Tag Archives: luxury

Transportation

Thrilling Test Drive Of Rolls Royce Wraith

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Now THAT'S how you launch a new Rolls....and especially one called Wraith- smoke, vapor, mist, theatrics and a spooky performer. All images A. Maughan/The Silo
Now THAT’S how you launch a new Rolls….and especially one called Wraith- smoke, vapor, mist, theatrics and a spooky performer. All images A. Maughan/The Silo

A Silo look back article 🙂

It’s Fall 2013 and the “now brand new” Wraith from the Rolls-Royce car company is not something I get exposed to often. Let’s face it,  I’m a mid size car guy. Not high-end luxury.  I rationalize my affordability factor by saying that high end’s are too ‘heavy’ and shee-shee poo-poo. Up until now, that may have been as true.

Rolls had an unveiling of their new car The Wraith the other week here in beautiful Vancouver. And well, like the locale, the car itself did stand out even beyond the scenery. The Silo was invited to attend and I earned the assignment. Life is hard 😉

After entering the front doors of the party where a silver painted goddess of sorts and a sleek feather black wraith slowly and elegantly moved around the scene, one can only be sure to expect nothing short of the best attention to these prospective buyers.

There was jewelry set to the tone of $425,000 (Canada’s biggest pink Diamond); a price tag similar to the cars standing right next to them. The food was excellent and the company certainly discerning.

"Emily" or the Flying Lady is the venerable hood ornament for Rolls-Royce automobiles. The live actress seen here on the right captured the mystery and drama behind the creation of the emblem.
“Emily” or the Flying Lady is the venerable hood ornament for Rolls-Royce automobiles. The live actress seen here on the right captured the mystery and drama behind the creation of the emblem.

There was not shortage of demonstration of other models and those with mostly older not only in lineage but also in style, heralding a tradition one has come to know of Rolls Royce. Which is why when the time came for the unveiling of the new car, there was nothing short of a surprise. The car looked sleek and modern while maintaining the more discernable feature Rolls is known for. It looked like, well, not quite a Rolls. It seemed sporty even.

For those who wanted performance but still the luxury that comes with expectations. People actually gasped and well, they should have.

Once the shock settled opera singers belted out a song of elegance that matched the vehicle’s looks and appearance. I became transported and wanted to change careers all of sudden.

On hand for the North American launch of the Wraith? Only, the largest pink Diamond in Canada.
On hand for the North American launch of the Wraith? Only, the largest pink Diamond in Canada.

The show was a success, so now came the long shot that I would get to test-drive one of them. I am not a buyer, no sir.

 

“So when can I test drive one, ahahaha”

 

“Are you free tomorrow at 3pm?”

 

Ummm
.yeah maybe sure
.oh look at that I am free. Perfect” Gulp.

 

So on to the test drive.

I show up at the Rolls dealership in Vancouver and was met with nothing but interest and enthusiasm for someone who clearly was not in the market for such a car. That didn’t matter much as they were very excited to show off their new marvel. Ha! I thought. No way this thing can actually drive as cool as it looks. Well, my dear readers, was I wrong.

0-100 in 4.4 seconds. Quite. Handles like a dream. Smooth. Great suspension. 14 speaker sound system. Crazy navigation. Just crazy. The holographic road map was floating next to a virtual speedometer in/on (?) the windshield. Touch sensitive screen for drawing on. I mean the whole thing was about performance from interior to engine.

"There she is!" My first look at the Wraith and I'm getting ready to test drive this gorgeous machine. It looks fast.
“There she is!” My first look at the Wraith and I’m getting ready to test drive this gorgeous machine. It looks fast.

The camera system is a cool feature, however at the end of the experience I didn’t really know how to use them. What happens is a 5-camera system captures unique perspectives and through an algorithm creates a bird eyes view of the car. Very cool. However, I just used my mirrors and the over–the-shoulder-one-arm-on-the-back –of-the-passenger-seat to look behind me for the approach in backing up. Technology is great but it has to actually be effective or helpful. Give the user a certain level of confidence that she or he would never have alone otherwise.

And boy did I check my mirrors often when driving. I didn’t want to risk a dent or a scratch.

Just pulling out for the first time was nerve racking, but once you got the feel for it, which happens quick, you are instantly spoiled as a driver which is of course the point when dealing with luxury cars. And it seems Rolls still has been able to retain the  ability to spoil its driver no matter what. The wraith delivers. For the Silo,  Arthur Maughan.

Yes it was rainy and a bit wet that day. Yes, the Wraith had a secret umbrella compartment. Now where is that machinegun button ?
Yes it was rainy and a bit wet that day. Yes, the Wraith had a secret umbrella compartment. Now where is that machinegun button ?

Click to view on I-tunes
Click to view on I-tunes
Culture

Yankee Candle Founder’s Estate: “like having Disneyland in the backyard”

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Michael Kittredge started making candles as a teenager and selling them to friends and family. One of his first products was a Christmas candle he made for his mother on the family stove out of his melted crayons and a wick from a shoelace. Within a few years, he had opened his first Yankee Candle Shop in his hometown of South Hadley, Massachusetts. The business expanded to become the wildly successful Yankee Candle Company whos candles are sold all over America.

In a 1986 interview with New England Business, Mr. Kittredge recalled that a visiting machinery salesman from Germany had declared him crazy for not investing in automation at his plant in Deerfield. “Then,” Mr. Kittredge said, “I went out to my Porsche and got my tennis racket to go out and play on my tennis courts, and I said, ’Yeah, I’m crazy. What are you driving?’” The Wall Street Journal
A long time guitarist, Michael Kittredge switched to the drums after having a stroke. He died in 2019 at the age of 67.

Kittredge cashed out in 1998, selling 90% of his company for $500 million USD/ $683 million CAD. He used the money to jet around the world, collect luxury sports cars, drink $20,000 USD/ $27,000 CAD bottles of wine, and construct a fantastic compound on over 60 acres of parkland in idyllic Western Massachusetts. With the entrepreneur’s passing in 2019, the estate his son described as “like having Disneyland in the backyard” has been listed for $23 million USD/ $31.4 million CAD .

Generous with friends, family, and employees, Kittredge designed his compound to entertain his guests in the utmost luxury. Sparing no expense, the eight Colonial-style structures on the property were constructed with the finest materials from all over the world. The main house includes five bedrooms, six full bathrooms and five half baths, and over 25,0000 square feet of living space.

The home features 11 fireplaces spread across multiple levels, a solarium, an oval office with glass walls, a pine-paneled living room with built-ins, and a stunning two-story great room with a balcony and an atrium-like ceiling. Two commercial-grade kitchens, one with five islands, and a wine grotto allow for large-scale entertaining.

The 9 hole golf course is just beyond….

Meandering paths on the property wander past ponds, fountains, waterfalls, and gardens to connect the main home with the estate’s many amenities. Several guest homes and staff quarters bring the bedroom total up to sixteen.

Three tennis courts, a T-shaped pool with expansive deck and fully equipped cabana, and a nine-hole golf course offer hours of athletic fun. For relaxation, the compound includes an epic 55,000-square-foot spa complex complete with multiple gyms and massage areas, saunas, a steam room, and an indoor tennis court with stadium seating.

The state-of-the-art, 4,000-square-foot outdoor stage has hosted such bands as Hall & Oates, The Doobie Brothers, KC and The Sunshine Band, and Eric Burdon & The Animals. A two-story arcade features pinball, slots, arcade games, and a three-lane bowling alley.

Two huge garages offer plenty of space for high-end toys while a full-sized auditorium offers another venue for concerts and shows. A truly spectacular indoor water park, modeled after the Bellagio in Las Vegas, with palm trees, water slides, and pools, completes the one-of-a-kind entertainment pavilion.

A sleepy town with less than 2,000 residents founded in 1750, Leverett, Massachusetts is best known for the Buddhist monument New England Peace Pagoda, historic churches, and a scenic chasm called Rattlesnake Gutter. It is close to the five-college area of Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and the University of Massachusetts.

The listing is held by Johnny Hatem Jr. of The Sarkis Team at Douglas Elliman. For the Silo by Terry Walsh /TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

Fashion

Globetrotting CEO Develops Ready To Wear Line For Female Business Execs

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Introducing Lindsay Nicholas New York, an empowering female RTW line, created out of necessity for power women, by none other than a power woman.

Nicholas, the designer, found a gap in the market for stylish pieces that were instantly put together and effortless to wear. Female executives and powerhouses’ closets craved comfort, while their lifestyles demanded convenience. Their careers dictate professionalism, but personalities insisted on creativity. Lindsay developed a priceless solution that could fit any career, any season and any woman who wants to wear confidence while she takes on the world, simultaneously paying attention to detail, cut and quality of fabric.

While having a career in marketing, Lindsay Nicholas traveled extensively and craved clothing that would take her from work-to-play, day-to-night, between coasts and hemispheres, all while offering effortless-cool style. Lindsay knew she wasn’t alone in requiring modern basics that live outside of the seasons to suit this global lifestyle. It was this, coupled with an obsession for fashion, which inspired her to begin Lindsay Nicholas New York.

Nicholas states, “I needed clothes that would take me from summer to winter by simply changing out a strappy sandal for a knee boot and adding a jacket to a sleeveless shell. I might also have work meetings all day, but also a weekend where I needed to stay over for the next week of work. I wanted clothes that were simple and created a palette for me to create super stylish outfits. I wanted to be that woman I would see in the airport lounge that just had it all going on. Incredible style that could go from the boardroom to being comfortable enough to travel in.

I created Lindsay Nicholas New York to address the wardrobe needs of the creative professional who, like me, insists on defining her own dress code.

We want to reinvigorate the definition of modern dress. Our pieces are meant to be loved and not thrown away at the end of the season. These are pieces that stay in your wardrobe year after year, and while the way you style them may change, the pieces themselves are timeless.”

Interestingly enough, Lindsay is also an image consultant, and purposely built the collection to be flattering and solve problems. Nicholas also has a team of mostly women at the company. Two of the signature pieces are The Perfect Dress, which comes in two lengths, so you can wear it right away. The other signature piece is the M.I.N.Y. Pants ℱ shorts (MINY stands for Made in New York). They come in a Boxer Fit and a Trouser Fit (including a Skinny MINY, which is great for women with svelte thighs).

More about Lindsay Nicholas:

Lindsay Nicholas

Lindsay holds certificate degrees from Parsons School of Design in Fashion Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in Image Consulting. Every piece she designs incorporates her understanding of quality fabrics, fit and construction. Lindsay is a former board member of the Association of Image Consultants International and also was the Executive Director of Marketing for The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, one of the top luxury malls in the world. Lindsay’s appreciation for luxury craftsmanship is evident in her designs.

Her clothes aren’t fast-fashion; they are timeless pieces you’ll covet for years to come.

Now living between NYC and Melbourne, with regular stops in Singapore, Boston and Sydney, Lindsay still embodies the global lifestyle and her perspective certainly impacts not just logistics, but also her eye for design and ability to anticipate what women may be missing in their closets. She has a team of mostly women who are experts in their field and an all-female production team in NYC who bring her designs to life, with insightful input from a seasoned fit model.

Travel

Bieber’s Hawaii Vacation Hangout Going To Auction

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One of Hawaii’s most photographed and celebrity-popular homes with postcard views of a 240-foot natural waterfall, a sports stadium with seating for 450 people, a nine-tee golf course, an aquatic center, a two-story water slide, and some of Hawaii’s best ocean views is going to auction. Read more about this stunning slice of Hawaii. Shout out to our friends at TopTenRealestateDeals.com for this feature.

With a secluded location on the Big Island’s northeastern shore, Waterfalling Estate made gossip-mag headlines in 2016 when Canada’s own- Justin Bieber rented the home for two weeks at $10,000 USD / $12,875 CAD per night for his entourage, which included six skimpy-bikini-wearing models.

Located a few miles north of Hilo on eight acres overlooking where the jungle meets the ocean and the Hamakua coastline, the home has five bedrooms, ten bathrooms and two third-floor master suites with lanai. The main living area, including chef’s kitchen and dining has spectacular waterfall and ocean views. On the aquatic level are two guest suites, a game room, media area, two whirlpools, sauna, shower, outdoor kitchen and dining area. There is a one-bedroom guest house, four-car garage, helipad, plus an outdoor bar.

The Big Island offers a big number of activities and entertainment from stunning beaches such as Laupāhoehoe, Waikiki, and Waipi’o, hiking in the Hilo Forest Preserves or Akaka Falls State Park, zip lining over KoleKole Falls, Volcano National Park, whale watching, jungle jaunts, farmer’s markets, world-class fishing, and unforgettable sunsets.

Laupāhoehoe Beach

Even more adventure is just a 50-minute plane trip away to Honolulu for less than $100 USD/ $129 CAD.

Taking the plane from Honolulu to Waterfalling Estate.

Currently listed for $9.95 million USD / $12.82 million CAD, the property will be going to auction August 15th with a $5.99 million USD/ $7.6 million CAD reserve.

Fashion

Lingerie From Colombia Combats Industry Control

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Building a business is one of the hardest things to do, especially when one is trying to build a business bigger than Victoria’s Secret, who owns 50 percent of the lingerie industry.

But, Catalina Girald, founder of Naja Lingerie is setting out to do just that.

