Photo: Mice

Abu Dhabi, an increasingly popular destination for the world’s elite, is upping the ante with the opening of a new luxury hotel. Jumeirah Hotels, Resorts & Residences, one of the world’s leading luxury hotel brands, is scheduled to debut their first hotel in Abu Dhabi very soon. This project has been in the works since 2006 and needless to say, everyone is very excited to see the final project.

The Jumeirah at Etihad Towers includes five buildings: a 280 metre tall luxury hotel, an office tower and three luxury residential buildings housing 885 apartments. All five of these luxury structures are situated overlooking the water and have every posh amenity imaginable. The massive hotel structure includes 382 rooms and suites with views of the water, 199 serviced residences, an executive lounge, exceptional spa treatments, lots leisure activities, plenty of high-end boutiques and outstanding restaurants.

Pack your bags this winter and head to the Middle East’s new luxury spot!

Source: Breaking Travel News

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Just in time for The Christmas Book with its fantasy gift offerings, Neiman Marcus stores are set to accept Visa and Mastercard on November 1.  Whether it be a simple eyeshadow from Tom Ford (with which they have an exclusive) or that coveted Lanvin A/W 2011 taupe with tortoise shell clasp cape, shoppers can delight at the ease of being able to use all major credit cards now at Neimans.

Karen Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neiman Marcus, Inc. announced today that the company has entered into agreements with Visa Inc. and MasterCard to enable customers to use MasterCard and Visa credit, debit and prepaid cards at all 41 Neiman Marcus stores.

“We listened to our customers and heard that they wanted more flexibility in their payment choices,” said Karen Katz. “In today’s world, our customers expect an enjoyable and seamless shopping experience across all channels.  By now accepting Visa and MasterCard in our Neiman Marcus Stores as we already do online, they can shop our brands anytime, anywhere and anyplace they choose.”

  “Visa is pleased to collaborate with Neiman Marcus to bring its clientele greater payment options in its stores,” said William M. Sheedy, Group President, Americas, Visa Inc. “We look forward to helping Neiman Marcus increase customer convenience and sales, and we’re excited to become an integral part of the Neiman Marcus shopping experience as consumers gain the ability to use their Visa card at one of the most iconic retailers in the world.”

“This announcement is the latest example of how we work with our customers – merchants and issuers alike – to provide consumers with a convenient and consistent shopping experience,” said Craig Vosburg, Group Executive, U.S. Market Development, MasterCard Worldwide.  “We’re happy to join with Neiman Marcus to provide their customers with a greater choice in how they want to pay, while maximizing value of the MasterCard cards in their wallets.”

Neiman Marcus
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125 modern-day immigrants gathered in front of the Statue of Liberty to take the oath of citizenship on Friday—marking the monument’s 125^th birthday.

The new American citizens, who hail from 46 different countries, waved tiny flags and posed for photos with their citizenship certificates during the naturalization ceremony on Liberty Island.

The event echoed the original dedication ceremony on Oct. 28, 1886—when the Statue of Liberty was first gifted to the United States by France, as a symbol of friendship between the two countries and their shared dedication to liberty and democracy.  125 years later, actress Sigourney Weaver read the iconic poem “The New Colossus” inscribed under the statue, followed by a firework display set to patriotic music.

The anniversary celebration commenced the statue’s yearlong closing. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, who also delivered a speech during Friday’s ceremony, will oversee the monument’s $27.25 million renovations—which will include the addition of a spiral staircase leading into the statue’s crown and webcams from the torch; providing panoramas of the Manhattan skyline, the Hudson River, and Liberty Island.

Last month, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Mayor Michael Bloomberg also gave speeches celebrating the statue’s 125th year.

Source: Pursuitist.com

I wanted to reach out to you  guys and let you know about the Noble Gift Gala on Dec 10^th @ The Dorchester hotel in London with Eva Longoria, Jermaine Jackson and HRH Prince Azim.

It’s one of those “not to be missed” events, in the spirit of empowering women and children around the world.

I myself come from war torn country of Croatia and came to London with my family in 1991. Humanity is a big part of me and my life  I hold it very close to my heart and giving to others brings joy and smiles to my reality. As a woman, I have witnessed great leadership and encourage all of us to step up and become shifters of this beautiful world’s future. I know our children are already the leaders of tomorrow and just that thought really makes me want to empower my reality and life as well.

The Eva Longoria Fund, The Great Initiative and the Seven Bar Foundation have united forces to create the ultimate impact on the empowerment of women & create foster and awareness to children.  We have come together under the notion that a combined effort of parallel missions is more forceful than organizations working towards the same goal non-unilaterally.

