Back in April, Donald Trump purchased the renowned Kluge Estate Winery and Vineyard for over $6 million and will be celebrating the opening of the revamped Charlottesville, VA establishment, now his Trump Vineyard Estates.

The invitation-only fete will take place at the Albemarle County location on Tuesday, Oct. 4 and will include a reception with his son Eric Trump, Governor Bob McDonnell, first lady Maureen McDonnell, and Patricia Kluge, the estate’s previous owner and onetime socialite who was married to billionaire media mogul and former richest man in America John Kluge.

Trump, who has been recently teasing the media with hints at a Republican presidential run, bought the picturesque grounds and facilities through an auction after the bank foreclosed on its previous owners, William Moses and Kluge. The owners had tried to save their establishment, even using Sotheby’s to auction off furnishings from their 23,500-square foot Albemarle House.

The opening of the winery under the well-known Trump name aligns with McDonnell’s promotion of Virginia wines. “The governor looks forward to celebrating another great step forward for Virginia’s growing and job-creating wine industry,” said McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin.

The winery will run under the direction of Eric Trump, who wrote on the Trump Winery website, “As the premier name in sophistication and quality, we are proud to present you with the latest jewel in our portfolio of spectacular properties and brands. Trump Winery, situated on Trump Vineyard Estates, formerly the renowned Kluge Vineyard and Estate, is the quintessential American luxury winemaker.”

The site adds, “Combining meticulous winemaking practices and talent with a genuine love of the land and support for the Virginia wine community, Trump Winery is capitalizing on the region’s potential to create world-class wines. Trump’s accomplished team and terroir reinforces the promise of good things to come.”

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets. To see the entire Haute 100 Miami list, click here.

EVENT: The 19th Annual Miami Beach Antique Jewelry and Watch Show

DATE: October 14-16, 2011

PLACE: Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL

TIME: Friday-Saturday 11am-7pm & Sunday 11am-6pm

ADMISSION: $15 3-Day Package

Save the Date. The 19th annual Miami Beach Antique Jewelry and Watch Show returns to the Miami Beach Convention Center on October 14th through the 16th.

The event kicks off Fall’s antique shopping season by offering 150 prestigious dealers from around the world showcasing one of a kind vintage jewelry from haute jewelers such as Harry Winston, Cartier, and Van Cleef.

A premier shopping destination for lovers of luxury, the 19th Annual Miami Beach Antique Jewelry and Watch Show promises never before seen relics of opulence in Art Deco Miami Beach.

Source: Red Letter PR

The unveiling of the newly remodeled Christopher Guy Showroom was held at their flagship Beverly Hills store last week in support of The Mark Taper Center Inner City Arts Program. Guest’s previewed the new collection and line of furnishings from Christopher Guy which were a big hit here in Beverly Hills. I know many customers including my wife decorator Gabrielle Choo that uses many of Christopher’s over the top and unique furnishing to decorate their own homes or their customers’ homes.

Now you must have a lot of style and great taste to use the pieces in Christopher’s line or as Christopher would say “decorative furnishings” and I would agree that is the proper term. The first time I walked into his Beverly Hills showroom, I felt like I was transported back in time to 1939 and the set of George Cukor’s “The Women” and I could just picture Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford or Rosalind Russell sitting and lounging in one of the fabulous vignette rooms he has set up in his showroom. To sum it up Christopher’s style is seductive, elegant, luxurious, fabulous and sophisticated yet comfortable for today’s lifestyle. Whether you choose just a few piece to anchor and make a statement in the decor of your home or decide to go full board with the whole look and collection you will be in great company like just a few of his clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue (NY), the Mayfair, Savoy & Dorchester Hotels in London, Ritz Carlton & Four Seasons Hotels worldwide, the Queen Mary 2 and many films such as Casino Royal.

The look is sophisticated and chic and perfect for today’s modern and elegant opulent lifestyles. We thank Christopher for hosting this cocktail party to support the Inner City Arts’ Program here in Los Angeles. For more information go to www.Inner-CityArts.org and take a look at the Christopher Guy look at www.ChristopherGuy.com

Gabrielle Choo & Alex Reid

Los Angeles‘ Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke at a Town Hall luncheon on Tuesday, Sept. 27. While he conceded that the recession has overpowered LA’s effort to retain and generate jobs, he remained confident about the city’s future.