Going for Soul Not Sex - changing the lingerie industry one pair at a time : Inside Naja Lingerie by Catalina Girald
Going for Soul Not Sex – changing the lingerie industry one pair at a time : Inside Naja Lingerie by Catalina Girald

Headquartered in Medellin, Colombia, with offices in San Francisco and New York, Catalina found a niche in the already dominated lingerie industry. Having worn Victoria’s Secret for most of her life it was when she became a professional that she started to see that the highly popular brand overly sexualized women. As a business woman, Catalina no longer felt comfortable wearing such lingerie and decided to design her own. “My aim is beyond making high-quality bras and panties. I want to create a lifestyle brand. I see it as the Athleta of what happens in your bedroom and bath.”

Her mission to create an alternative lingerie brand for women has a long journey ahead, but Catalina remains focused.

Seeing beyond the needs of women and staying in tune with the digital force of today’s society, Ms. Girald’s small yet powerful brand, Naja Lingerie is changing the game in more ways than one. With quotes printed inside each of the panties, designed to empower women and the brand going completely e commerce, Naja lingerie is for women who want to be radically different. Never forgetting the core of her mission, the company’s Underwear for Hope program donates a percentage of purchases to the Golondrinas Foundation in Medellin, where Girald was born. The foundation teaches impoverished women, skills such as sewing which allows them to support their families. They sew the wash-bags that come with each Naja purchase.

Each collection is inspired by the founder’s travels around the world.

From living with nomads in Mongolia to learning about the weaving process in Indonesia and living among the Hmong people in Vietnam, Catalina’s 18 month spiritual journey throughout Asia brought ideas and life to Naja lingerie. It wasn’t always that way for Catalina who was once at the top of her career as an attorney over at Skadden Arps, one of the most prestigious law firms in the country. Looking to create something greater, Catalina Girald started attending the acclaimed New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology–literally sneaking off to classes in between meetings at Skadden.  Ultimately, she left Skadden to pursue her MBA at Stanford University where the Colombian born entrepreneur founded one of the first venture-funded fashion sites (MOXSIE) for independent designers which was later acquired.

Catalina Lingerie

Introducing Naja, the inventive online lingerie brand that speaks volumes

Naja, a digitally driven, forward-thinking innovator in the lingerie industry, has officially launched to rave reviews. Naja, billed as the “radically different, thoughtful lingerie brand for smart, courageous and sexy women”, was pioneered by Colombian-born CEO, Catalina Girald. No stranger to the fashion and technology industries, Catalina founded MOXSIE, one of the first venture-funded fashion sites for independent designers which was later sold to Fab.com. Naja is a breath of fresh air in an industry that hasn’t changed appreciably in decades. When asked about the direction of the new firm, Founder Catalina Girald answered, “We celebrate strong women. We’ve done away with fans blowing fake wind into our models’ hair, and old, dated lingerie designs. Our fresh designs, pricing and mission to empower women are challenging the industry, and we’re building the first billion-dollar online lingerie brand for the next generation woman.”

Today, women looking for fashionable bras under $80USD [$103CAD]  have limited choices, including Victoria’s Secret.

However, a growing number of shoppers have expressed dissatisfaction with the mass retailer, citing a lack of innovative designs, low construction quality, and environmental impact amongst their concerns. Naja changes all of that.   The company offers exclusive designs paired with the highest quality of fabrics, placing significant focus on structural changes and better product design. Features reserved almost exclusively for luxury lingerie, such as breathable memory foam cups and ultrasonic sealed straps, are now being brought to consumers at fair prices.

Naja uses Peruvian sourced Pima cotton for the softest feel and intelligent fabrics with odor and sweat wicking properties for real women with performance needs, all while remaining health and eco-conscious by using no phthalate materials and water based dyes.

The capsule collection, inspired by Tattoos and Japanese Shunga, consists of a basic line and three groups including “The Secret Lives of Sparrows”, “One Night in Cashmere”, and “Miyoko Loves a Dragon”. The collection is characterized by innovative and surprising prints on the interior of all the bra cups, so that every woman can carry her own little secret. All of the fabrics are exclusively designed for Naja by a local San Francisco Tattoo artist and are individually hand printed making each piece slightly unique. In keeping with Catalina’s vision of making great design accessible, the collection is fairly priced with bras ranging from $45USD to $70USD [$56CAD to $90CAD] and panties ranging from $12USD to $22USD [$15CAD to $28CAD].

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Naja is the company’s dedication to changing women’s lives.

Through Naja’s Underwear for Hope program, the company donates a percentage of profits to training women in the poorest and most violent areas of the world to sew. Naja then employs them so that they can help themselves and their children. With each purchase of Naja, consumers can feel good knowing that they are contributing to changing a woman’s life.   To learn more about the company’s lingerie, social mission or what sets Naja apart from others in the industry, visit http://www.Naja.co .

Sci-Tech

Battery Show Europe Showcasing Latest Batteries, Exotic Racers And Cars

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Image

Grove, Oxfordshire, England. June/July 2022 Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) showcases industry-leading high performance battery technology at The Battery Show Europe 

  • Innovative Adaptive Multi-Chem technology on display at Stuttgart show alongside first real-world application: Triumph Motorcycles’ TE-1 electric motorbike prototype
     
  • Adaptive Multi-Chem combines power and energy in one advanced battery system and can be tailored for individual customer requirements 
     
  • Technology delivers step-change in performance, efficiency, range and charging time when applied to the TE-1 prototype demonstrator
     
  • Deus Vayanne EV hypercar, a collaboration between Deus Automobiles, Italdesign and WAE also on display at the event
     
  • The Battery Show Europe, Stuttgart, Germany will be held from 28-30 June 2022, with WAE located in Hall 8 on stand F50.
     
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Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) will showcase its industry-leading high performance battery technology at The Battery Show Europe from 28-30 June, in Stuttgart. 

Visitors to the WAE stand in Hall 8, stand F50, will have the opportunity to examine an example of the company’s innovative Adaptive Multi-Chem advanced battery pack, together with the Triumph Motorcycles TE-1 prototype demonstrator.

Combining power and energy in one advanced battery system, Adaptive Multi-Chem sets new standards for performance and efficiency, with the advantage of being totally customizable for individual customer requirements.

Triumph’s first zero emission prototype demonstrator motorcycle – the battery pack for which delivers a peak power of 130kW and continuous power of 90kW, with a capacity of 15kWh – will also be on display. With the optimum balance of power and energy, TE-1’s battery gives the rider access to greater electric power for longer, regardless of battery charge, and matches exhilarating acceleration with exceptional range. The 360-volt system also enables a fast-charging time of under 20mins (0-80%).  

WAE developed the technology to support the TE-1 prototype demonstrator, a unique collaboration between Triumph Motorcycles, Integral Powertrain Ltd, and WMG at the University of Warwick funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles through Innovate UK. 

In addition, the stunning 2200 horsepower Deus Vayanne electric hypercar, brought to life by WAE’s collaboration with Deus Automobiles and Italdesign, is on display on the Deus Automobiles stand Hall 8, Stand D-30.

This customer project demonstrates WAE’s sector-leading partnership with ItalDesign, which sees WAE provide a highly sophisticated composite EV platform and powertrain, with ItalDesign contributing the body design, safety systems and electric architecture.

The partnership provides a unique offering for established car companies and start-ups who want a luxury, high-performance EV, without having to spend many years – and billions of dollars – developing a proprietary EV skateboard and associated technology. 

Taking place from 28 – 30 June 2022 in Stuttgart, Germany, The Battery Show Europe is Europe’s largest battery technology showcase and conference. With more than 480 suppliers in attendance, The Battery Show Europe provides an ideal opportunity for WAE to showcase its motorsport-derived, zero-emission mobility solutions. 

On day one of the conference, Tim Engstrom, WAE Manager – Advanced Battery Technologies, will also deliver the keynote presentation, ‘Examining the Role of Motorsport as a Platform to Accelerate Battery Technology, And Why It Matters’.

Dyrr Ardash, Head of Strategic Partnerships, WAE said: “The Battery Show Europe is an ideal event for WAE to showcase its high-performance battery and EV platform technology. As the world electrifies, motorsport developments act as a springboard to bring world-class technical innovation for a decarbonised and sustainable future. WAE’s role in electric motorsport has significantly accelerated the development of the lightweight battery and e-powertrain technology we can offer our customers today. We continue to learn valuable lessons from our motorsport involvement that will deliver further transformative benefits to the users of EVs in terms of power, performance, efficiency, and sustainability.” 

For the Silo, by Ben Lewis.

Travel

Top 10 European Ski Destinations

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Fancy staying on a home exchange this wintry Spring and stretching your skiing budget?

Here are the top 10 European ski destinations chosen by HomeExchange Members. Stay near or in a resort, borrow ski accessories for kids and save on accommodation costs. There’s really something for everyone, from Jacuzzis to sledges and beautiful views to hundreds of mountain chalets and apartments.

Val d’Isere, France

val-disere-franceThere’s a reason why Val d’Isere, at 1,850 meters, continues to be the top choice of European skiers each winter. It offers the perfect blend of challenging ski terrain for advanced skiers and learner-friendly beginners zones for those new to the snow. The resort center is lined with high-end shops, lively aprùs-ski bars and fantastic restaurants, all housed within beautiful, stone-clad buildings.

Chamonix Les Houches, France

chamonix-les-houches-franceThe diversity on offer in Chamonix these days makes it impossible to review the whole resort as one destination. At 950 meters, Les Houches is one of the closest resorts to Geneva Airport and offers kilometer after kilometer of tree-lined skiing, making it the perfect destination for families and beginners. The resort center has a village feel and is an outstanding spot from which to take in the incredible views.

Cosy chalet near Mont Blanc, Les Houches – 10 minutes from Chamonix

Klosters, Switzerland

klosters-switzerlandWhile the ski area between Klosters (at 1,179 meters) and Davos offers lots to explore, Klosters is without doubt the more attractive base for your ski holiday. The village center is charming and affluent, but with a relaxed vibe, while the trails are popular with advanced skiers enjoying an abundance of easily accessible off-piste in the area.

Cosy chalet just 10 minutes from the ski lifts at Klosters

Les Gets, France

les-gets-franceA resort that’s been quietly minding its own business for years, Les Gets, at 1,200 meters, is now developing into a chic, family-orientated resort that offers quick and easy access to the 650-kilometer Portes du Soleil ski area. Several piste-side restaurants offer views of Mont Blanc so it’s easy to find a sunny spot on which to enjoy an aprùs tipple or two.

Luxury mountain ski chalet – Exceptional view

Crans-Montana, Switzerland

crans-montana-swizterlandThere’s one thing that makes these two interconnected resorts stand out, and it may not be for everyone. Crans, at 1,500 meters, and its neighbour Montana are not villages; although right on the edge of a great ski area, they’re most definitely towns with a very urban feel. This is a very sunny spot in which to base yourself and there’s varied terrain to suit all ability levels.

Farm with beautiful views 10 minutes from Crans Montana

La RosiĂšre, France

la-rosiere-franceWe love La RosiĂšre, at 1,850 meters, not just because of its high elevation and snow certainty. The ski area offers two great experiences for the price of one when you cross over the Petit St Bernard pass into Italy. Wide pistes descend for kilometers into La Thuile over the border and getting back is no hassle at all. The main village is quiet but well stocked, and the views are exceptional.

Madonna di Campiglio, Italy

madonna-di-campiglio-italyItalian ski resorts are always authentic, traditional and charming, and Campiglio, at 1,550 meters, is no different. The car-free resort huddles on the valley floor and the center is stylish with several chic shops. The ski area spreads over 150 kilometers, and there have been several lift upgrades over recent years, making it quick and easy for you to cover a considerable distance on skis each day.

Luxurious apartment 5 minutes from ski lifts with fantastic view over the Dolomites

Courchevel Moriond 1650, France

courchevel-moriond-1650-franceRebranded back in 2011 to recognise the differences between its more blingy neighbour higher up the valley, Courchevel 1650 is now an attractive, unpretentious resort with a stack of new facilities, including Aquamotion, a huge center for water sports that opened in December 2015. And let’s not forget: On your doorstep you’ll find the largest linked ski area in the world. The 600 kilometers of the 3 Valleys network never disappoint.

Selva, Val Gardena, Italy

selva-val-gardena-italySeasoned skiers, this one’s for you. At 1,563 meters, Selva serves up challenging ski terrain on both sides of a valley, accessed by both gondolas and quick chair lifts. The village center is packed with charm and character and there’s also a collection of well-maintained beginner slopes and progressive tree-lined runs enjoyed by families.

Geilo, Norway

geilo-norwayNo list of top 10 ski resorts is complete without mentioning Norway and the town of Geilo, at 800 meters. It is one of the country’s most popular resorts. It’s a small, well-equipped town that’s currently investing heavily in new runs, new lifts and new facilities. Between January and April you can also ski until 8pm on flood-lit slopes. Photo Credit: Geilo, Norway

For the Silo and HomeExchange, Alexandra Origet du Cluzeau.

About HomeExchange

Founded by Ed Kushins, a pioneer of the “collaborative consumption” movement, HomeExchange has facilitated over one million home swaps since 1992. It was featured in 2006 in the cult movie “The Holiday” starring Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet and Jude Law. In 2015, 65,000 HomeExchange members made 130,000 home swaps across 150 countries. The revolutionary Passportℱ program now makes home swapping even easier. Members earn a ‘balloon’ by hosting another Member and redeem their ‘balloon’ for a one-way stay anywhere in the world. HomeExchange makes it easy to plan and enjoy a home exchange vacation and offers a memorable, authentic experience while giving travel real meaning. It was voted “Best Site for Booking Your Stay 2016” by readers of USA TODAY and 10Best.