While everybody is looking for the perfect outfit, while children are only thinking about stealing candies from their neighbors, while storekeepers are asking themselves how to decorate their stores this year, don’t forget that humor, dressing-up, jokes and self-derision are also extremely present in contemporary art. How many of us have already faced Duane Hanson’s sculptures and laughed at their mistake? How many of us have been lost in Fabien Verschaere’s fantastical paintings? How many of us have been scared by Cindy Sherman’s clowns? How many of us have desired to play with Maurizio Cattelan’s mobiles? However behind these works that are funny, easily understandable at first, playful, darker preoccupations are often hide.

Duane Hanson, an American-born Sculptor (1925-1996), created hyper-realistic lifecast of people made out of resin, polyester, bronze, fiberglass and often textiles, clothes and everyday life items. Most often sculptures are the exact representation of ordinary people who don’t stand out of the crowd and are placed in everyday life situations. Who haven’t spoke to the sculptures at least once?! Who haven’t ever run into one of them in a museum or during an exhibition? And one laughed of itself when the mistake is realized. However Duane’s goal is to put the emphasis on social problems and preoccupations. His sculptures usually represent a girl next door, a neighbor or a co-worker such the character of some of his most well known pieces: Bowery Relicts (1969); Supermarket Lady (1969); Florida Shopper (1973); Cleaning Lady (1972). They are touching, fragile and give off sensibility and feelings. Subjects, who are from the American middle class, are represented respectfully, simply and realistically. Their hopes, doubts, needs are discernible as like their resignation.

The dreamlike, magical and fantastical world of Fabien Verschaere, a French-born artist (1975), has his mysterious part, his dark side too. One’s getting lost into the marvelous world of his paintings and through the fairy tales and symbols that inspire him. His black and white (for the most part) paintings are filled up with clowns, dwarfs, fairies, devils, ghosts, Chimeras half demoniac – half fantastical. Associated to playing cards or dices those figures are as many symbols that mean that life is nothing but gambling, a perpetual fight between the world of living and the world of dead. His work is sensitive, intimate and very personal. He brings the viewer into his own world where fairies, mermaids, devils, clowns, goblins, pixies… live all together, a world based on its own paradoxes. At first funny and readable, his paintings reveal a multitude of details and references that do their reading more complex such as: Video Games (2009), Fake Legend (2009) and Novel of Life (2009).

If Verschaere’s clowns can be disturbing, Cindy Sherman’s ones  are clearly frightening and scary!! She’s an American-born artist who is known for being the mother of the post-modern photography. Through her self-portraits, which have to be seen as conceptual pieces, she questions the role attributed to the women in our society and criticizes in an acerbic way the middle age housewife of the sixties and seventies. The Clowns (2003-2004) series can be read as an answer to the attacks of 2001. Therefore her point would be to keep smiling whatever happens and still thinking about what can be next. Sherman’s clowns don’t seem to be nice and joyful. They seem to wear a mask, a mask of a hypocritical and individualistic society. Viewers don’t know anymore if they should laugh, cry or question themselves. Should one appreciate her photographs just the way they are or should one try to read between the lines?

Satire is also very popular among contemporary artists and Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian-born artist (1960), is well known for his satirical, caustic and biting sculptures such as The Ninth Hour (1999) which depicting the Pope Jean-Paul II struck down by a meteorite. His sculptures are shocking, paradoxical, humorous and ironical and his work is made of performances, provocations and embezzlement. Untitled (2001) simply represents a whole on the ground from where a little man comes from. One doesn’t pay attention at the first sight however it questions the viewer who doesn’t know what to make of it. This sculpture actually represents the artist himself while he’s breaking the museum as a criminal making an assault on a private and historical institution.

These artists, in their own way, chose to express their doubts, their questions, their rants… through some funny and humorous works that are also ironic and caustic in the mean time.

The Architecture + Design Museum in Los Angeles (A+D) will celebrate its eleventh year of cutting edge exhibitions and progressive architecture and design programming at its annual fundraiser, this year titled “CELEBRATE: THE WEARABLE” on Saturday, March 10, 2012.

The salon style runway event at A+D will feature wearable artworks provided by top talent from the realms of architecture, design, fashion, graphic, product, industrial and the visual arts. On display on live models, the donated pieces will be auctioned that evening and available for sale through an advance online “Buy It Now” feature with all proceeds benefiting the Museum.

Key participants providing wearable pieces include architecture / furniture / fashion designer Karim Rashid; fashion designers Trina Turk and JC de Castelbajac; architects Richard A.M. Stern and Richard Meier; street artist Chase; and culinary artist Wolfgang Puck. Also providing Wearables: architects David Hertz, Marmol Radziner, organic architect/author/speaker Eric Corey Freed, and architect / interior designer James Magni; landscape architect Mia Lehrer; L.A. milliner Louise Green; l.a. Eyeworks; and L.A. design house Sol Angeles.