The mayor believes that light rail and subway development will establish a strong foundation for a robust local economy and believes that public transportation will additionally serve as a catalyst for nationwide economic growth.

At the luncheon, Villaraigosa said, “Now, let me be clear: Transportation is the key to building our own road to recovery. We must avoid turning the wrong way down a one-way street into a double-dip recession. We’ve raised the money here in LA to build our own road to recovery – but we need the financing from Congress to break ground on that road now.”

Villaraigosa is currently working with California Senator Barbara Boxer to pass America Fast Forward, a Congressional bill that will increase the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan from its current $110 million to $1 billion annually.

The mayor believes that, should this be achieved, the rest of the nation will “look to Los Angeles and Southern California, and our new subways, our railways, our roadways, and our busways. It will be a catalyst not just for LA but for the nation, if we can adopt America Fast Forward.”

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets. To see the entire Haute 100 Los Angeles list, click here.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort, an exclusive member of The Haute Hotel Network, is a great place to escape for some family fun under the tropical sun. Located in O’ahu, the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands, this resort has something for every member of the family.

Check out the “Kahala Family Values Connecting Rooms Plan” which guarantees a connecting room so you can keep the kids close but still have your privacy. Other great perks included in this package are: a daily beach cabana, nightly milk and cookies turndown service, daily breakfast buffet for four and two of the hotel’s signature stuffed dolphins.

Check out The Kahala Hotel & Resort 0n The Haute Hotel Network for more information and reservations.

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EVENT: Interior Designer Michael S. Smith Celebrates New Book with Ann Sacks

DATE: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

PLACE: Ann Sacks, 37 East 18th Street, New York, NY

TIME: 6:30-8:30PM

Save the Date. On Tuesday, October 18, 2011, Ann Sacks invites guests to a book signing in honor of interior designer and author Michael S. Smith’s newest book.

Gab about granite and talk about travertine over Smith’s latest book “Kitchens and Baths” exclusively at Ann Sacks at 6:30pm. Smith’s new book “Kitchens and Baths” showcases the designer’s exceptional take on kitchen and bath style aesthetics.

R.S.V.P. with Ann Sacks at Kara.Badett@annsacks.com or by phone at 212.529. 2800 by October 12, 2011.

Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

“Kitchens and Baths” by Michael S. Smith is published by Rizzoli New York and is available for purchase at Ann Sacks.

Source: Kohler Interiors Group PR

Auberge du Soleil, an exclusive member of The Haute Hotel Network, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with a special culinary package. This special package celebrates the hotel’s beginning as a restaurant before it grew into the luxurious resort that it is today.

Included in this package is a two night stay, breakfast and Chef’s Tasting menu for two in the notable Michelin starred Restaurant and two copies of the Relais & Chateaux Cookbooks: 85 Chefs & Chefs at Home.

Don’t miss out on this fabulous opportunity to relax your body and stimulate your tastebuds in beautiful Rutherford California!

Check out Auberge du Soleil on The Haute Hotel Network for more information and reservations.

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The name Zenith might conjure images of old television sets and radios to a lot of Americans but to watch lovers, it’s a magic word that summons images of one of Switzerland’s most respected manufacturers.  Zenith’s history goes all the way back to its founding in 1865 in the Swiss village of Le Locle, where it’s still headquartered today, and it made its reputation in its early days with high precision navigation watches, marine chronometers, and the ultra rare and collectible observatory grade wristwatch chronometers it manufactured for clients for whom beauty and precision were one and the same.

In the 20^th century, Zenith was most famous for creating, in 1969, what is considered one of the finest watch movements in the world: the movement connoisseurs call not by a number but by its name, “El Primero.”  The name reflects Zenith’s claim that the El Primero was the first self-winding chronograph movement in the world. In 1969, when the El Primero was launched, two other self-winding chronographs debuted, both also firsts in their own way, but the El Primero is the only one of the three still in production.