Culture

Silicon Valley Mansion May Set New Sales Record

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California’s San Francisco Bay area is the United States’ most expensive real estate market, with a median home-sale price of USD$1.3 million (CAD$1.7 million). Toronto and the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) is Canada’s most expensive real estate market, with a median home-sale price of CAD$1.3 million (USD just under $1 million).

Unlike its southern neighbor Los Angeles, the pricey San Francisco mansions belong not to movie and TV stars but to the movers and shakers of the technology industry. The Bay Area boasts the country’s highest concentration of tech companies and tech jobs, earning the region the nickname “Silicon Valley” after the material used to make computer chips.

A home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood sold for USD$43.5 million (CAD$55.8 million) in 2021, which is the current record for the area’s biggest sticker price, but a new listing in the ultra-exclusive town of Woodside aims to shatter that record. Styled like an Italian villa, the spectacular compound has been listed for USD$110 million (CAD$141 million).

890 Mountain Home Rd-611-HDR-Edit LR
65 foot pool.

Sitting on over three acres of some of the most sought-after real estate in the world, the grounds feature a 65-foot pool with spa, an entertainment zone with an outdoor kitchen and fire pit, landscaped gardens that include fountains, a vineyard with more than forty olive trees and a rose garden with over one hundred roses as well as a private hiking trail. Nestled behind high-tech gates, the compound offers a 14,000-square-foot main home as well as a separate executive office and conference center, a fitness center/massage/hair salon building, and a two-bedroom guesthouse. 

890 Mountain Home Rd-755-HDR-Edit LR
Golf simulator? Check.

Retractable glass walls, French oak floors, and hand plastering on every surface complement rare Italian marbles inside the luxurious mansion. Crystal chandeliers and marble fireplaces feature throughout. The enormous main kitchen features two waterfall-wrapped islands, marble counters, top-of-the-line Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances, and custom-built-steel-and-glass cabinetry, while a separate chef’s kitchen offers extensive storage space plus a BlueStar range with two ovens. 

890 Mountain Home Rd-307-HDR-Edit LR
Master suite.

The primary suite is a work of art featuring a barrel-vaulted foyer with leather-front and glass-display cabinets that conceal a refrigerator and Miele laundry and a cathedral-beamed ceiling with chandelier. The sectionalized wardrobe room is couture-worthy. A two-sided Davinci fireplace is shared with the bathroom, which also has heated limestone floors and a marble bath for two. Each additional bedroom includes a customized walk-in closet, outside entrance, and en-suite marble bath.

890 Mountain Home Rd-683-HDR-Edit LR

Designed for the high-tech lifestyle, the home is controlled by state-of-the-art automated systems that take care of every need for comfort, convenience, and security from behind the scenes. The home’s fantastic amenities include an Atmos Dolby screening room, a golf simulator, indoor-and-outdoor lounges, and an epic wine salon for 6,000 bottles. 

890 Mountain Home Rd-354-HDR-Edit LR

Woodside is a small town with only 5,000 residents and a median home price above USD$5 million (CAD$6.4 million). Most residents are tech investors and innovators. Larry Ellison, founder of Oracle Corporation and the world’s tenth-richest man, lives down the street from the villa in a 23-acre, Japanese-themed estate. 

Known as an equestrian community, Woodside retains a rural residential character despite being only a short commute to Silicon Valley and Stanford University.

The town is ringed with nature preserves, including the Purisima Open Space and Skaggs Point. Options for entertainment include the Michelin-starred Village Pub and Bucks of Woodside, a famed hotspot for Silicon Valley’s most powerful, where many important venture capital deals have been signed.  The real estate listing is held by Scott Danser of Compass.  For the Silo, Genelle Brown/Top Ten Real Estate Deals dot com.

Photos : Paul Rollins

Transportation

Tesla Is Fastest Growing Auto Brand Over Course Of Pandemic

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Tesla has been the fastest growing automobile brand over the course of the pandemic with astounding brand value growth of 271% in the last two years, according to the latest report by leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance. Tesla’s impressive growth continued this year with its brand value up by 44% to US$46.0 billion ( CAD$58.55 billion) which saw it move from 6th to 3rd in the Brand Finance Automobile 100 2022 ranking.

Tesla was the only brand in the Top 10 of the ranking to see significant growth this year.

Every year, Brand Finance puts 5,000 of the biggest brands to the test, and publishes nearly 100 reports, ranking brands across all sectors and countries. The report ranks the world’s top 100 most valuable and strongest automobile brands, the top 20 auto component brands, the top 15 tire brands and the top 10 car rental service brands.

Musk at Tesla event in China.

Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, has played a huge part in the growth of the brand with his charismatic, and at times controversial, behaviour keeping it firmly in the limelight. Tesla’s transformation into a household name has seen other brands try to connect themselves to the brand to benefit from the Tesla effect.

2021 saw Tesla increase its footprint in China, to ensure it continues to compete in the booming Chinese market.

It opened a new research and development centre, its first outside of America, in addition to a data centre at its Gigafactory in Shanghai. The brand also built a second delivery centre in the city, which incorporates sales, test driving and delivery of Tesla vehicles. Looking to this year 2022, Tesla announced it would launch no new models this year due to the global chip shortage, as doing so would reduce its overall output. Instead, the brand will focus on its full self-driving software as well as scaling up its production capabilities.

Electric revolution sees Chinese brands surge

Chinese brands account for eight of the top 10 fastest-growing brands in the ranking . The increasing popularity and adoption of electric vehicles in China has been a key driver behind the impressive growth for these brands, with China accounting for most electric vehicles sold globally. Several Chinese brands are looking to capitalise on the momentum by expanding their global footprints, with several of these brands launching in Europe in 2021.

While Tesla has seen the fastest growth over the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Great Wall is the fastest-growing brand in the ranking this year, with its brand value increasing by an impressive 109% to US$2.6 billion (CAD$3.3 billion). As well as launching in Europe last year, Great Wall announced it will be launching nine electric vehicle models in Thailand over the next three years, where demand is expected to grow considerably. Great Wall plans to use Thailand as a base to launch its expansion into the ASEAN region. The auto marque’s CEO, Jianjun Wei, was also the top ranked automobile CEO in the Brand index, which ranks the world’s top 250 Chief Executives according to how well they manage and grow their company’s brand, and placed 3rd overall across all industries.

Everything you need to know about the BYD EA1 (BYD Dolphin)
The BYD EA1 Dolphin.

BYD was the second fastest-growing brand in the automotive ranking with its brand value doubling to US$6.4 billion (CAD$8.15 billion), an increase which saw it overtake Haval (brand value up 55% to US$6.1 billion or CAD$7.76 billion) to become China’s most valuable car brand. BYD, which specialises in electric vehicles, saw sales accelerating 232% in 2021 with 603,783 models sold – making it the best-selling new energy vehicle manufacturer in China for the ninth year.

Joining Great Wall and BYD in the Top 10 fastest-growing brands is Song (brand value up 90% to US$1.7 billion or CAD$2.16 billion), Qin (up 89% to US$475 million or CAD$604 million), Tang (up 88% to US$630 million or CAD$802 million), NIO (up 79% to US$2.6 billion or CAD$3.3 billion), Dongfeng (up 67% to US$1.4 billion or CAN$1.78 billion), and WEY (up 56% to US$613 million or CAN$780 million).

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Toyota holds on to pole position as most valuable automobile brand

Although Chinese auto brands have seen impressive growth, Japan’s Toyota has held on to the top spot in the Brand ranking with a brand value of US$64.3 billion (CAN$81.9 billion).

Whilst the Japanese brand wasn’t immune to the global chip shortage that ravaged the industry, Toyota was better placed than most to weather the storm thanks to its contingency stockpiling.

The foresight allowed the brand to keep production levels high when others faltered and resulted in Toyota outselling General Motors in North America in Q1 2021 – the first time any brand has outsold General Motors in the region since 1998. Toyota remains the world’s top-selling automaker, the only manufacturer selling over 10 million vehicles globally.

Toyota was one of the early adopters of hybrid technology, with its Prius model dominating the hybrid segment for years, but it has fallen behind in the increasingly competitive electric vehicle arena in recent years. To regain ground, last year it announced it would be investing US$35 billion (CAD$44.6 billion) in electric vehicles, focusing on both battery technology and car development. The investment forms part of Toyota’s ambition to sell 3.5 million electric vehicles a year by 2030.

Fellow Japanese brands Honda (brand value US$28.2 billion or CAD$35.9 billion)and Nissan (US$14.6 billion or CAD$18.6 billion) join Toyota in the Top 10 of the ranking, though both brands saw a 10% decrease in brand value this year. Honda held onto its position in 7th, and despite the loss in brand value Nissan actually climbed two spots from 11th to 9th, as it fared better than Sweden’s Volvo (down 20% to US$14.2 billion or CAD$18 billion) and Germany’s Audi (down 20% to US$13.8 billion or CAD$17.6 billion).

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Mercedes-Benz remains most valuable European brand

Sitting behind Toyota, Mercedes-Benz remains the second most valuable brand in the ranking, and the most valuable European brand, with a 4% increase in brand value year-on-year to US$60.7 billion (CAD$77.3 billion). Amid challenging market conditions due to the pandemic and an industrywide semiconductor shortage, the brand prioritized electromobility and has seen great results from it. The German automobile giant confirmed that their electric vehicles sales saw a 90% increase this year.

In 2021, Mercedes-Benz launched the sixth generation of the C-class series with a new interior design and is planning to implement autonomous driving features. At the same time, an industry-wide trend to make a transition to electric vehicles and a sustainable approach to production and distribution is on the rise.

2022 Mercedes C-Class Debuts With S-Class Design Inspiration And Tech
2022 Mercedes C class.

A key development to strengthen the Mercedes-Benz brand is the rebrand of Daimler AG to Mercedes-Benz Group AG. The focus of the rebrand is to enhance passenger cars and vans in the luxury segment. The strategic move to rebrand was to fulfil the brand’s objective to focus on financial and mobility services by offering insurance and rental subscriptions and digital fleet management systems.

Other German brands did not fare so well in the ranking this year, with Volkswagen (brand value down 13% to US$41.0 billion or CAD$52 billion), BMW (brand value down 6% to US$37.9 billion or CAD$48.2 billion), and Audi (brand value down 20% to US$13.8 billion or CAD$17.6 billion) all seeing losses in brand value. With lockdowns, network contractions in production and the ongoing semiconductor shortage, the industry has been faced with many challenges. Apart from sector wide disruptions, the German automakers who were reliant on diesel-powered vehicles have had to deal with regulatory challenges and the transition to electric mobility and electric production methods, resulting in rolling back on production to meet industry trends.

Porsche most valuable among luxury and premium, but Ferrari strongest across the whole table

Porsche is the most valuable luxury and premium automobile brand in the world with a brand value of US$33.7 billion (CAD$42.9 billion). The automobile giant celebrated the 50th anniversary of the iconic Porsche Design with a limited-edition sale of 750 cars to pay tribute to the iconic design by Ferdinand Alexander Porsche.

The brand’s aim to transform into an agile company has led to leveraging digital transformation by enhancing online sales. To adapt to new formats of sale in the automobile sector, Porsche has invested in e-commerce for 100 markets globally to adopt an omnichannel strategy to connect digital services and retail sales.

While Porsche is the most valuable brand in the luxury and premium segment, Ferrari was named the strongest automobile brand in the world with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.9 out of 100 and a corresponding AAA+ rating. Apart from calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Certified by ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 100,000 respondents in more than 35 countries and across nearly 30 sectors. 

2021 was Ferrari’s best-ever year in terms of sales, with the company paying bonuses to all employees as a result, and the projected growth for 2022 remains high. The automotive brand’s historic pursuit of controlled growth has helped to preserve its exclusivity within its sector, however, last year Ferrari expanded its target market to a younger demographic by launching a new high-end fashion line. The aim of creating a brand that can cater to Italian luxury lifestyle in the high-end category will help expand and strengthen its brand portfolio into new avenues, whilst enhancing brand awareness amongst the younger generation.

Denso most valuable auto components brand

Car sales picked up following the loosening of lockdown restrictions, and auto component brands saw demand rise in turn. It has been far from clear sailing for the industry with the global chip shortage disrupting production, but the overall outlook is positive, evidenced by the vast majority of brands seeing good growth.

Denso has retained the title of most valuable auto components brand in the world for the 5th consecutive year, with brand value up 12% to US$4.2 billion (CAD$5.4 billion). The brand continued to play its part in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, creating respirator components in collaboration with Ford, as well as hosting over 50 vaccination clinics for employees across North America. Looking forward, the ever-increasing adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles is good news for Denso, which has over two decades worth of experience in the manufacturing of hybrid car parts.

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Michelin most valuable and strongest tyres brand

As the world opened back up and travel increased throughout 2021 the tyre sector regained traction, with almost every brand in the ranking now more valuable than they were pre-pandemic.

Michelin has retained the title of the world’s most valuable and strongest tires brand, with a brand value of US$7.7 billion (CAD$9.8 billion) and a brand strength index score of 85.8 out of 100.

