In the Spirit of Art & Spirits: Art Basel 2008

Art and alcohol work in tandem on Miami Beach, particularly during Art Basel. If you are an art or liquor aficionado, or both, check out the Maison Ruinart Champagne lounge. In case you are ignorant, Ruinart is the historic Chanpagne house founded by Nicolas Ruinart in the Champagne region of Reims, France. Ruinart has been exclusively bottling champagne since 1729 making it the oldest champagne house in the world. Ruinart is now owned by parent company Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA  or LVMH.

Now we can get back to the Art Basel, Miami Beach part. The Maison Ruinart Champagne lounge at Art Basel will feature Internationally renowned Dutch furniture designer and artist Maarten Baas. The lounge will be selling his latest work, an evanescent chandelier. The Salvador Dali-esque centerpiece was made from Murano glass, silver and bottles of Ruinart Chamoagne. The piece "Bouquet de Champagne de Dom Ruinart," was influenced by an 18th century Venetian chandelier that has fallen. What we mean is the piece sits on the table, rather than hanging above, and gives the illusion of a chandelier that has fallen and is melting with bottles of Dom Ruinart.

The extraordinary piece will be going for $100,000 during Art Basel and is just one of many pieces we have found so far. In the spirit of art and, well, spirits we cannot wait for Art Basel to begin on December 4th! […]

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The Holiday Gift for the Man Who Already Has Everything: Vicuna Wool Robe

Here we go, don’t know what to get your billionaire boyfriend this holiday season? We do, it’s the Derek Rose dressing gown known to the joe-shmoes of the world as a robe. Now this is no ordinary robe, it is a luxurious splurge for those of you that can still afford to splurge. Selfridges department store is unapologetically catering to the ultra-affluent people of the world with items like the Derek Rose dressing gown. For a cool $22,290, the robe is the priciest bed gear known to man. Why you ask, does a robe cost $22k? It’s called Vicuna wool, one of the most exquisite and rarest types of wool in the world. A Vicuna is cousin to the Llama but produces much less but extremely fine wool. A Vicuna is an endangered species that now lives only in captivity in the Peruvian highlands and the animal can only be shorn every two years. Just think your man could wear it all Christmas day, heck he might wear it everyday to get his money’s worth. Then again, if you’re buying the Derek Rose dressing gown in the first place, money is obviously no object. He will probably wear it once or twice and then lose it in the closet but it’s still a good idea for the man who already has everything!
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How To Grow Up and Do a Tuxedo Justice

Yes, we said buy because unless you’re 17 years old and rolling to prom, renting is no longer an option. This is a quicky guide for fashionably challenged men that don’t speak Calvin Klein, Prada or Tom Ford. Also for the ladies who don’t know jack about dressing their men. People a tuxedo is not a bad thing, do not be afraid of the tuxedo. The tuxedo has been fashionable since 1886, you can’t say that about your Nike dunks no matter how cool you think they are. Thus, it should never be a chore to wear one, they are gentlemanly and classic and every woman is attracted to a good tux. With the right tuxedo you can take on the world or at least a room, but you need to understand a few things about yourself first. Are you a bow tie or regular tie guy? Do you even know what a peak-lapel versus a shawl-collar means? We say the tux must always be tailored to fit like a glove. The shirt must be white, the shoulders sharp and the black tie, very black but lets start at the beginning.

Bow ties are back in. If don’t feel daring or just don’t dare to be an attention grabber then opt for the basic black tux and white shirt. Keep the shirt fitted slim because when you chuck the jacket you do not want to look like a pirate. Dior Homme makes a good slim-fitted shirt for $495. If you don’t know your lapels then go with a notch lapel, it makes less of a statement than a shawl or peak lapel. Notch lapels resemble a more classical suit jacket and tend to flatter more men than not.

 

   

 

If you are going for something a little different, we said a little different, than convention. A midnight blue tux hits an alternative, but still classic, note without getting all tacky. Generally, wear the midnight blue suit, not light blue monstrosity, with a white shirt and black tie. Unless you still want to be different, which in that case, you can do a black formalwear shirt, open at the collar. There are good versions of this tux by Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Neil Barrett, and D&G. If midnight blue just isn’t your color then go for a black velvet jacket, not the full suit guys but just the jacket and keep the rest of the suit simple. Velvet doesn’t work in summer, it looks silly.  Equally not to be done in summer is the white dinner jacket. If you are going for Old Hollywood, think Clark Gables or Cary Grant, then master the white dinner jacket. Best to be worn from March through October, always with black pants and especially around mint juleps. If you want a more modern look then opt for an understated take on a two-button tuxedo.  The two-button tuxedo will be good for almost any formal occasion. Calvin Klein makes a great looking moder tuxedo for $1,195, Tom Ford makes a swankier version for $6,840.

Your tuxedo should be the focal point, not you cuff links so keep them understated. If you need a little more color in your life then go for a pale pink or dusty blue shirt. We are not talking brights or pastels here, but a few shades off white. The colored shirt is a good wardrobe for avid tuxedo wearers, it will help mixup the black and white monotony.