It’s famous for another reason as well –the high speed at which its oscillator beats (the oscillator, or balance, in a watch is what gives it its accuracy, and all other things being equal, a higher frequency means better accuracy.)  Hold an El Primero to your ear, and you’ll hear it ticking noticeably faster than almost any other watch in existence –ten ticks per second.  For a chronograph, that’s important because the number of fractions of a second you can time is equal to the number of times the watch ticks, and no production chronograph out-ticks the El Primero.

In keeping with this history of precision and performance, Zenith’s just announced the latest edition to its “Captain” line of watches, whose name evokes the world of navigation in which the right time can mean the difference between a safe harbor and Davy Jones’ Locker.  The Captain Winsor Annual Calendar adds to the El Primero movement one of the most useful complications in watchmaking: the annual calendar.  As anyone who’s ever owned a mechanical watch with a date window knows, at the end of any month that’s not 31 days long you have to advance the date to the first of the next month by hand.  A perpetual calendar takes care of this for you and also accounts for both the odd man out –the month of February –as well as adding an extra day to February once every Leap Year.

The downside?  Cost, and delicacy.  Perpetual calendars are among the most expensive watches in the world, and they require extra care on the wrist, as well as extreme care in setting lest you damage the fragile mechanical computer inside.  The annual calendar, on the other hand, gives you most of the advantages of a perpetual and none of the disadvantages –it only needs one adjustment per year (at the end of February.)  Horological insiders will be thrilled to hear that the design of the Captain Winsor Annual Calendar is the result of a collaboration with one of the most famous names in watchmaking –Dr. Ludwig Oeschlin, currently the curator of the International Museum of Horology in La Chaux-de-Fonds, and internationally famous as the man behind the Ulysse Nardin Freak.

Practical, elegant, and chock-full of some of watchmaking’s most ingenious engineering, it’s a watch more than ready to navigate the sometimes turbulent seas of time.

The Captain Winsor Annual Calendar is available in rose gold with silver toned dial, or stainless steel with a silver or midnight blue dial.

The Rose Gold version retails for $18,800. The Steel version for $8,700.

Jack Forster is the Editor in Chief of Revolution Magazine, a quarterly publication celebrating the world of fine watchmaking, and he also manages Revolution Online www.revo-online.com the foremost information and discussion site on the internet for watch enthusiasts.

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On Tuesday, September 27th, 2011 I attended the star-studded Nightlife Awards at the Hiro Ballroom. The Nightlife Awards honors the best tastemakers, restaurants, bars, clubs, DJ’s, hotels and more in New York City. Radio legend and daytime talk show host Wendy Williams hosted the event in front of a crowd of New York’s best. After the awards were handed out R & B superstar Mary J Blige took the stage and had the crowd dancing the night away.

Other celebrity guests included Mickey Boardman, Estelle, Swizz Beatz, Meeka Claxton, Paul Iacono, June Ambrose, Jason Derulo, Bevy Smith, Vashtie Kola, Becka Diamond, Michael Musto, Anderson Cooper, Patricia Field Kimbo Mesches, Chris Benz,  and more.

LIST OF WINNERS

BEST NEW PARTY
Friends at Westway
On Top at Le Bain
Monday Night Moves at the Jane
Spencer’s Gifs at Santos Party House
Ghe20 G0th1k
CHERYL
DJ Huggy Bear Saturdays at the Ace Hotel
Bedlam Saturdays
WINNER: On Top at Le Bain

BEST NEW BAR/LOUNGE*
Madame Wong’s
Mister H at Mondrian SoHo
Saint Vitus Bar
Bedlam
The Lambs Club
The Drink
PH-D at the Dream Downtown
WINNER: Bedlam

BEST HOTEL WITH A NIGHTLIFE SCENE
Dream Downtown
Mondrian SoHo
The Jane
The Standard, New York
Ace Hotel
The Maritime Hotel
SoHo Grand Hotel
WINNER: The Standard

BEST MUSEUM WITH A PARTY SCENE
MoMA PS1
Whitney Museum of Art
American Museum of Natural History
New Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Brooklyn Museum
WINNER: MoMA PS1

BEST DJ
Brendan Fallis
Nancy Whang
Venus X
Josh Madden
Chelsea Leyland
Japanster
Franco V
Jonjon Battles
Roctakon
WINNER: Nancy Whang