Despite continued disruption within the industry, Michelin saw a 15.6% year-on-year increase in consolidated sales in the first nine months of 2021 and exceeded expectations in the third quarter of the year thanks to a rebound in demand for tires for agricultural machinery. The brand also announced an extension of its partnership with the MotoGP World Championship, remaining the exclusive tire supplier for the competition until 2026.

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SIXT is fastest-growing car rental services brand

The car rental brands have gained momentum in 2021 after a steep decline in brand value at the start of the pandemic. As the demand for vehicle hires increases, brands in this industry are presented with the opportunity to innovate and capture a high market share.

SIXT is the world’s fastest-growing car rental brand of 2022 with a 115% increase in brand value over the year to US$1.3 billion (CAN$1.7 billion), according to the Brand Finance ranking.  This year’s increase is the continuation of an impressive growth trend for SIXT, which has seen its brand value increase 265% over the past five years. The brand has built a strong international growth strategy, expanding rapidly in the United States and entering new markets, such as Australia.

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Enterprise has retained the position of the world’s most valuable car rental brand with a brand value of US$7.1 billion (CAN$9 billion) with a 6% increase in brand value over the year. Despite COVID-induced travel restrictions, the brand has performed well by launching new mobility hubs and undertaking fleet electrification, but it remains below its pre-pandemic brand value of US$7.4 billion (CAD$9.4 billion). For the Silo, James Haggis.

Featured image: Great Wall Ora Concept Electric Car Made In China

Culture

NORTH AMERICAS MOST EXPENSIVE HOME FOR SALE

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The One 1.jpg

Once projected to list for $500 million USD, this LA home is for sale at a still staggering $295 million USD.

“America’s Most Expensive Home – Twice As Big as the White House”

One of the world’s most expensive homes, appropriately named “The One,” has just hit the market. Construction ran several years late causing financial issues for the developer. If The One sells anywhere near the $295 million USD ask, it would be the most expensive home ever sold in California, well over the $177 million USD that venture-capitalist Marc Andreessen paid for his Malibu mansion in 2021 and the $165 million USD that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos paid in 2020 for his Beverly Hills estate.

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Perched on a promontory with 360-degree panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, downtown Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains, the Bel Air mansion is surrounded on three sides by a moat and measures in at a mind-boggling 105,000 square feet – almost twice as big as the White House. Located on 3.8 acres, the house, which was actually raised during construction to further optimize the views, includes 21 bedrooms and 49 baths.

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Highlights of The One include five outdoor and indoor swimming pools with the moat encircling three quarters of the exterior, a massive nightclub, full-service beauty salon, wellness spa, 10,000-square-foot sky deck, 400-foot private outdoor running track with a glass-walled view of the city, and a private theater with seating for over 40.

In addition to ownership of one of the world’s most spectacular homes, the property also includes butterfly artwork by Stephen Wilson, an Oto Murano chandelier by Vistosi, a rotating statue by Mike Fields, and a glass sculpture by Italian artist Simone Cenedese. There is also a two-story library/office with a balcony and water features touching three windowed walls, and parquet flooring. Add in a custom bar with a smoked-mirror backsplash and marble countertops, a cigar lounge,  four-lane bowling alley, putting green, wellness center, gym, a 64-foot (19.5 Meter) indoor pool with juice bar, tennis court, 10,000-bottle wine cellar, and a 30-plus car garage with two car-display turntables.

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Entertaining in such unique luxury might draw some interesting Bel Air neighbors such as Jennifer Lawrence, who moved there last year, Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus and Kylie Jenner to name just a few.

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The property is listed by Aaron Kirman of Compass, Beverly Hills and Branden and Rayni Williams of The Beverly Hills Estates, Beverly Hills, and will go to Concierge Auctions, which if not sold prior, will be held online on February 28th. For The Silo, Terry Walsh/Top Ten Real Estate Deals.com.

Fashion

French-born DELPHINE LEYMARIE designs luxe & modern eponymous fine jewelry line in NYC

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Drawing inspiration from the blissful beaches of her childhood in the South of France & the invigorating energy of the modern urban architecture surrounding her for the last two decades, she creates jewels that are timeless, romantic yet edgy, and playfully convertible.

Confetti Lune bracelet- 14 K gold, hand made and exquisite.

Delphine’s collection is centered around the many uses of her Boheme Clickers, her versatile modular charm holders that can be used in many combinations, making her jewels as unique as the wearer. She favors empowering and protective symbols paired with carefully and responsibly selected gems to create uplifting & colorful jewelry. She dreams up her pieces as powerful talismans and modern heirlooms to be cherished for generations.

Confetti Lune bleu chain and sequin.

Delphine uses recycled fine metals whenever possible, primarily 14 & 18k gold, working to source her gems ethically and satisfy a craving for a kind of luxury that is respectful of the magnificent resources of our planet. She believes that mindful and edgy luxury is possible and aims to create sparkly sculptures that can adorn your body and help elevate your soul.

An avid and classically trained dancer, she also has a natural affinity with numbers that first led her to Business School.

Confetti Lune Sequin dangle cut-out showcasing elemental design and stunningly executed.

She originally moved to NYC to pursue an MBA in Corporate finance, a field where she had a successful career for more than a decade. In search of a new creative outlet, she fell in love with jewelry making after taking classes at the 92nd street Y in Manhattan. She first trained in metalsmithing, enameling, and chain making, but really found her medium once she started learning wax carving, as it better suited her love of volumes and sculptural shapes. She has not stopped hand-sculpting jewelry since, and happily left behind the drab world of corporate finance for the sparkly one of jewelry when she started her fine jewelry line in the summer of 2011.

Delphine Laymarie.

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of Delphine Leymarie Fine Jewelry and a Fairmined gold capsule collection is in the works to mark the milestone and reaffirm Delphine’s commitment to responsible jewelry crafting. For the Silo, Olga Gonzalez.

Featured image: Confetti Lune Bracelet Onyx Inlay 14K Gold.

Finance

Why Everyone Should Strive To Pay Off Their Mortgage Quicker

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Lots of people struggle to get a mortgage in the first place. It’s especially hard now because homes are so expensive. You start to think you’ll be paying off your mortgage for the rest of your life. 

Luckily, your finances will probably improve considerably over time. When they go up you should look into paying your mortgage early. Let’s look at some of the top reasons why it’s something you should aim for in the future. 

Extra Money To Enjoy Yourself 

Get It on Credit - Wikipedia

If people need to take out bad credit loans in Toronto, ON, they won’t have lots of disposable income. When you don’t have great credit you can’t enjoy yourself, but that’s not the case when you’re older. 

When you have more disposable income after paying off a mortgage, you’ll have much more money to spend on luxuries. If you need to keep paying a huge chunk of your income towards a mortgage your life won’t be as fun. 

Saving Lots Of Money In Interest 

Once you walk into Clover Mortgage Brokers in Toronto & GTA, they’ll let you know how much you can spend on a home. But it’s going to be a lot more over the lifetime of the mortgage due to interest payments. 

When you pay interest on a loan, it makes up a big chunk of your monthly payments in the beginning. The amount of interest you pay drops over time, but if you pay off the mortgage early you’ll no longer have to pay it.

 

Why Choose a Mortgage Broker in Canada? | Hatch Mortgages

It Eats Into Any Debts You Have 

Over the course of a lifetime, couples can generate a huge amount of debt. College tuition, car payments, and credit cards can sometimes be quite high. These debts won’t disappear once you pay your mortgage. 

Fortunately, once your mortgage is gone you’ll be able to focus 100% of your efforts on your other debts. It will take you one step closer to becoming debt-free, so you’ll have one less thing to worry about. 

A Mortgage Is A Secured Loan 

When you take out a mortgage it’s classified as a secure loan, which means when you don’t pay the loan they’ll be able to take your home away. In a perfect world, you’ll have as few secured loans as possible. 

You could pay a credit card instead of a mortgage, but it would mean they could take your home. Even though you won’t miss your credit card payments, they couldn’t take your home even if you did completely ignore them because a credit card isn’t classified as a secure loan. 

It’s Easier To Enjoy Retirement 

Nobody should have to pay debts when they’re retired. Sadly, so many people are struggling now, so it’s much more common than you think. It will eventually start to hurt your mental and physical health. 

How can you enjoy retirement if you’re always worrying? Maybe you’ll even have to stay on at work because you can’t afford to retire. Pay off your mortgage to ensure you don’t have any stress when you retire. 

Debt Isn't About Right Or Wrong - It's About Freedom

Don’t Leave It Too Late 

Nobody is saying you should try to pay off your mortgage as soon as possible, but it’s something you’ve got to start considering as the years go by. 

Transportation

Porsche Tower Condos Allows Owners To Take Cars Up In Elevator

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 New York City is home to over 70 of the world’s billionaires, but when they want to get away to decompress, many shed their suit and tie for a guayabera, white slacks and boat shoes and head to South Florida for the white sand beaches, fine dining, yachting and golfing. Some have been heading to Sunny Isles, Florida where, according to the developer, over 20 billionaires have purchased a home at Porsche Design Tower.

What a space! What a view!
What a space! What a view!

New owners at the Porsche building were the first in North America to be able to take their cars up an elevator to their personal sky garage, including the $USD 32.5 million penthouse. Three patented Dezervators, a glass drive-in elevator rising at 600-feet per minute, will enable residents to keep an eye on their Ferraris, Porsches and Rolls Royces while sitting in their living rooms reading the Wall Street Journal and checking out the Atlantic Ocean views.

The 60th-floor Porsche penthouse comes with a huge living and dining area, state-of-the-art kitchen, family room and four ensuite bedrooms with a total of seven baths, floor-to-ceiling glass walls, 20-foot ceilings and a private people elevator. The outdoor living areas are equally impressive with a private terrace pool and roof pool, two balconies and two summer kitchens. It has two sky garages and a separate 3,000-square-foot car gallery. The gallery can be customized by the owner for fewer cars to substitute a game room or extra living space.

Porsche Tower Interior1Building amenities include a three-story lobby with glass car elevator observatory, movie theater, game room, oceanside restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining, private wine lockers, oceanside bar and lounge with fireplace and large-screen TVs, oceanfront pool with food and beverage service, Intracoastal Waterway sunset deck, virtual golf simulator, virtual car-race game, ballroom with bar and catering kitchen, oceanfront gym and yoga room, spa, sauna, steam rooms, hair salon and a car concierge available to give the luxury cars a wash and maintenance.

Porsche Tower Interior2Having broken ground in 2014, the tower is now sold out.

The penthouse is priced at $32.5 million; other units when remaining were listed for sale starting at $6.2 million. Porsche is located in Sunny Isles – a ritzy part of the Atlantic Ocean stretch of Miami Beach to Fort Lauderdale condos. The developer is Dezer Development in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.

In Other Real Estate News- “San Francisco Clock Tower Penthouse”.  Few can say that they start off their dinner parties with cocktails inside a century old clock. That is to say, no one except the new owners of this historic three-level landmark loft apartment gleaned from the clock tower of a factory in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood that was converted into live-work spaces in 1992 by architect David Baker.

The historic clock tower was constructed in 1907 and the large building complex that supported it became the West Coast’s largest printing company by 1921. The owner of the business, Max Schmidt, decided to construct a penthouse level in the clock tower where natural light poured in from all four sides of the clock faces so that his lithographers would find it easier to work. In 1930, the plan for the new Bay Bridge was solidified, which would require tearing down a portion of the printing buildings, including the clock tower. Schmidt would have none of that and used his clout, threatening to move his business to the other side of the bay. The city, unwilling to lose one of their largest businesses, gave in and agreed to take the highway around Schmidt’s complex and the tower was saved. In 1992, the old factory was repurposed into 127 contemporary live/work lofts and offices. Commuters have come to depend on the clock as they travel to and from work each day.

Now for the first time in almost a quarter of a century, the penthouse is for sale. The sleek contemporary condo with spectacular city views measures in at a spacious 3,000 square feet of living space, including a room inside the clock itself and has large wrap-around terraces providing outdoor space for lounging and entertaining. The two-bedroom, two-bath residence has been designed to optimize the loft’s spaciousness with an expansive living-dining room divided by a double-sided glass fireplace with French doors opening to the terrace. Original brick walls, hardwood and polished concrete floors and built-in bookcases following the lines of the beams are highlights of the structure. Included are a gourmet kitchen with top-end appliances and space for a table, office, game room, library, large master suite and the clock room.

San Francisco’s historic registered Landmark Clock Tower four-story penthouse loft apartment with conversation piece furnished room inside the clock is listed at $8.5 million.

Visit TopTenRealEstateDeals.com for more celebrity homes and real estate news. For the Silo, Terry Walsh.

Fashion

State of fluidity behind latest luxury handbags

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 Our friends at Aranyani, the luxury handbag brand from India, are debuting their stunning SS2021 ‘Fluidity Collection’. 

Founder’s Inspiration

Aranyani founder and creative director, Haresh Mirpuri, was inspired by the paradoxical experiences that we all lived through this past year, when creating Aranyani’s new collection. “Fluidity to me implies a state of continuous allowance. In the past year we all have had to be open to fluidity in order to live our lives,” says Haresh of his inspiration behind the collection.

Haresh Mirpuri,

Vibrant Colors

Aranyani depicts this balance through two vibrant new colors which are featured in this collection. The blue hue reflects the tranquil or meditative state, while the orange reflects the living creativity that surrounds us all.

evening clutch in black is $1,050 usd.

2020 presented everyone with unforeseen challenges on a global scale.

