was unable to present his security license, state liquor licenses for both front and back bars hidden from view, and the liquor license not bearing the proper business name.

At the Southampton Social Club, however, the underage agent was not granted entry, even after numerous tries. The bartenders who had served alcohol to the undercover agents at the other establishments were all arrested on the spot, charged with unlawfully dealing with a child in the first degree and prohibited sale of an alcoholic beverage – both of which are misdemeanors – and released after posting $250 bail and being issued tickets to appear in court.

World Oceans Day 2011 was held earlier this month and on Thursday June 16, La Mer and Oceana honored our world’s oceans by hosting a private celebratory brunch at Saks Fifth Avenue.

The afternoon’s hosts Belkys Nerey, Marlen Pernetti and Vivianne Kurzweil were joined by Jim Simon, Executive Vice President of Oceana, an international organization whose work is to protect and defend the world’s oceans in celebrating this annual event recognized by the United Nations in 2009.

Among the environmentally conscious South Florida beauties in attendance were Diane Ares, Mary Cabrera, Susana Houser, Mary Jo Shore, Norma Quintero and Maria Tettamanti.

La Mer, makers of one of the worlds most loved and sought after moisture creams, welcomed guests with their signature La Mer treatments and an opportunity to help Oceana’s cause donating fifteen percent of all purchases made during the event to Oceana.  La Mer created a limited-edition 100 ml World Ocean Day Crème in a commemorative ocean-inspired jar in support of the mission and in addition, La Mer has partnered with Soundwalk to create a sea-inspired iPhone/iPad application, the Seven Seas Sound Mix, available on iTunes.

Photo Credit:  Manny Hernandez

For more information about World Oceans Day and the partnership between La Mer and Oceana, visit www.lamer.com/oceana.

For more information on Oceana, visit http://na.oceana.org/.

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Director Michael Bay does it again with his 3^rd installment of the popular Transformers franchise Dark of the Moon. With the first 2 chapters in the mega series bringing in $1.5 billion in global box office sales another more larger than life movie seems like the natural choice. The films have used landmarks from around the globe in their previous films and this one is no different placing the city of Chicago and many of its iconic buildings at the core of the demolition

Image from Google

Trump Tower plays a role in the newest film. Special Forces Paratroopers BASE jump from the building across the Chicago River. “It’s a very dangerous technique,” Bay commented about the parachutists. For aerial shots Bay had an additional jumper following the paratroopers with a 3-D camera attached to his head

The building that was originally a Jewelers’ Building at 35 East Wacker Drive also sees a piece of the action. Formerly jewelry merchants who occupied the space would drive their cars onto an elevator where the businessmen were then delivered directly to their floors. This is not the complex’s film debut though as it was also featured in Batman Begins back in 2005.

Hotel 71 used the popularity of the “Transformer” franchise to its advantage. In lieu of closing its doors during taping the hotel, which is immensely destroyed in the movie thanks to the work of computer graphics, made it known that filming was taking place and invited fans from around the globe to come and watch the shoot.

Movie-goers will identify parts that they loved from the previous movies like Shia LaBeouf in the lead role along with destructive battles between the Autobots and the Deceptions while offering new developments sure to delight fans such as newcomer and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and scenes shot primarily with a 3-D camera. Transformers: Dark of the Moon opens tomorrow, June 29^th.

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After being purchased by Blackstone four years ago, the Waldorf-Astoria is getting an elegant update.  The renovations are rumored to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and will include remodeling the Waldorf’s three restaurants—the Bull and Bear, Oscar’s Brasserie and Peacock Alley. Besides their interior, the restaurants will not change and there are no plans for new restaurants.

Alexandra Champalimaud, a famed interior designer responsible for projects such as the Pierre, the St. Regis in Beijing and penthouses at the Dorchester in London, will be undertake the redesign of the rooms and public spaces.  As of right now, each room is decorated individually with no two rooms exactly alike, not an easy task considering the hotel boasts 1,416 luxurious guest rooms including 303 suites.

The revamp of the Waldorf-Astoria goes in line with the aim of the establishment: “The Waldorf-Astoria New York Hotel continues to define the concepts of peerless service and indulgent comfort.”

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Now well into the “Hamptons Season”, vacation-seeking New Yorkers are no stranger to the weekend traffic that lines the Long Island Expressway. But those desperate for a way to bypass the traffic and get themselves to the Hamptons’ sunny shores sooner have opted for a more luxurious mode: private jet.

The Wall Street Journal recently launched a “Jet Tracker” database, which allows users to view nearly every private jet flight in the United States between 2007 and 2010. The results revealed that “jet setting” out to the Hamptons is far from a new idea.

Thousands of corporate jet flights have landed in the Hamptons in the four-year period, delivering the world’s elite straight to both the East Hampton Airport and Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach.

The most frequent jet to make the trip is owned by the Cleveland Browns, who have made a total of 390 trips to East Hampton in the four-year span, 60 of which departed from LaGuardia or Teterboro in New Jersey.

Jimmy Buffett’s Sails in Concert company has also made quite a few trips to the Hamptons. In fact, one of Buffett’s planes was recently purchased by charter company Fly the Whale, and now offers 40-minute one-way flights to the Hamptons. More information about The Whale seaplane can be found in Haute Living’s Jimmy Buffett’s Seaplane blog post.

The “Jet Tracker” database is accessible here. To find corporate jet flights, use the destination code HTO for East Hampton Airport and FOK for Westhampton Beach.

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