BEST GAY NIGHT
Gekko at Library Bar
Hot Rabbit Fridays at Heathers
Vandam Sundays at Greenhouse
Clubber Down Disco at the Chelsea Hotel
Sugarland Saturdays
Summer Camp at the Cabanas at The Maritime Hotel
Spank Loft Parties
WINNER: Clubber Down Disco

BEST RESTAURANT WITH A NIGHTLIFE SCENE
Miss Lily’s
Red Rooster
Saturdays Surf NYC
Roberta’s
The Dutch
Tiny’s
WINNER: Miss Lily’s

BEST DESIGNER WITH A NIGHTLIFE INFLUENCE
Nicola Formichetti
Chris Benz
Pamela Love
Olivier Theyskens
Asher Levine
Alexander Wang
Deer Dana
Alexa Chung for Madewell
WINNER: Nicola Formichetti

BEST BARTENDER
Sam Ross, Milk & Honey
Kenta Goto, Pegu Club
Joaquin Simo, Death + Company
Brad Farran, Clover Club
Dushan Zaric, Employees Only
Aisha Sharpe, Contemporary Cocktails INC.
Leo Robitschek, Eleven Madison Park
WINNER: Joaquin Simo

BEST NEW CLUB**
Westway
Riff Raff’s
Studio XXI
District 36
285 Kent Ave.
WINNER: Westway

BEST PROMOTER
Seva Granik
PopGun
MeanRed
Joe Ahearn
Josh Wood
Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin (Mister Sat. Night)
Susanne Bartsch
Fornabaio Voss
Todd Pendu
Michael Cohen
Fernando Tormena
WINNER: Fernando Tormena

BEST NIGHTLIFE TWEETER
Matt Kays
Greg K
Mike Nouveau
Gayletter
Sky Ferreira
Steven Rojas
Becka Diamond
Hanuk
Sophia Lamar
Lyz Olko and Josh Conner from Obesity and Speed
Kristin Gallegos
Derek Blasberg
WINNER: Gayletter

BEST NIGHT TO GO OUT
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
WINNER: Thursday

BEST CLUB SONG
“Barbra Streisand” by Duck Sauce
“Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga
“Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” by Katy Perry
“Party Anthem” by LMFAO
“Till the World Ends” (remix) by Britney Spears, featuring Ke$ha and Nicki Minaj
“S&M” by Rihanna
“Rolling In The Deep” by Adele
“Dystopia (The Earth Is On Fire)” by YACHT
WINNER: “Barbra Streisand” by Duck Sauce

BEST DOOR PERSON
Ian Bradley at Le Bain
Vance Brooking at Madame Wong’s

Nicollette Santos at The Jane

Lyz Olko at Westway

Michelle Salem at Bedlam
WINNER: Ian Bradley

BEST NIGHTLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER
Rebecca Smeyne
Zac Sebastian
KirillWasHere
Patrick McMullan Company (PMC)
Billy Farrell Agency (BFA)
Cobrasnake
Hannah Thomson
Nicky Digital
Quentin Belt
WINNER:KirillWasHere

Haute Living Editor Casey Brooks with Ben Golkin and Harley Brooks

On Monday, September 26, The Young Patrons of Lincoln held its annual fall fundraiser. Six Hundred guests in their 20s and 30s consisting of New York’s best dressed philanthropists, tastemakers and entrepreneurs gathered on the promenade and balcony of Avery Fisher Hall to celebrate fashion at Lincoln Center and all of the new redevelopment work. Rent the Runway sponsored the event and dressed over 70 committee members in stunning designer gowns. Afterward, the evening continued  with an after-party at the Hudson Hotel. The evening coincided with the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night and the performance of Anna Bolena which was projected as a plaza cast on the Josie Robertson Plaza.

Young patrons in attendance had the best view in the house form the balcony of Avery Fisher Hall. With music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres an open bar and impressive silent auction, the fundraiser was a glamorous success.

Proceeds from the event benefited audience development initiatives at Lincoln Center, such as the Young Patrons “101 series” demystifying the performing art forms on the campus. The next event is Ballet 101 on November 7 with excerpts from George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

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