While there was loss and heartache, there was also the opportunity for reflection, reinvention and ultimately for renewal. Aranyani founder and creative director, Haresh Mirpuri, was inspired by the paradoxical experiences that we all experienced over the last year, when creating Aranyani’s new collection. 

“Fluidity is by definition a dichotomy. It can mean to flow easily or the state of being unsettled. We have experienced both throughout the last year. This is why fluidity was the inspiration for the collection. Through the imposed tranquility of quarantine, being unsettled in our daily routine, and subtle bursts of inspiration and creativity, we have all been brought together,” says Haresh of the collection.  

Minitop handle in white Combo $1,120 usd.

In addition to Aranyani’s existing collections, the Kesuda, named for the exotic flower, and the Stone Drops, named for the semi-precious stones that are used in detailing, Fluidity will introduce the Fragrant Trails Collection. This collection combines ancient gold leafing techniques to create a motif that is inspired by one of the most well-known flowers in India, often used for worship. The gold leaf painting is an ancient Indian craft that has been introduced as an art in luxury leather bags for the first time, and has been mastered by Aranyani’s craftsmen and women in their atelier.

Mini Top Handle in Dusty Pink Taupe Combo $1,250 usd.

India’s natural beauty is handcrafted into each Aranyani bag.

“Artistry and craftsmanship provide a foundation for all we do. The beauty of India is the inspiration for all Aranyani bags. Using stones, embroidery or hand painting, our artists imbue each bag with its own exquisite piece of India,” says Haresh.

The Fluidity Story is available for purchase at www.aranyani.com

Travel

Marriage Proposals While Orbiting Moon By 2022

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Starting in 2022 it will be possible to ask for the beloved’s hand in marriage while flying over the lunar surface to the sound of Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”. The one-week interplanetary flight will be carried out using a self-contained and autonomous spacecraft allowing the two lovers to travel alone.

The ApoteoSurprise agency, a French marriage proposal planner specialized in creating extravagant proposals, introduces a whole new service for 145 million dollars which will allow 21st century handsome princes to propose while flying around the Moon. Reaching for the Moon in the name of love is about to become a reality, the ultimate goal of the Paris-based agency being to “stage the craziest and most outstanding marriage proposal of the last 13.8 billion years“.

Apoteo Marriage Proposals France

From March 2022, elite lovers will be able to book the all-included service on the site www.proposeinparis.com and five months later find themselves enjoying the following program:
– Twelve weeks of pre-requisite technical and physical training.
– Takeoff on D-Day from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
– Richard Strauss’s “Thus spoke Zarathustra, Op.30” (Theme from 2001 Space Odyssey) resounding in the two space tourists’ helmets when the first effects of weightlessness are felt.
– Arrival in lunar orbit, three days later, flying over the satellite’s grayish surface at only 200/300 kilometers altitude.

Earthrise Apollo 8
The famous ‘Earthrise’ photo from Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon. The crew entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1968. That evening, the astronauts held a live broadcast, showing pictures of the Earth and moon as seen from their spacecraft. photo:NASA

– Cut-off of all communication with Earth for around thirty minutes while the capsule flies over the dark side of the Moon.
– The Frank Sinatra song “Fly Me to the Moon” played halfway through the orbital flight, allowing the suitor to make his marriage proposal far from any form of human life (engagement ring secretly hidden in his spacesuit).
– A spectacular Earth-rise seen from behind the lunar craters and return trip of nearly four days before atmospheric re-entry and final touchdown.

The flight-plan followed by the space capsule will mirror that of the mythical Apollo 8 mission in 1968. The spacecraft, traveling at a speed of up to 38,000 km/h, will be equipped with eight cameras allowing the couple to immortalize their entry into the history of the conquest of space and the conquest
 of love! For the Silo, Nicolas Garreau.

Transportation

How Great Are Today’s Vehicles? Look At Lincoln’s Luxurious Aviator

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Lincoln is one of America’s all-time classic luxury automakers, but the manufacturer has also been praised for making vehicles which respond to the needs of today. So it’s natural, then, that anybody who wants a glimpse into the best cars on today’s markets takes a look at Lincoln. 

Let’s see what’s going on with the 2020 Lincoln Aviator, a mid-size luxury SUV that shuttles everybody around in safety and unmatched style.

Under the Hood

The Lincoln Aviator lets you choose from different powertrain options, so it’s easy to get all the power you need or want. The standard Twin-Turbocharged 3.0L V6 engine generates 400 horsepower and is good for 415 lb.-ft of torque. This should be more than enough, but in case it isn’t, the Grand Touring Aviator utilizes a battery-powered electric motor paired with the Twin-Turbocharged engine for a total of 494 horsepower and a killer 630 lb.-ft. of torque.

If you drive into Colony Lincoln today and find the Aviator you need, you’ll drive out with a much more powerful vehicle!

Sumptuously Appointed

One look at the Lincoln Aviator is enough to know you’re not looking at a normal SUV. This luxury mid-size SUV has even more trimmings than other comparable vehicles — this is a three-row SUV designed to indulge everyone inside the car, both drivers and passengers.

Rich features like Savannah leather, premium suede cloth and special woods communicate to everybody that this is a very special vehicle. The level of detail combined with an attitude that never cuts corners on luxury will genuinely thrill everybody who comes across it.

Technology For Comfort, Safety And Entertainment

Whether you’re carpooling all the kids or you’d like to keep yourself comfortable, connected and entertained on a solo drive, the Aviator has everything you need. The available Perfect Position Seat with Active Motion conforms to your back, and takes comfort to another level.

Advanced safety features are bundled together in the available Co-Pilot360ℱ Plus package, which includes Evasive Steering Assist, Reverse Brake Assist, Active Park Assist Plus and Adaptive Cruise Control with Traffic Jam Assist, and too many more to name.

The Heads-Up Display puts essential information the driver needs right on the windshield, so you don’t need to take your eyes off the road. There are even features to take all the stress and worry out of parking.

Lincoln and the sound engineers at Revel Audio teamed up to create a 28-speaker system that will make your favourite music sound better than ever. The car itself is a 4G LGE Wi-Fi hotspot, which makes it possible for you and all your passengers to keep connected to friends and family, as well as remain occupied during long drives.

If you’re looking for some of the highest accomplishments in luxury vehicle manufacturing, check out the latest Lincoln Aviator. For a beautiful ride that keeps you, your passengers and everybody on the road safer, comfortable, and even entertained, the Lincoln Aviator is representative of the best vehicles made today. 

Fashion

The Royal Ontario Museum Publishes Cloth That Changed The World: The Art And Fashion Of Indian Chintz

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New book explores the story of India’s richly coloured textiles ahead of ROM original exhibition

Photography by Tina Weltz

TORONTO — The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is pleased to announce the publication of Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz on December 2, 2019. The collection of essays explores the far-reaching influence this vividly printed and painted cotton cloth has had on the world, from its origins 5,000 years ago to its place in fashion and home dĂ©cor today. The volume is the official companion to the ROM-original exhibition The Cloth that Changed the World: India’s Painted and Printed Cottons, which runs from April 4 to September 27, 2020 in Toronto.

The scholarly and beautifully illustrated publication draws from the Royal Ontario Museum’s own Indian chintz collection, which ranks as one of the best in the world. Featuring extensive new research, this multidisciplinary book traces the story of chintz and the indelible footprint it has left on the world. The publication combines vivid field photography of artisans at work with striking images from the ROM’s world-class collection, as well as images from India’s fashion runways and the work of top designers embracing this heritage textile today.

“The world would be a drab place without India,” says Sarah Fee, editor, Cloth that Changed the World and ROM Senior Curator of Eastern Hemisphere Fashion and Textiles. “Our blue jeans and printed T-shirts trace much of their lineage back to the ingenuity of India’s cotton printers and dyers. This exhibition and companion book celebrate how India ‘clothed the world’ in exuberantly coloured cottons for thousands of years. It explores the art’s resiliency in the face of modern industrial imitation and shares the exciting stories of reviving natural dyes and hand skills in India today.”

Contributing writers include leading experts Ruth Barnes, Rosemary Crill, Steven Cohen, Deepali Dewan, Max Dionisio, Eiluned Edwards, Sarah Fee, Maria JoĂŁo Ferreira, Sylvia Houghteling, Peter Lee, Hanna Martinsen, Deborah A. Metsger, Alexandra Palmer, Divia Patel, Giorgio Riello, Rajarshi Sengupta, Philip Sykas, and JoĂŁo Teles e Cunha, and a preface by Sven Beckert, Harvard University’s Laird Bell Professor of History.

Next spring, the book comes to life in the ROM’s Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costumes, where ROM-original exhibition The Cloth that Changed the World: India’s Painted and Printed Cottons will take visitors on a journey through the ROM’s world-renowned collection of chintz, on public display for the first time in over 50 years.

The striking exhibition will explore thought-provoking themes, including the ingenuity, skill and technique of Indian artisans; the adaptation of chintz for international markets; and the environmental impact of the global textile industry over time. With a focus on attire and home furnishings, the exhibition features 80 objects spanning 10 centuries and four continents. Religious and court banners for India, monumental gilded wall hangings for elite homes in Europe and Thailand, and luxury women’s dress for England showcase the versatility and far-reaching desire for Indian Chintz.

About Sarah Fee (Curator and Editor)

Dr. Sarah Fee is Senior Curator of Eastern Hemisphere fashion and textiles at the Royal Ontario Museum. She has degrees in Anthropology and African studies from Oxford University and the School of Oriental Studies, Paris, and in 2002, guest-curated an exhibition on Madagascar for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art. Today, she continues to focus on Malagasy historic textiles and fashions, in addition to those of Zanzibar and Western India. A research associate at the MusĂ©e du Quai Branly, Paris, and the Indian Ocean World Centre at McGill University, Fee also teaches at the University of Toronto’s Department of Art. Fee is a past Board Member of the Textile Society of America, and currently sits on the editorial board of the Textile Museum Journal (TMJ).

About the Publication

Cloth that Changed the World: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz
Editor: Sarah Fee
Available at the ROM store starting December 2, 2019.
9 x 12, 272 pages, 300 colour illustrations.
$50.00.
Royal Ontario Museum and Yale University Press.

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Sarah Fee
@aTextilesCurator

ABOUT THE ROM

Founded in 1914, the Royal Ontario Museum showcases art, culture and nature from around the world and across the ages. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum is home to a world-class collection of 13 million art objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. As the country’s preeminent field research institute and an international leader in new and original findings, the ROM plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the artistic, cultural and natural world. Combining its original heritage architecture with the contemporary Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, the ROM serves as a national landmark, and a dynamic cultural destination in the heart of Toronto for all to enjoy.

ON NOW


It’s Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection
Gods in My Home: Chinese New Year with Ancestor Portraits and Deity Prints

COMING SOON


November 16, 2019 | Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches
March 7, 2020 | Egyptian Mummies: Exploring Ancient Lives

À L’AFFICHE


Sauve qui peut! L’art des grands films d’horreur et de science-fiction de la collection de Kirk Hammett
Accueillir les divinitĂ©s : Portraits d’ancĂȘtres et estampes de dieux pour le nouvel an chinois

À VENIR


Le 16 novembre 2019 | Soif de sang
Le 7 mars 2020 | Les momies Ă©gyptiennes : À la rencontre des Anciens

Culture, Travel

5 Most Famous Hotels In London England

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London's Most Famous Hotels

Luxurious living, money and fame are things that spring to mind when thinking about hotels London. Many of them have stood the test of time and built a sterling reputation all over the world attracting many of the rich and famous.

Here we’ve compiled a list of the most renowned hotels in London.

Claridge’s, London

Claridge's London- 5 Star Hotel. Address: 49 Brook St, London, Greater London W1K 4HR, United Kingdom
Claridge’s London- 5 Star Hotel. Address: 49 Brook St, London, Greater London W1K 4HR, United Kingdom

Opened in 1854 Claridges London is one of the oldest hotels in the city. Located in London’s infamous Mayfair, Its clientele are among the rich and famous with celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Mick Jagger no stranger to its doors. TV favorite Gordon Ramsay also had his own restaurant there for a time.

Its dĂ©cor and facilities boast the best in fine dining and luxury living unrivalled in London and has over its long lifespan attracted royalty from all over the world. The hotel was also the feature of a 3 part documentary series for the BBC entitled ‘Inside Claridges’.

The Connaught, London

The Connaught London. Five star Hotel. Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL, United Kingdom
The Connaught London. Five star Hotel. Carlos Pl, London W1K 2AL, United Kingdom

Residing in Mayfair, the Connaught first opened its doors in 1815. The hotel allows both traditional British and contemporary design to co-exist by maintaining its Victorian exterior and completing a 70 million pound internal refurbishment by lead designer Guy Oliver.

This hotel and its staff have won many prestigious awards over its lifespan including its spa winning first prize in the spa category in the Hotel & Lodge Awards 2012 and it’s very own bartender Agostino Perrone winning International Bartender of the Year 2010.

Brown’s, London

Brown's Hotel London. Five star Hotel. 33 Albemarle St, London W1S 4BP, United Kingdom
Brown’s Hotel London. Five star Hotel. 33 Albemarle St, London W1S 4BP, United Kingdom

One of London’s most established hotels is Browns. Opening its doors in 1837, it celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2012 and has consistently attracted guests of wealth and fame, most notably President Theodore Roosevelt and Oscar Wilde.