Known for his own embellished fashion style and love of car design, author, showman and pop-culture humorist Charles Phoenix will host the evening.

The concept of the Wearables is to explore the commonalities between structure, form and the body with no limits to design or materials. “We cannot wait to see what our design leaders and creative thinkers from around the world bring to this,” states Museum Executive Director Tibbie Dunbar. “We are so fortunate to have the kind of participation that will help us continue to offer the region high-quality exhibitions and events that explore and celebrate how design touches our daily lives.” Wearables will include clothing, jewelry, shoes, hats, and more…

For additional information on the A+D Museum and for CELEBRATE, including Sponsorship and/or general information,visit www.aplusd.org

Tickets:http://aplusd.org/celebrate-tickets.

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Check out the current issue of Haute Living Miami for a guide to everything tartan for men. From Prada totes to Alexander McQueen blazers to posh Burberry cologne bottles, the iconic print can be as subtle or as strong as you please.

To read more of this story, click here.

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Delta Air Lines , the official airline of Madison Square Garden , on October 19th unveiled the new Delta Sky360 Club, a nearly 10,000 square foot hospitality space located within the newly transformed arena.

I was honored to be invited along with selected guests, to a private mini-concert by nine-time Grammy-winning musician John Legend at the NEW Delta Sky360° Club at Madison Square Garden. At this exclusive event, we enjoyed great music, mingled with Rangers and Knicks alumni, and explored the latest renovations to the transformed Garden. Everyone had  the opportunity to sample delicious food and beverages that was featured in the Delta Sky360° Club. Included menu items were by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and items inspired by Delta’s own Chefs Michelle Bernstein. One of the many highlights for me - once again meeting Delta’s Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson who was onsite featuring wines hand selected by her. The ultimate treat was when Grammy-winning musician John Legend performed a collection of his best selling songs.

The new Delta Sky360 Club will offer world-class food and beverages, from world-renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurants and the MSG Signature Collection menu, as well as specialty items from Delta’s world-renowned chef Michelle Bernstein and wine selections from Delta’s in-flight master sommelier Andrea Robinson. Exclusive behind-the-scenes

experiences and other unique amenities for select guests of MSG events, including 800 New York Knicks and New York Rangers season ticket holders. The Delta Sky360 Club complements existing Delta Sky360 hospitality venues at both Citi Field and Yankee Stadium and is a major component of Delta’s multi-year signature partnership with The Madison Square Garden Company.

“Delta is committed to being New York’s preferred airline and we’re investing in the venues, events and organizations that are meaningful to our customers,” said Gail Grimmett, senior vice president-New York for Delta Air Lines. “As the official airline of Madison Square Garden, the Knicks, Rangers and Liberty, we are thrilled to be unveiling the new Delta Sky360 Club at MSG, providing guests with a premium hospitality experience that reflects our superior in-flight service.”   I hope you enjoy my photo-diary of the event.

On Friday, October 28, Yoni Goldberg got a head start on the Halloween festivities by throwing his 7th annual Halloween bash presented by SVEDKA Vodka at NYC nightclub, Good Units.

Jesse Marco and DJ Ruckus kicked off the evening behind the turntable treating partygoers, including Wynter Gordon and O’Neal McKnight to a special set, spinning a collaboration of today’s hits. Giving the guys a break, Pete Wentz and his new band the Black Cards, rocked the crowd, performing several of their hit singles, including “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Fame” and “Anujlie”.

Midway through their show, Pete hyped-up the crowd giving shout-outs over the mic to the best dressed partygoers. At around 12:30am, Rev Run took the stage and treated the packed house to a showcase of his signature mixed hits behind the turntables.

Later that evening, guests were treated to a special surprise when chart-topper MC Hammer along with ten dancers, hopped on stage, where he sang fan favorite “Too Legit To Quit” sporting his signature dance moves.  The crowd continued to dance the night away, while sipping on SVEDKA Vodka’s signature clementine cocktail, TRICK_BOT.

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Photo: People

All the hottest models will be partying in style, and in costume, this Halloween. Both Miranda Kerr and Heidi Klum will be hosting separate Halloween parties – and we can’t wait to see who goes where. Kerr plans on dressing as a sexy ringmaster for her circus themed party at Meatpacking haute spot Catch Roof on Monday, while Klum will be at PH-D at the Dream Downtown hosting her own soiree. We’re not sure what Klum plans on dressing as but we do know that she’s recently been spotted at her dentist’s office having custom made fangs put in.

Also, the gorgeous Kim Kardashian will be hosting the Midori Green Saturday night Halloween event at Lavo. Kardashian plans on dressing up as Poison Ivy.

Source: New York Post

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