luxe loves of the moment

in no particular order of course!

colored canvas belts

That khaki slim fit motorcycle jacket from Louis Vuitton with laced panels on the front and sleeves

The just-plain-cool juxtaposition of pairing a terrifically tailored Burberry jacket, shirt, and slim (but not too skinny!) tie with your favourite, broken-in denim and sweet shoes (for help with great denim and shoes, call Paul from John Varvatos Los Angeles at 310-859-27910)

The elegance Tom Ford can bring to every single man. (ps - I still can't get enough of the visual artistry the movie styling brings!)

The incredible paisley that only Etro knows best

The Canali 14000 series. Modern fit for modern men. Incredible fabrics. Very chic. Call John at Bloomingdale's at 407-264-2400)

Plastic aviators with smokey gray lenses. Especially from Marc Jacobs and Persol

The incredible political pun behind Diesel's new "Diesel Island" campaign. With slogans and sayings like "pioneers arrived on Diesel Island seeking refuge from tyrannical regimes, economic crisis, political corruption, and reality shows. Land of the stupid, home of the brave." and "Diesel Island's border walk prevents illegal immigrants from walking into our territory. (they'll have to jump in instead!).

Shower in Style

The bathroom is a sanctuary. After all, the place where you spend some of your most personal daily moments should at least be aesthetically pleasing, functional, and relaxing. Here are some new products that I'm loving for the bathroom.

Egg and bean shapes have been in fashion forever. Elsa Peretti's bean collection has been one of the highest grossing, most recognizable collections for Tiffany & Co. since debut. Now Kohler offers an egg/bean shaped bathtub. This is the shape of things to come. The Lithocast line of freestanding baths introduces a premium solid-surface material that allows for new geometries, textures and designs for the modern bath. Lithocast offers the beauty of real stone yet is warm and comfortable against the body. And it's easy to clean.


Some of my favourite qualities in luxury are functionality, quality design and application, and intermixing materials and colours. For example, I love Dior Homme's Chiffre Rouge watches for men - incredible Swiss movement, the finest materials, and fabulous appearance. The strong black accents the stainless steel and red impeccably. Naturally, I love Kohler's Karbon Lavatory Sinks.

With two pivoting joints, the Karbon articulating bathroom lavatory faucet lets you put water exactly where you want it as you shave, wash your hands or rinse the basin. The multifunction sprayhead can save up to 14,700 gallons of water each year compared to faucets with standard aerators. It sounds silly saying you "love" a sink, but the design, the function, and pure beauty of this sink really are spot on.

I've never heard of the bathroom and fixture supplier called Kallista before, but I can't seem to get enough of this bathroom design:


I love the mixed textures and colours - the browns, the polished metals, the crisp white towels, toilet, and natural stone sink vessel. The surfaces smooth, rough, sleek, natural, and man-made. And it all works so harmoniously. Here are the product numbers and additional information on this display.

The Axor Starck shower and bathroom scape is absolutely unreal. Words can't describe how amazing this looks. Simple. Irresistible. So well done. Philippe Starck is one of my favourite designers anyway, so I'm not surprised I love this bathroom as well. Who knew the lavatory could be so pretty?!



Did you know that dry hands can spread up to 1,000 times less bacteria than wet ones? I don't know if this is available for residential purchase and installation, or only for professional/industrial use, but the Dyson Airblade hand dryer is a true work of art. Filtering the air so there's less bacteria, reducing the carbon footprint by thousands, dries hands in just 12 seconds (or less), and so much fun to use - I can't say enough good things about this device. To get your own - click here.
I know it's expensive to redo the bathroom. But doing so can save you loads of money. Investing in quality fixtures and serene spaces improves your health, too! When you look good, you feel better. And that will always be en vogue.

the not so hi-lo Presidential fashion

I love talking about style and fashion. I like discovering and analyzing how fashion plays a part of our every day, how the power of fashion and trends can influence a decision, a perspective, a point of view (and to view a point).

Today a buddy asked what I thought about First Lady Michelle Obama. For those who don't know, our First Lady was recently interviewed on the nationally televised morning chat programme The Today Show. Mrs. Obama wore a US$35 dress from Swedish H&M paired with a fabulous orange belt and bright yellow pumps.

My thoughts? Firstly, Mrs. O looked fabulous. I'm such a fan of rocking the hi-lo - pairing expensive luxury with everyday, casual wear. And the vivid pops of colour accentuated her physique brilliantly.

On the other hand, I got to thinking. Our First Lady, no matter what the agenda or task at hand, represents America. She represents our ideals, is a beacon of hope and inspiration, and is the perfect PR commercial for the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Mrs. O could have very easily featured one of many incredible American designers. The iconic Diane von Furstenberg. Calvin Klein. Marc Jacobs. Michael Bastian. Ralph Lauren. The list goes on. But she purposely picked a mass-produced, albeit stylish, garment from a Swedish department store found in every majour city. It wasn't special.

Our First Lady is anything but ordinary. In her private life, she can rock whatever threads she desires. This is a free country, after all. But when she's in a public arena, especially on national television, I expect the best. Both stylistically and politically. Leave the mass-produced, discounted knockoffs for Mr. Mubarak.

Sent from my iPhone

luxe loves, sounds, and tastes

(in no particular order of importance)

-- basketweave - from those fabulously fierce peep toe stiletto boots from Gucci, to the lambskin woven jacket for men from Dolce & Gabbana, I'm loving basketweave. And speaking of baskets - Longaberger baskets bring an old world Americana vibe to any room, any time.

-- Chanel's J-12 marine watch, featuring black sand blasted ceramic, matte rubber sport strap, self winding Swiss mechanical movement, and 42-hour power reserve. Resists water to 300 feet, and attracts women up to 300 miles.

-- floral everything - much like basketweave, I'm loving the mix of florals and patterns. Liberty of London packs a powerful punch.

-- I can't get enough of Ministry of Sound - their beats are the soundtrack to my mind right now.

-- my new favourite snack is toast. with proper jams and jellies. Like Orange and Fortnum's Champagne marmalade from Fortnum & Mason and the Sicilian red orange marmalade from Colle Vicario.

-- I love the renewed excitement and discovery that Verizon users have for their new iPhones. Now they understand my technological dependence. my iPhone revolutionized my life a few years ago. Welcome to the party.