Not only does this Mayfair hotel boast a stunning Victorian 5 star setting it is also within walking distance to some of London’s busiest attractions such as Hyde Park, Bond Street, Regent Street and some of its most famous landmarks.

The Great Northern Hotel

First opened in 1854, London's Great Northern Hotel is "an exquisitely designed luxury boutique hotel with an extraordinary location, literally within King's Cross Station and just 25 metres from the Eurostar terminus at St Pancras International."
First opened in 1854, London’s Great Northern Hotel is “an exquisitely designed luxury boutique hotel with an extraordinary location, literally within King’s Cross Station and just 25 metres from the Eurostar terminus at St Pancras International.”

Dubbed as ‘The World’s First Great Railway Hotel’ , The Great Northern is a stunning boutique hotel with rail connections to Europe and beyond via the Eurostar. It stands tall above the areas surrounding buildings and it’s a significant point of interest for all arriving into Kings Cross St Pancras station.

Designed by infamous architect Lewis Cubitt stood as the centrepiece for the steam revolution.

The Berkeley

The Berkeley Hotel London is a five star Hotel. Wilton Pl, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RL, United Kingdom
The Berkeley Hotel London is a five star Hotel. Wilton Pl, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7RL, United Kingdom

The Berkeley is a five star deluxe hotel, located in Knightsbridge, London. Its history spans well over a 100 years and has even moved buildings. The infamous hotel began its life at Berkeley Street and served as accommodation for mail coach drivers travelling to the West Country.

In 1972 it moved to its current location, incorporating an entirely new refurbishment to include London’s only rooftop swimming pool. Aside from its unique facilities and dĂ©cor the Berkleley has attracted numerous Michelin star chefs including Pierre Koffmann and more recently Gordon Ramsay and his Boxwood CafĂ©. For the Silo, Susan Varano.

Culture

Luxury Villas Offering Guests Oil Paintings of Themselves

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Nobilified and Villa de Campo have partnered up to offer their customers a unique art and hospitality experience. A selection of luxurious villas offered by Villa de Campo for rent come with hand-painted portraits of each guest, which are hung throughout the Villa during their stay.

Located in La Romana, Dominican Republic; Casa de Campo is no stranger to luxury. This prestigious Resort spreads over 7,000 acres, featuring three award-winning golf courses, a clay pigeon shooting center, an equestrian center, tennis courts, pools, and restaurants, as well as 1,700 private villas populating the resort, some of which are available for rent. Villa de Campo specializes in giving customers prompt and personalized service for vacation rentals in the resort. Whether it’s understanding your needs and recommending homes to stay in or helping you book a personal chef or schedule your activities, Villa de Campo is stepping up the meaning of the saying “the customer is king”.

With this partnership with Nobilified, Villa de Campo adds an extra touch of personalization to one’s holiday—and we aren’t talking about personal chefs or yacht rentals. Nobilified, which creates hand-painted oil portraits of its customers as royalty will be using its inspiration to paint memories of holidays for guests to keep. The paintings will be inspired by the nature of the trip, whether a romantic couple retreat, a golf trip with boys, or a family holiday; Nobilified’s classically trained artists will paint the guests prior to their arrival, according a certain theme, and have the pieces hung throughout the villa during their stay. Guest then get to take the pieces home after their stay.

The Nobilified special aims capture memories in the world of art.  Chris Jensen, the founder of Nobilified, says, “Our aim is to capture one’s memories in art. We want guests of the villas to remember all the small things that made their holiday one to remember. When they get home, they will hang the piece, and each time they look at the piece, they will remember their holiday. We think that is special.”

Villa de Campo

Villa de Campo offers a selection of luxury villas in which to spend your next activity-filled holiday in the Dominican Republic. Spread over 7000 acres, the Casa de Campo resort is home to over 1700 private villas of which around 100 are available for rent on villadecampo.com.

Punta Aguila #57 is true Casa de Campo villa. The beautiful five bedroom villa was built right in the middle of a beautiful bamboo forest, palms and Embauba trees in a five thousand square meter homesite.

Booking a Villa has become the perfect way to spend a holiday whether with family, friends or as a couple. Our selection of luxury villas are located throughout the entire resort and cater to various tastes and needs. Villa de Campo also includes additional amenities such as complimentary golf carts, private chefs and a holiday concierge to help you book and plan your dream stay. Casa de Campo possesses a variety of restaurants, private beach clubs, a Marina, 3 golf courses, a tennis center, an equestrian center, a spa, and much more.

Nobilified

Nobilified is dedicated to revolutionizing the art world. Nobilified believes that while not everyone may have the artistic skills required to paint a masterpiece, everyone possesses an intuitively creative mind. At Nobilified, customer dreams and fantasies are transformed into actual works of art, which can proudly displayed in any home, dorm, office, cabin, yacht, or even a swanky Chateau. Everyone has an artistic side, and everyone sees the world in their own unique way. Nobilified wants this diversity to make an imprint on the course of art history by immortalizing customers’ wildest dreams.

In addition to providing high quality oil paintings, Nobilified wants to change the way people perceive art, by making it fun and accessible, thus giving customers the opportunity to share or gift a unique custom made oil painting with friends and family. No longer will having an oil painting of oneself hanging above the chimney be out-of-reach. This privilege used to be reserved for the upper tiers of society, but, now, it is shared with everyone, even if they are not knighted. A unique, hand-painted, oil-on-canvas work of art can add a touch of grandeur to any living quarters.

Featured image: Cupid and Psyche by Jacques Louis David

Culture

How Societies Become Consumer Cultures Through Housing

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Alfred Marshall’s (Principles of Economics, 1891) view of housing still goes right to the heart of what makes housing and built environment an important anthropological topic. No artifact is so clearly multi-functional, simultaneously a utilitarian object of absolute necessity, and an item of symbolic material culture, a text of almost unending complexity.

In every house the economic, social and symbolic dimensions of behavior come together. This may be why the analysis of housing has had such a wide appeal in disciplines as diverse as social psychology, folklore, economics and engineering. Anthropologists themselves have shown a new willingness to consider the house as a key artifact in understanding the articulation of economic and social change during economic development.

An ethnocentric home.

From the perspective of our own contemporary society, surrounded by houses of all shapes and sizes, where wealth and luxury are synonymous with housing, this seems obvious and commonplace. The 1980’s television show “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” and journals like “Architectural Review” are odes to the home as a shrine and symbol of wealth. But just as clearly, there are societies where all the houses look alike, even though all the people are not alike. Perhaps then, the assumption that there is something natural and obvious about spending on the house and home market as a marker of prestige is ethnocentric. Why the house instead of something else?

A number of anthropological approaches attempt to place the house in a theoretical context which answer this question by relating housing to social, economic, and psychological variation and change. For example, a utilitarian approach that views the house partially as a workspace links changes in the elaboration of houses to changes in the kinds of work done in the household (Braudel 1973:201). Or if the house is seen as a reflection of how all household activities are organized and divided, then the shape of the house will change as activities are modified, differentiated, or recombined (Kent 1983, 1984).

Utilitarian houses.

An even more utilitarian perspective relates the form of the house to climate, technology and the kinds of building materials that are available (Duly 1979).  For the Silo, Richard R. Wilk.

Read on..click here and read the full PDF document on your device.

Supplemental- Complete Text  Principles of Economics (London: Macmillan and Co. 8th ed. 1920).
Author: Alfred Marshall
About This Title: This is the 8th edition of what is regarded to be the first “modern” economics textbook, leading in various editions from the 19th into the 20th century. The final 8th edition was Marshall’s most-used and most-cited.

Reviews

Supreme Analog Vinyl Record Weights Trending

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“If there is no sound philosophy in making the audio gear, then all product you make is plagiarism.” Zoran Mihajlovic
Having grown up around record players of dubious quality, I remember very clearly my first ‘real’ turntable. An audiophile friend of the family helped my father put together an entry level system for my 15th birthday. The system included 3 way Acoustic Research speakers, Sansui integrated amplifier, Sansui 3 head cassette deck and my first decent turntable- a gently used Sansui direct drive with a shiny S-arm and what looked like a strange silver hockey puck.

At 15 I was into my second year of drumming and with this turntable was now able to play along to LP records without having to worry about the inevitable skipping that the cheap family record player performed almost every time I hit the bass drum hard. I later learned that the puck was actually a custom made record clamp that the previous owner had fashioned to squeeze every last bit of performance out of the record player.

There is a surprising amount of science behind the advantages of using record clamps to ‘push’ the vinyl down onto the slipmat and platter and people that use them swear by them. In general terms, the added mass from the fitted clamp flattens warps in the record and a beneficial flywheel effect takes place once the record is spinning at speed.

Today, turntable designs have advanced and exotic materials and technologies are incorporated into high end models. This has translated into a need for ultra high quality clamps designed to properly secure records to all kinds of esoteric spindles and platters.

Enter Zoran Mihajlovic- a man devoted to producing the highest quality record clamps such as the Model 1 via his Serbian company Supreme Analog. At 3000 euros (at time of this article, 1 euro = 1.5 Canadian dollars) , this is a record clamp (Supreme-Analog calls it a record weight) that is produced on order only and commands attention.

Supreme Analog Model 1 record weight
70mm wide, 50mm high, 460g weight
Swiss stainless steel and Serbian sinked wood

Supreme Analog Basic Line Record BL006 stainless steel
If you are on a more modest budget, they also offer the BL-006 for 250 euros. Also made from Swiss stainless steel, the more basic model weighs in at 950g and ships world wide for free in a solid wood box.

It’s easy to tell that Supreme-Analog have a real passion for audio and they make a number of interesting products including jewel like tonearms and gorgeous horn speakers. Check them all out.  For the Silo, Jarrod Barker.

Culture

Nashville Population Rise Sparks Demand for Condo Development

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Meg Epstein, founder of CA South Development and Condo Queen of Nashville, has funded over $200 million usd in the expansion of condo projects aimed towards bridging the gap of disproportionate construction of properties in Downtown Nashville.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, Nashville, Tennessee has witnessed a steady hike in population within the metro area as it’s averaging approximately 100 new residents per day. Forbes lists the city as the 7th on America’s Fastest Growing City List. The resulting and overwhelming demand for housing in the metro area has lead to an influx of rental properties, leaving a shortage of condos and townhomes despite an increasing demand for them. Another report projects the supply to increase but will still fall short of the overall demand within the city for 2018, consisting of only a two-month supply of condo units. 

Nashville Condo Shortage
GERMANTOWN WATERFRONT CONDOS, NASHVILLE, TN – IN PROGRESS. Boutique new construction development of 35 luxury, waterfront condos nestled between the historic neighborhood of Germantown and Downtown. River Tower offers a relaxed balance between the natural elements of the Cumberland River and the eclectic destinations, venues, restaurants and professional office spaces of downtown Nashville. Features will include spacious balconies that cantilever over the water, superior modern interior architecture and finishes, and Wolf-Subzero appliances.

Per Meg Epstein, founder of CA South Development, Nashville’s disproportionate emphasis on apartment construction is unsustainable. Even with the increased demand to build properties to accommodate the population increase, Epstein points out the issue of banks favoring apartment projects for construction instead of condos or townhomes.

“Banks favor apartment projects, since they don’t mind recouping their investment over a period of years,” said Epstein. “However, market trends indicate condos are a far better investment option.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that millennials have “flocked to downtowns to live closer to jobs, transit and urban amenities, and the National Realtors Association reports that millennials now represent 36% of recent homebuyers. The fact that 29% of Nashville’s population falls into the 20 to 39 age group may help to explain the rising demand for urban condos. Epstein anticipates a continued population surge in Nashville and believes residential development will remain a smart bet. PwC ranks Nashville #9 for “Overall Real Estate Prospects” and #5 for “Investment”, and Forbes lists it at #6 in its “Where to Invest in Housing in 2018” analysis.

Today, Epstein is in the process of constructing condo homes to not only correct the supply imbalance in the region but to serve the consumer needs of millennials.

Meg Epstein

In fact, one of Epstein’s projects, River Tower, a 35-unit development, emulates urban centers from all-across the United States with its modern design and proximity to the Cumberland River and Germantown, mirroring real-estate paradigms of Brooklyn, Boston and Tampa. Nashville’s “Condo Queen” is putting her ardent vision for Nashville’s condo market to the test as her decade of construction expertise is being applied to blossoming the city’s residential neighborhoods with the development of a mixed-use, retail and 312-unit condo development in Downtown and two mid-rise condo homes south of the Gulch and in range of 8th Avenue South.  For the Silo, Ashley Richardson. Featured image- mixed use condo living Downtwon. 77-Unit Condo building with retail below. Modern aesthetic appointments & amenities blend seamlessly with sustainable design elements to shine a light on the benefits of a home based in form & function. Delivery Fall 2019.

Fashion

Canadian Designed Silk And Lace Dresses For Modern, Outgoing Women

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Artemis Silk Dress

Vasiliki is the high-end fashion brand that’s set to hit wardrobes in time for summer. Combining luxury fabrics, classic designs that have a modern twist, and style that’s perfect for the modern, outgoing woman, Vasiliki is bringing its unique style mixture of edgy sophistication right to fashionistas through its newly launched online store.

Blending vintage inspiration and regal romance with confident, modern designs, Vasiliki has successfully created a brand that’s timeless and contemporary. Embracing the trend for female empowerment, every design from the premium brand is designed to demonstrate confidence and let the wearer show off their individual style. The playful details and elegant silhouettes result in dresses that are wearable yet have an avant-garde quality that will delight fashion fans.