As for footwear, the shoes should always be black, period. We say keep the shoes simple too, no wingtips or monkstraps. Just basic good old-fashioned black leather lace-ups or slip-ons. If your black tie affair is ultra fancy then go for black patent leather kicks. Top it all off with a simple watch that has a black band. We like Chopard’s for $10,690 but as long as the watch isn’t flashing the time, you should be alright.

Take our tuxedo advice and you will be debonair and put together at your next black tie affair. Don’t scoff at the tuxedo, embrace it because it’s not going out of style in the near future. Good luck guys and may a Barney’s sales associate always be with you.

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Oh for the Love of Art: Art Basel Miami Beach

High season in Miami Beach means important people, parties, Joe’s stone crabs and Art Basel. Affluent Americans and international jetsetters flock to Miami Beach for gorgeous weather and beyond gorgeous art. We put emphasis on Art Basel because it is the most prestigious art show in America, most likely the Western hemisphere. Art Basel Miami Beach is protege to Switzerland’s Art Basel, which for the last 39 years has been the best international art show on the globe. Art Basel Miami Beach has big shoes to fill and so far, so good. Each year Art Basel grows bigger, badder and better and this year is no exception.

The art collectors, artists, dealers, curators, critics and art enthusiasts of the world will be ushered in, in droves. If you don’t fit into one of those groups but have a serious cash flow or serious culture, then you are invited too. Top galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa are selected each year to hold special exhibitions, parties, plus crossover events that feature music, film, architecture and design. Taking cue from the contemporary art, the parties are out of this world glorious. Each gallery is essentially a party with mesmerizing backdrops. At the same time the exhibiting galleries are respected world class art dealers, that will exhibit notorious museum-calibre art and newbie art. Special exhibition sections will have young galleries, performance art, public art projects and video art. Art Basel Miami is a glamorous, adept and debaucherous week where millions upon millions of dollars of art are on the table. This is hands down a top five favorite week of ours in Miami Beach. We will happily keep you posted and updated on the parties, galleries to hit and art you must see!

Art Basel Miami Beach begins on December 4th through the 7th. Exhibition sites will spread throughout Miami’s ultra famous Art Deco District. The entirety of Miami Beach will be transformed into a preeminent watering hole for over 2,000 celebrated artists of the 20th and 21st century. Art Basel Miami Beach is history in the making, for the love of art.   […]

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Next Generation Television: The Sony Organic LED

The Sony Organic LED XEL-1 is the world’s thinnest television and it has just been introduced to the States. The futuristic television is as thin as stacking just three credit cards together. The three millimeter width isn’t the only reason to buy one.

 If you’re green, then know that Organic LED technology is 40% more efficient than LCD panels, plus there is no grotesque mercury used during the manufacturing process. The green luxury, light-emitting organic material eliminates the need for a backlight thus then end result is less energy. All the TV parts are organic, so when the set off, it uses absolutely no power as opposed to all older sets, which always have the backlight on.  We say buy and Organic LED and save a tree.

The price is totally reasonable at $2500 for an 11″ high definition screen. The new LED XEL-1’s technology signifies the beginning of the end for old school LCDs and plasma screens. Buh bye older models, hello television of the future. By 2011 OLED’s will most likely outsell LCD and plasma screens.

Besides just being ultra- thin the LED XEL-1 has a tilt screen for viewing from any angle. The Organic LED XEL-1 has a built-in memory stick slot, which means you can display and browse through your own photoes.The optional BRAVIA Link Modules make for compatibility with any of your digital devices. What’s more, the award-winning Xross Media Bar menu navigation system allows for even the technologically-challenged to switch between expanded devises and setting with ease.  The picture contrast ration is 1,000,000:1 which make for the deepest black levels on the market today.

Thin is always in, jump on the trend so you’re not outdated. T.V of the future, very cool, but the name not so much. The Sony Organic LED XEL-1 is just something else to keep in mind this holiday season, it will add a little something extra to any room.  
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The Feigned Grand Opening at the Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami Beach Next Weekend

Last weekend we partied with A-list celebrities and sexy Victoria’s Secret models at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. We think last weekend was the Grand Opening but apparently not. We don’t believe last weekend will ever be outdone but the hotel is going ahead with a Grand Opening event this coming weekend. The event seems like it is for the not so important people of Miami Beach because everyone worthwhile was already there.

This is the deal, Blade Sushi Bar will kick off again this Friday, November 21st. Just as the name suggests it is a sushi bar. Partiers can go into Blade for a late sushi dinner or to get the party started really early. Blade is an indoor-outdoor space, that will feature a chill DJ to get you into the party mindset. Blade is on the ground floor of the Chateau tower.

