Luxury News from InsideLux – The Daily Luxury News Authority

Here’s a new drink on the market, the ‘Signature’ by Jim Beam. The Jim Beam Signature has been created by a seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe and is distilled from six grains and aged for six years in hand-selected white oak barrels. Bottled at 44.5%abv, the Jim Beam Signature offers a smooth and rich flavour with a silky finish and a pleasant nose of caramel, oak and subtle grain and spice notes.  In short it is the perfect drink for Jim Beam fans.

The ‘Signature’s proposed price is €29.99 and is available in European duty-free outlets.

Hello Kitty have collaborated with Fillico to launch this luxury water; the luxury bottled water comes in Red for friendship, Pink for cute, Yellow for heartful, green for wish and lavender for sweet. The Hello Kitty luxury water bottles are adorned with Swarovski crystals. Each bottle is priced at $100 or the whole collection for $500.

TAG Heuer may be renowned for its timepieces but it is equally famous for its luxury phones. TAG Heuer have just announced three new additions to its Meridiist phone collection, they are the Meridiist Black Diamond, the Meridiist Stainless steel & Rose Gold and the Meridiist Python Gold Dust.

Though all three TAG Heuer Meridiist phones have the same features and design; the Meridiist Black Diamond is a PVD-coated device made out of 316L stainless steel, 18-carat pink gold, lizard leather and has 1.34-carat diamonds.

Second in the collection, the Meridiist Stainless Steel & Rose Gold also offers 18-carat pink gold, stainless steel and alligator leather, but has no diamonds.

And last in the collection, the Meridiist Python Gold Dust comes with 1.3-carat diamonds mixed with gold, East African green garnet and python leather.

Technical specifications

1.9-inch QVGA sapphire crystal display

Secondary OLED display

2-megapixel camera

2GB internal memory

The new TAG Heuer Meridiist phones have not been priced yet; check http://meridiist-phone.com/finop.asp for pricing information and how to reserve one.

Fred Segal Fun has launched this G-Bike and G-Bike Chopper. This scooter-bicycle hybrid is the thing to have this summer; not only is it a cool new gadget but it comes in fun colours which suit the season.

Fred Segal Fun’s G-Bike and G-Bike Chopper is an eco-friendly, zero-emissions vehicle; This fully electric scooter-bike can run up to 20 miles per hour for 35 miles per. Additional features  include removable pedals, a remote control alarm, brakes, rear-view mirrors, a horn and ample storage space for books, a work bag, groceries, shopping bags or whatever you have.

The G-Bike is available from the Fred Segal Fun store in Santa Monica (310-394-9814) for $1,100 but I’m sure you can have yours shipped over and have a say in the colour.

Earloomz, a Bluetooth headsets maker known for putting famous and prominent figures on their products have introduced the “The Fame Monster“; a headset based on Lady Gaga.

The Earloomz GL500 Glamorous Life line features Bluetooth 2.1+ EDR technology, noise cancellation, mic noise reduction, lower power consumption, voice prompt, support multiple devices  and 16-bit resolution audio which can greatly enhance audio quality.

The Fame Monster sells for $59.99

Ralph Lauren has launched a new line of men’s fragrances called the Big Pony Fragrance Collection; the collection is inspired by the Ralph Lauren’s Big Pony polo shirts which has an oversized version of the iconic polo player motif. The L’Oréal group who are launching this frangrance collection together with Ralph Lauren describe the brand message behind the Big Pony Fragrance Collection as “Get in the Game”.

Each of the four fragrances in the collection has an individual message behind it;

Fragrance number 1 (sporty) is a citrus aromatic; the refreshing tonic features notes of lime and grapefruit “to propel men to victory”. The scent is presented in a blue bottle decorated with a green Big Pony player opposite a bold yellow number one.

Fragrance 2 (seductive) is an oriental fougere, It is described as a sexy mix of dark chocolate and musk. It addresses the challenge of love and the big play needed to “get the girl”. The fragrance is packaged in a red bottle, accented by a yellow Big Pony player and a green number two.

Fragrance 3 (adventurous) is a fougere woody. It contains mint and ginger root “to trigger an adrenaline rush” and aims to address the game of adventure and the challenge of the outdoors. This scent is presented in a green flacon, decorated with an orange Big Pony player and a blue number three.

Finally, fragrance 4 (stylish) is a woody fruity that offers an energizing boost of mandarin and kyarawood for a unique, stylish edge. The orange bottle is marked with a blue polo pony and a red number four.