Sahar Zohair

Sahar Zohair, Founder and Designer of Vasiliki, said, “I have been designing and selling dresses since I was ten. The only difference is that then I was selling to myself, so they had to be perfect, and now I am offering these dresses to women who are like me: feminine, strong, and always appreciating beauty. These dresses are designed and made with a genuine passion and love. As a result, a vital component of my brand is emotion, emotions that are timeless and priceless, and this is what makes the Summer & Resort Collection 2018 unique.

“The first collection will encompass six designs in silks, custom printed silks, and laces ranging from $395cdn to $595cdn. These designs are inspired by the latest trends for unique cuts and silhouettes while maintaining a timeless and classic vibe. They’re soft yet striking and will give wearers a confidence boost whenever they’re slipped on.”

Highlights of the very first collection from Vasiliki include the Selene Silk Dress, which gives asymmetric Edwardian ruffles a delicate, contemporary update for a look that exudes femininity and independence, and the vintage, highly wearable Hestia Lace Dress that beautifully combines stunning silks and exquisite lace for timeless elegance. The luxury dresses designed for the Summer & Resort Collection are made from high-end materials, lovingly crafted, and effortlessly showcase individuality.

Selene Silk Dress

The sensational collection is available to view online now and will start delivering May 2018. Based in Canada, the brand will ship nationally as well as to the USA and UK, with plans already in the pipeline to reach a global audience. For the Silo, Charlotte Malone.

Sci-Tech

WatchBox App By Govberg Curates And Helps Source Watches

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In 2016, consumers spent an estimated $14.3 USD billion on gifts for Father’s Day alone, not to mention billions more on gifts for other occasions like birthdays and winter holidays. Traditional “guy gifts” include things like power tools and sporting event tickets. However, if you’re looking for a quintessential men’s gift that’s truly timeless, then you may want to turn to the WatchBox by Govberg app for an assist with what to get for the deserving dudes in your life.

This apt app serves as a resource for locating the exact gift-able watch he’s sure to love. Or, if you also enjoy beautiful timepieces, then this app can help you discover what’s currently available in the marketplace. Whether for yourself or as a gift for another, WatchBox by Govberg is an elegant and streamlined way to curate collection-worthy watches—something the folks behind this app know a great deal about. Established a century ago, Govberg Jewelers is a premier purveyor of luxury timepieces, known for their unrivaled offerings that include limited-production models by leading watchmakers; an extensive pre-owned inventory; and decidedly service-minded industry experts.

The app offers several different features a true timepiece enthusiast will find useful. This includes access to up-to-date news from the watch world. This information is gathered in real-time from all over the globe, aggregating and delivering articles and video reviews from a myriad of popular blogs and magazines devoted to Swiss watches, including all of the industry’s leading brands.

Users can also discover the worth of different watches. Whether you want to sell a watch, buy a new or pre-owned model, make a trade, or are just curious about what a new or used (secondary market) watch you own is currently selling for, the WatchBox by Govberg app boasts pricing tools like a database packed with information on over 80,000 watch models. This includes a 12-month price history for each. With this foundational and in-depth knowledge base, you can intelligently buy, sell, and trade luxury timepieces and generally communicate with other users—or even Govberg’s own watch buying experts—right from the app.

Danny Govberg

The advent of this app’s secondary market watch pricing tools, in particular, is significant. According to Danny Govberg, CEO of Govberg Jewelers, “Prior to the WatchBox by Govberg app, dialogue about the value of pre-owned watches wasn’t addressed elsewhere in a consistent, transparent manner; nor was it designed to support and educate the consumer. While manufacturers establish MSRPs for primary (new) watches, there was no resource, no Kelley Blue Book or Zillow, for the pre-owned, or secondary, market watch category to help consumers feel at ease.  That changes with this app
For the first time in the watch category, Govberg is providing transparency into what pieces trade for on the secondary, or pre-owned, market.”

Quite fascinating is the proprietary algorithm the app uses to estimate and compute market value. Govberg explains, “It evaluates historical and active sales records spanning the secondary market–online sales platforms, auction sales and Govberg’s own data. The data represents final sales to end users, and is not an appraisal nor offer to buy, but rather an educated starting point to assess the secondary market value of a particular model. All pricing makes assumptions on the quality, service history and completeness of a timepiece with original box and paperwork. The data strength takes into account the number of data points captured, the variability of the prices seen on the secondary market, how current the data is and the quality of the source/vendor within the market.”


Impressively, this app will even store information and photos of your existing watch collection. This can be a useful tool to keep up with warranties, service history and to maintain a record for insurance purposes. Also of practical use, you can even schedule watch maintenance and repairs from within the app.

According to Govberg, “As more customers see watch ownership less about having a time-telling device and more as a hobby for collecting the world’s most intricate instruments, WatchBox by Govberg supports the growing watch enthusiast with instant access to valuable information so he can make the best decisions to begin, grow, trade or sell his collection.”

Relative to gift-giving, instead of spending hours upon hours hunting for an idea in general—or for a specific timepiece—that the recipient might like, you can simply turn to this easy-to-use tech. You’ll save time, money and the guesswork often involved in finding the perfect present for those “special someones.”

Govberg perhaps summarizes the usefulness of this technology best, noting, “Whether you want to keep up on the latest industry news and product releases, manage your watch collection for social sharing or insurance purposes, or buy, sell or trade a new or pre-owned watch, WatchBox by Govberg is the ultimate toolbox for today’s watch collector.”

The free WatchBox by Govberg app is available for download for iOS devices on the App Store and Android devices in the Play Store.

For The Silo, By Merilee Kern, ‘The Luxe List’ Executive Editor.

As the Executive Editor and Producer of “The Luxe List,” Merilee Kern is an internationally-regarded consumer product trends expert and hospitality industry voice of authority–a travel, dining, leisure and lifestyle expert who spotlights noteworthy marketplace innovations, change makers, movers and shakers. She identifies and reports on exemplary travel destinations and experiences, extraordinary events and newsworthy products and services across all categories. Reach her online at www.TheLuxeList.com, on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/LuxeListEditor, on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TheLuxeList and on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/LuxeListReviews.


***Some or all of the accommodations(s), experience(s), item(s) and/or service(s) detailed above may have been provided or sponsored at no cost to accommodate this review, but all opinions expressed are entirely those of Merilee Kern and have not been influenced in any way.***

Sources:


https://nrf.com/media/press-releases/fathers-day-spending-reach-record-high-143-billion

Featured image & all photos courtesy of  Govberg Watches.

Fashion

How To Mix Award Winning 750$ USD Luxury Margarita For Cinco De Mayo

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Bottoms Up! Award-winning Miami Mixologist Josue Gonzalez from DÔA Miami Beach (2000 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach) has created an over-the-top luxury margarita specifically for those looking to take their Cinco de Mayo to the next level:  $750 USD for one, $1000 USD for the pair, $2500 USD for table service.

Crafted with luxury in mind, the Allaire Royal Gold Margarita at DÔA features premium Allaire Collection Privee Tequila. Served in a Waterford Crystal Margarita Glass, rimmed with hand-harvested Sal de Ibiza Fleur de Sel, garnished with 24K Gold Flakes and 24K Gold encrusted lime wedge – The experience with the World’s Most Opulent Margarita doesn’t end when the lucky guest leaves DÔA — purchase price includes all the materials used to create the cocktail including:  Waterford Crystal Margarita Glass(es), 24K Thai Elephant Gold Leaf for the lime, a silver-plated serving platter, gold plated mixing spoon and gold plated straws.

*Available only on Cinco de Mayo!

Allaire Royal Gold Margarita:

3 oz. Allaire Collection Privee Tequila
1 œ oz. Fresh squeezed premium lime juice
1 oz. Grand Marnier Cuvee du Centenaire – 100 Year Anniversary
Shaken over purified spring ice,

Strained into a 24k Gold plated Shaker,

Coat half the crystal glass rim with hand-harvested Sal de Ibiza Fleur de Sel
Pour into Waterford Crystal Margarita Glass
Garnish 24K Thai Elephant Gold Leaf coated lime slice
Served on silver plated platter with gold plated mixing spoon and gold plated straws
Allaire Royal Gold Margarita is available at DÔA in South Beach for $750 for one, $1000 for pair and $2500 as table side service leaving plenty of margarita to share!

Parc natural de ses Salines d’Eivissa.

Sal de Ibiza Fleur de Sel:  For over 2,700 years, a sea-salt of premium quality has been harvested in the saline fields on the Mediterranean island of Ibiza. The island’s inhabitants have always been very proud of their marine salt, regarded as one of the best of its kind. The supreme “Queen of Salts” however, hand-harvested in the Nature Reserve of the “Parc natural de ses Salines d’Eivissa”, is the “Fleur de Sel” (Blossom of Salt). Unique in taste and texture, it is a rare and precious delicacy. The fragile “Fleur de Sel” crystals only form in conditions of abundant bright sunshine, low humidity and gentle winds. “Fleur de Sel” is exceptionally rich in vital minerals and trace-elements. It is a surprisingly mild, yet very aromatic and a tasty salt.  For the Silo, Jessica Kirk.

Fashion

Q And A With Self Made Millionaire And Luxury Sommelier Noel Shu

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For the high end market, there are often many different brands of similar products and services vying for attention. What are some effective ways luxury consumers can stay abreast of the newest, highest quality products and services?

This can actually be the done the good ol’ fashioned way and that’s simply to read a lot. Everything that you can possibly be looking for, think you might be looking for or not even know you’re looking for is on the Internet. Every day when I wake up, I spend a good 30 minutes and go through literally everything while I’m drinking my coffee—from international news to gossip to anything I can find that’s different from what I read before. People are out there doing everything they can to appease the people.

You are a member of a network called, “The Billionaires Club.”  What are some of the luxury brands you and your inner circle are paying attention to and what draws these brands apart?

I would say these days quite a few people have moved away from just so called “big purchases.” Everything is now more about personal touches. For instance, many people own a Rolex, Audemars Piguet or Hublot. More often than not, some of these are one out of however many but how many people really have something that’s one of kind? Not too many. The other point is that the watch may suit you but it doesn’t reflect your own personality, likes and dislikes. So what’s actually becoming quite popular is engraving one’s watches. I’ve seen some crazy designs that really add some character to a person’s wrist such as koi fish, skull heads and zodiac signs.

So back to the main question and one particular brand that has stood out is Golden Concept. Again, it’s all about personal touches these days and being unique. Golden Concept specializes in luxury cases for your phone. They have gold, snakeskin and gator cases just to name a few. All done to the highest of quality and many are customizable. So if you’re looking to stand out, make sure to check them out.

Another brand which has seen quite a bit of press and accolades is JetSmarter, one of the more successful private aviation companies. For many entrepreneurs, meetings take place in different cities, different continents and in different time zones. JetSmarter offers these services in an easy-to-maneuver application that makes flying private relatively affordable and easy.

World’s most expensive ‘whatever’: click me

What are the top three luxury items or brands that have captivated your own attention right now?

Right now there are three top brands that are top-of-mind for me right now. These are Emperada Cigar Humidor by Imperiali Geneve; Astonomia Tourbillion by Jacob & Co; and Bentley EXP 10 Speed 6 Concept car.

Not everyone can afford luxury brands. What would you suggest for those who have the desire to appear high end but not necessarily the means?

There’s actually been a lot of hype surrounding brands that cater specifically to people who enjoy the “finer things” but are limited by what’s in their wallet. Many bloggers, for instance, are always writing about the newest gadget, accessory or clothing. I would recommend finding a few that fit your style and follow them on Instagram to see what it is that they’re rocking on a day to day basis. Many people have to understand that your average blogger is there to inform the public on some of the newest fashion do’s and don’ts, and these are all done with new brands or affordable pre-existing brands.

Second, which I have seen quite a bit, is on Kickstarter or similar sites that are always offering “perks” for those who invest early in their brands. Without naming names, a few brands offered a discounted handmade Italian leather, skeleton movement watches for a fraction of the cost to the first “so many” number of investors.

Just keep in mind for everything high-end there is always a cheaper counterpart. Don’t worry just about name brand or high end. All that matters is that it looks good and makes you feel great.

For those who focus on products that are affordable luxury, who are some of the brands doing the best and what are the keys to success?

One of the biggest and most successful brands that I have seen that caters more towards the everyday luxury is Tory Burch. Although TB is for women, I have on many occasions bought it for family, friends and clients so I can safely say I have quite a bit of exposure to this brand and can thus speak with some confidence. Obviously, price point for TB is well within the means of many. Besides that, what is it that has led TB to such success? I would say three main factors: relate-ability, professionalism and seamlessness. Relate-ability in that walking through the concrete jungle that is New York, TB products have always caught my eye in their simplicity but also how stylish it is, whether on a working woman running into Starbucks or that beautiful lady going to brunch. Second, professionalism – although many brands always stress the attentiveness of the staff, it pales in comparison to TB. People have to understand that often times upper tier luxury items are for a certain group and employees are naturally prejudiced to people who they perceive not to be at that level. There have been times where I would walk into a Rolex store unattended for 15 minutes and the instant my AP peaks out from under my shirt, someone is there to help. This just doesn’t happen at TB and for that I am quite appreciative. Seamlessness in TB’s product, in that it offers just the right amount “je ne sais quoi.” Most of their products can be matched with a variety of other brands. This has all led to the tremendous success that TB has experienced over these past few years.