Next there is LIV nightclub, which will get its spotlight this coming Saturday night, November 22nd. LIV at the Fontainebleau is a 30,000 square foot space with three bars. Plus, for the uber-VIP there are six private skyboxes that sit above the crowds. Each VIP box will feature a European bottle service, mini-bar and banquettes with secured purse drawers. Thus, as you sit in your box you can look down through the glass at the regular people, as happened last weekend. We are told that every Saturday night will feature house music, the aggressive beats will be loved by some but not all. If you like Myntlounge on Collins Avenur or you’re from Europe, then LIV will probably be your new home club. David Guetta is set to spin the Saturday after Thanksgiving, Tiesto on December 27th and we are sure the Fontainebleau has an extensive list of other famous house DJ’s. If you aren’t one for fist pumping and dropping ecstasy then you may want to try LIV not on Saturdays, apparently they will also have hip-hop and rock music. We hear rumors that tour buses will be packing in the Miami Beach partiers and transporting them to LIV this Saturday, we foresee LIV turning into a zoo rather then a club but, hey, why not? They are settled on packing the place out, adhering to the theory of quantity over quality which never turns out well for a Miami Beach hotspot. The point is to keep a club exclusive, leave people outside and they will keep coming back, it becomes a twisted mission to get in. If you let the whole world in on the first night then there’s no mystery, there’s nothing left but we will still wish LIV well. We hope that LIV has a fantastic opening and an even better year because we adore the Miami Marketing Group and believe in them. We also don’t want to knock a hotel of the Fontainebleau’s magnitute just yet, we will see what happens. 

LIV is also in the Chateau Tower, we really doubt this Grand Opening will top last weekend but we will give it another go around. Stat posted for more stories and pictures after we do some more homework, codeword for rough weekend of partying.

 

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Girls Just Attract More Attention: The GQ Man of the Year Awards

  

The Gentleman’s Quarterly Man of the Year Awards which honor the entertainment industry’s hottest men. Last night GQ celebrated a list of hot industry men and, well, then there was Megan Fox. The Transformer blockbuster, break-out actress Megan Fox was named GQ’s Obsession of the Year and it’s not too hard to figure out why. Forget acting skills for a second, the girl showed up in a hot pink dress and no one cared about the men anymore, it was like the Megan Fox show. Fox is the epitome of hot and people were sure obsessed with her last night, so we say spot on GQ, spot on. Her older, ex-90210 series, boyfriend Brian Austin Green looked like a deer caught in the headlights, we wish him luck holding on. The moral of the story is this, don’t go anywhere Megan Fox will be, because she’s way better looking than you.
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What Happened When Victoria’s Secret Came to Miami Beach: Part 1.5

Ok, ya’ll are probably more interested in looking at the sexy Victoria’s Secret models then reading about them. For now here are some pictures to obsess over from the runway show. If you still have no clue, the show was held last Saturday November 15th at the renovated Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida.

The festive lingerie show had  a full orchestra, a glitter-flooded runway, 35 supermodels and two performances by Usher. Victoria’s Secret senior Heidi Klum walked the runway just a few times, her mega-glam gift-bow wings were the ave dersane (goodbye). Basically you could put those girls in anything and they would still look good, case and point. The Rynway show turned out to be more of a costume show of girls prancing around in bra’s and wings but we don’t mind. We still have even more to fill you in on from Saturday night before, during and after the show, which is way before the December 3rd airing by CBS so stick around.

 

 

 

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What Happened When Victoria’s Secret Came to Miami Beach: Part 1

If you couldn’t make it to Miami for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show this past weekend then that’s just sort of sad for you. Or if you were there but were too drunk to remember the night, don’t worry, you can re-live it right here, right now. We saw everything go down and this is what you missed, Part 1…

On Friday night there was a Gala for the official opening of the Fontainebleau Hotel on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach. The Gala which kicked off the re-opening of the 1 billion dollar renovation project was like a Barmitzvah, minus the food and the cheesy dancers. There was a DJ, Robin Thicke, and Mariah Carey belting out a few numbers in diva-ish style. The most prominent families of Miami were in attendance and some seriously famous celebrities. A-Rod, Gwenyth Paltrow P. Diddy, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian plus step brother Brody Jenner, his ex-girlfriend and reality sweetheart Kristen Cavallari. Plus, Paris Hilton and her ex Stavros Niarchos, who didn’t so much as look at each other the whole weekend. Oh and Terrence Howard, Chloë Sevigny, Kate Hudson and Martha Stewart all mingled together upstairs in the ballroom’s VIP lounge away from the crowd.

As the Gala came died down around midnight, everyone stampeded toward the new underground Blade nightclub, off the Fontainebleau Hotel lobby. The lobby, the ballroom, and the club, were all grandiose and over the top. The face-lifted Fontainebleau Hotel looked more like it belonged
in Las Vegas then in Miami Beach.The crowd practically ran down the stairs into Blade for it’s soft opening, celebrities included. A wall of sushi awaited and got sucked up faster then the drinks, at first. Just as it should have been and the classy way to do it, food and drinks were on the house all night.

All the supermodels stayed in Friday Night to get some beauty rest and probably vomit a few more times. Tomorrow we will share all the juicy gossip that happened Staurday night and more photos. From the hyped up Victoria’s Secret Runway Show to the after party and then the after, after party. The night was filled with debauchery, gift bags and a little drama, of course.

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