The Big Pony Collection comes in 40ml, 75ml and 125ml eau de toilettes. A box set containing all four scents is available now, prices start from $50.

Mario Testino, easily the best fashion photographer of his generation has released a book dedicated to his favorite muse Kate Moss. The $500 book;Kate Moss by Mario Testino is a cheaper version of the $75,000 series of life-sizeKate Moss portraits at an exhibition held at Phillips de Pury & Co’ s London branch.

Kate Moss by Mario Testino follows the iconic supermodel from early days backstage at fashion shows to scenes glimpses of the ground-breaking editorials she and Testino continue to produce for the world’s most respected magazines. Many photographs have been chosen from Testino’s private archive and have been published in the book for the first time.

The contents of Kate Moss by Mario Testino include a foreword by Mario Testino, an exclusive essay by Kate Moss, over 100 images in black-and-white and colour including many unseen private photographs. The book is a boxed hardback special edition limited to 1500 signed copies.

Kate Moss by Mario Testino is Testino’s tenth book and its release coincides with the exhibition of selected works by Mario Testino entitled ‘Kate Who?’

Famed UK publisher Kraken Opus has announced a forthcoming book on Ferrari called the Magnum Opus.

The book will have text contributed by the world’s finest automotive writers and interviewers accompanied by hundreds of rare and previously unpublished archival images, including unseen pictures of Enzo Ferrari’s villa and action inside Formula One racing pits as well as specially commissioned photographs and illustrations.

Each Magnum Opus book will be individually hand-bound and designed to stand the test of time and increase in value. The book will be limited to 399 copies, will be signed by all living Ferrari champion racing drivers and cost $40,000.

Fashion designers draw inspiration from nature, world events, people, or anything ugly they can twist into something beautiful with an emotional impact.  Rodarte and M.A.C. teamed up to produce a ghostly line of clothing and cosmetics inspired by the overworked women in the factories of Juarez, Mexico.

Most people when asked about Juarez wouldn’t be aware of the city’s criminal make-up, crime rate or political oppressions. Though facing on-going criticism, the Rodarte designers Laura and Kate Mulleavy say the factory women in Juarez inspired their new line with the unfortunate sleepy early morning commutes. Top fashion executives initially raved about the line, calling it spiritual and romantic. As more information surfaced about a systematic killing spree against these women factory workers, critics questioned the morality of the line and alliance with M.A.C. Women began disappearing and bodies began turning up tortured and mutilated, leaving a 2005 calculation at a shocking 800 death count. Capitalizing on deadly corruption may be interpreted as morally wrong with distributing and selling $4,000 dresses and $20 nail polishes, but with the lack of world awareness on the tragedy, the city of Juarez can only benefit from the brightening light shed on the population by the young American designers whether it was intended or not. Building scrutiny from people like Jessica Wakeman of the Frisky has forced Rodarte and M.A.C. to issue a statement apologizing for offending any of their consumers and fans and assuring that some profits will go directly to Juarez.

Inspiration can come from any place, any person or any thing. A photographer could document a village under pillage for sheer ascetically pleasing artwork, share it with the world and do some good for the said village. The designers of Rodarte and collaboration with M.A.C. cosmetics are not making money off unpleasantries associated with the factories of Juarez, but taking a morose anthropological stance and turning it into art while raising attention on the troubled city in hopes to uncover a solution.

Famed French cognac maker Hennessy and famed shoemaker Berluti both part of the LVMH luxury goods empire have collaborated to provide the ultimate cognac experience for connoisseurs the world over.

The limited edition XO Mathusalem bottle is said to be a hand-blown crystal decanter originally designed by the Marquis de Geoffre in 1947, each bottle has its edition number engraved upon it.

The limited edition XO Mathusalem comes in a custom-made leather trunk by Berluti and signed by Olga Berluti, a fourth generation Berluti family member.

Each chest takes 70 hours to build and inside each one is a catenella, a wooden element found in Venetian gondolas upon which is carved the gondolier’s initials and the boatyard’s hallmark. A certificate of ownership accompanies each trunk as well.

The rich, mellow Hennessy XO cognac itself has notes of old leather along with black pepper, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla and crystallized fruit.

Hennessy chairman and CEO Bernard Peillon described the XO Mathusalem at the chest’s recent unveiling in China as ‘something that will remain beyond the sharing of cognac, the chest and cognac become something very personal. Once you finish the bottle, you can keep the memory of it’.