What are the top three factors that truly set an ultra-premium wine, champagne or spirit brand apart from less costly luxury beverage counterparts, wine and otherwise?

Marketing wine for the luxury market is a really tough job to do. Quite frankly it’s because you’re trying to appease a group of people who have seen it all. People always say when you do something for long enough, whether you want to or not you will become a bit of a connoisseur. That’s especially true for those in the wine industry. Most are well educated, well informed and have a true passion towards exploring the finer points of what’s in a wine bottle. If we were to say that all wines in the luxury market were of the same caliber, there would still be so many factors in play, the first being accessibility and quantity. Many luxury wines are such because there is a limited supply. You can’t expect a brand to sell at the same price point when there are only 10,000 bottles as compared to 100,000 bottles. However, although there are still 10,000 bottles that were produced, that doesn’t mean your everyday Joe would be able to get his hands on them even if he’s willing to dish out the necessary cash. Thus, there’s another added premium to an already sky high price.

Another example is time and care. For those who are only there to turn a quick profit, the longer time they spend on making a wine, the more money that needs to be invested. That in itself increases cost and decreases profit. This is why sometimes you have wineries that will actually keep the wine in their cellars for years after bottling to ensure that the wine has at least matured to a passable level. By care, I mean winemakers are very passionate about their craft and thus hate having their name associated with sub-par wine. Thus, you have some years where there is little to no wine produced by a certain grower because only a small amount of the grapes harvested passed the standard or none at all.

Never one to rest on his laurels and even amid a diversity of endeavors, Shu continues to raise the bar for himself professionally and personally. Whether it be as an active investor looking for the latest innovation in the luxury and tech space or, despite his jam-packed schedule, his current pursuit of an Ivy League Master’s degree at Columbia University. Clearly this good life connoisseur turned luxe market mogul will continue making an impact on the numerous high-end industries for many years to come. For the Silo, Merilee Kern. Merilee is an influential media voice and lauded communications strategist.

 

Travel

5 Disruptive Luxury Travel Trends Shattering The Status Quo

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With the global luxury market collectively growing at 4 percent to an estimated $1.15USD (€1.08) trillion in 2016, according to a recent “Bain & Company Luxury Study,” coupled with optimistic forecasts that the luxury goods market will pick up this year, the hospitality industry is gearing up for elevated demand among both leisure and business travelers. This amid evidence that, despite widespread geopolitical uncertainties, luxury consumers are redirecting their spending toward new and more personalized high-end experiences like luxury travel, food and wine.

“The luxury market has reached a maturation point,” said Claudia D’Arpizio, lead author of the study. “Brands can no longer rely on low-hanging fruit. Instead, they really need to implement differentiating strategies to succeed going forward. We are already starting to see clear polarization when it comes to performance with winners and losers emerging across product categories and segments.”

D’Arpizio also underscored that personal luxury market brands that “take an omni-channel, customer-centric approach will rise to the top.” Such is the prevailing wisdom for both the B2C and B2B luxury travel sector, specifically, with personalized experiences, quality of service and private booking options serving as primary distinguishing factors for luxe brand positioning throughout 2017 and beyond.

Here how these key drivers will converge with evolving luxury travel trends to greatly influence various vertical sectors—and, in doing so, the marketplace at large—in the months ahead:

1. Small group cultural immersions loom large.
Group Courtesy TheLuxeList.com.jpgTravelers are increasingly seeking exclusive and regionally-authentic itineraries that cater to small groups. Tour companies like Fort Washington, Pennsylvania-based Gate 1 Travel are capitalizing on this trend with offerings that provide the convenience of an escorted tour with the intimate view of local cultures that large groups just can’t provide. “Our small group tours option has seen, by far, the most significant increase in booking volume–up 50% in 2016,” the company reports.

A City Lodge Hotel Group report concurs that the trend of being “connoisseurs of local culture” will boom this year. It emphasizes that indigenous tourism experiences and cultural immersion will remain a big factor whether traveling within your own home country or jaunting to faraway lands. “We’ll see more people wanting to visit more than the big landmarks and monuments of their destination,” it says. “Rather people are more likely to be interested in knowing about the locals–those that call that place home. Trips to the rural communities will become popular, and travelers are likely to be more interested in private guides that teach them about the traditional ways of life.”

2. Private villa travel surpassing leading luxe resorts.
Today’s breed of private villa rentals have become the ultimate in luxury travel lodging for vacationers and business travelers, alike. This is due to the vast array of benefits and creature comforts it proffers for couples, families and small groups. While maximized privacy and security, uber-tailored guest service and 5-star accommodations and amenities are chief reasons the trend toward private villa lodging is exploding, an elite few have offerings far beyond that don’t just rival, but far exceed, those offered by high-end resorts, including their elite Penthouse suit options.

Courtesy Casa Dos Cisnes.jpgAccording to luxury travel agent Sandy Webb who books elite vacations all over the world “private villa residences offering first class, one-of-a-kind services are ushering in an entirely new era of bespoke hospitality around the globe. They are, in fact, single handedly setting a new and decidedly elevated standard for luxe travel worldwide.”

One private villa exemplifying this new standard is Casa Dos Cisnes–Puerto Vallarta’s foremost premier private oceanfront villa vacation experience. This  10,000 square foot Casa Dos Cisnes property, a five-bedroom colonial style home with breathtaking views of the Pacific that can accommodate up to 10 adults, goes well over-and-above to ensure each guest’s needs, desires, hopes and expectations for an extraordinary private villa vacation are fulfilled.

According to owner Cathryn Arnell, this includes proffering a bevy of premium benefits, including an authentic and stylishly-appointed residential setting, custom-prepared gourmet meals from an on-site private chef, 24/7 bilingual butler service and multiple staff, monitored security, housecleaning services, private infinity-edge ocean view pool, fully equipped state-of-the-art gym, large media-entertainment room, concierge and spa service, musicians for hire, sports and boating excursions, VIP treatment at the city’s leading beach club and most renowned restaurants, and more. “Given that guests enjoy complete privacy and security in the most exclusive area in Puerto Vallarta, commandeering the entire 10,000 square foot space with all of the relaxation, solitude and discretion that affords, the result is a one-of-a-kind holiday providing an unparalleled culinary and luxury living experience.”

3. Higher caliber private jet jaunts.
Jet Courtesy TheLuxeList.com.jpgAccording to Sergey Petrossov, founder and CEO of JetSmarter—an industry-leading private jet company based in Dubai, people are increasingly growing accustomed to personalized experiences, so much so, that it isn’t a demand anymore; it is now an expectation that needs to be met.

In order for brands to be memorable, they need to remember their customers and offer unique customized experiences. For its part, this JetSmarter achieves by placing a heavy emphasis on member relationships, with each assigned a relationship manager who is responsible for creating personalized and customizable private travel experiences.

JetSmarter also cites that there’s a very thin line between high-end and luxury, with the difference barely noticeable. “The travel industry is inundated with both high-end and luxury brands, however the distinction is relatively minor,” Petrossov said. “People often confuse high-end brands for luxury ones. Luxury brands essentially need to heighten their levels of service to be able to distinguish themselves from their high-end counterparts.”

4. Next-gen travel tech eases and expedites.
Smartphone Courtesy TheLuxeList.com.jpgArtificial Intelligence (AI) is another tech trend that will continue to evolve at a rapid pace. According to Advito’s 2017 Industry Forecast, AI has already enabled a range of apps, bots and software that makes it easier for industry purveyors to interact with travelers at every step of a trip to expedite, ease and enhance. AI automates computer processes to work in the same way as the human brain. Natural language processing (NLP) helps computers understand human speech or typing, and AI then applies machine learning to provide a useful response.

Advito reveals that the travel industry is “well-positioned to embrace AI,” and also that the wider travel industry is adopting AI as, for example, KLM passengers are now able to use Facebook Messenger to confirm bookings, get boarding passes and flight status updates. “AI is still in its infancy, but it is in our immediate future,” the report asserts. “As it develops, it will help simplify complex travel decisions, shorten the buying process and deliver a more personalized offering.”

5. Game changing smart suitcases solve perennial problems.
Courtesy Diego Cespedes.Bluesmart.jpgTravel is tough enough in the best of circumstances and is all-too-often replete with challenges. From crowded freeways, overbooked flights, Wi-Fi downtime and generally not having necessary items at hand, getting from point A to point B can be fraught with more than its fair share of frustrations.  Not surprisingly, technologists have responded with problem-solving gadgets and gear that exemplify tremendous innovation and ingenuity both in concept and execution. One glowing example of this is the Bluesmart Suitcase. Billed as “the world’s first smart suitcase,” this carry-on keeps traveler’s belongings tracked, devices charged, bag secure and trips hassle-free thanks to integrated technology that syncs to an associated mobile app that’s compatible with both iPhone and Android.

The suitcase features a built-in battery/charger with 2 USB ports. The substantial 10.000 mAh battery can charge your phone up to six times, juicing up this and any other USB-connectable device from the USB port on the back or the inside. The bag also boasts a 3G+GPS tracker with global coverage to track the suitcase anywhere in the world; a scale built right into the handle that interfaces with the app to tell you the approximate weight of your suitcase; and a remote digital lock that can be set up to lock itself when you step away and to unlock when you return. The TSA- approved smart lock provides distance alerts, notifying you if you leave it behind. Of course, the bag needs to carry you belongings, so the main compartment does provide large space for clothes, shoes, and coats, while a secondary TSA-friendly compartment is able to accommodate up to a 15″ laptop.

Despite the fact that luxury sales fell flat in 2016 as consumers shunned traditional products, it’s experiences—namely travel and entertainment—that are predicted to drive sector sales growth up ahead.  “There is a progressive shift from physical products to experiences, especially in the last year,” Federica Levato, partner at Bain & Company and co-author of the study, told Reuters, predicting that trend would continue. With the world economy poised to regain momentum this year and the penchant among wealthy consumers to spend on travel and gourmet food and wine rather than clothes and accessories, the future is bright for high-end hospitality. For the Silo, Merilee Kern.

MAIN-RT-LO-Tight-2.jpgAbout the author: Branding, business and entrepreneurship success pundit, Merilee Kern, MBA, is an influential media voice and lauded communications strategist. As the Executive Editor and Producer of “The Luxe List International News Syndicate,” she’s a revered consumer product trends expert and travel industry voice of authority who spotlights noteworthy marketplace change makers, movers and shakers. Merilee may be reached online at www.TheLuxeList.com. Follow her on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/LuxeListEditor and Facebook here: www.Facebook.com/TheLuxeList.


Sources:

http://www.bain.com/about/press/press-releases/the_global_personal_luxury_goods_market_holds_steady_at_249_billion_amid_geopolitical_uncertainty.aspx

http://www.thediamondloupe.com/articles/2016-04-12/bain-forecasts-drop-luxury-market-sales-2016-rebound-next-year

www.clhg.com/blog/2016/11/2017-travel-trends/

https://www.advito.com/advito-industry-forecast-2017/

Spotlight image- centraljetcharter.com

Transportation

3rd Concours d’ElĂ©gance Elite Concept Car Event

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Peter Auto is delighted to announce that the Concours Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille, which will be held on 4th September in the Chantilly Domain for the third time, is welcoming two new partners: BMW and ACJ (Airbus Corporate Jets).

Last year's Chantilly.
Last year’s Chantilly.

BMW was present at the 2015 event as entrant in the Concours d’ElĂ©gance reserved for concept cars and won the 1st prize with the 3.0 CSL Homage R. In 2016, the year which marks the Bavarian make’s centenary, BMW has joined the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille in the context of a wider partnership that will be announced at a later date.

ACJ provides its clients with the most modern business jets in the world based on the full range of planes made by Airbus, leader in the field of aeronautics, thanks to its unique expertise, innovative technology and bespoke customer service. A fully personalised interior can be installed in these very spacious VIP planes including, for example, a lounge, an office, a bedroom and a bathroom. By combining interiors with unique living spaces and a range of action that enables its clients to cover the whole world, ACJ facilitates their life style. With ACJ Chantilly Arts & Elegance welcomes a partner whose values of excellence, innovation and luxury dovetail perfectly with those highlighted by the event.

Last year's winner- the BMW CSL R concept car. What a beauty!
Last year’s winner- the BMW CSL          concept car. What a beauty!

BMW and ACJ join a list of prestigious partners who have renewed their confidence in Peter Auto in 2016 for the Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille: DS Automobiles, Le Point, Bonhams, Relais & ChĂąteaux, Charles Heidsieck, Radio Classic, the IDEC Group, etc.

The first two Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille were an instant success with the public, manufacturers, collectors and partners. They were also rewarded in Great Britain by the prize for the Motor Car Event of the Year in 2014 and 2015 at the International Historic Motoring Awards. In 2015 the event received the backing of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, which has renewed its support in 2016.

The 3rd Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille follows in the same vein as the previous ones by continuing with the Concours Automobile allied with a wide range of activities that include the French Art of Living, Fine Arts, Arts of the Table, Fashion, Music, Watch making, etc. with the partnership of prestigious houses and brands. Thus, all the ingredients are combined to make it a rendezvous that’s unique in its field in an exceptional setting only a few kilometres from Paris. The riches of the Chantilly Domain and the eponymous princely town give Chantilly Arts & Elegance Richard Mille the quintessence of art and elegance, which all the visitor can enjoy at this convivial, family event.

Click me! Future ready art music for future ready Super Cars.