Signs of Life(style)

-

the Burj Khalifa, Dubai
I have long been fascinated with the possibilities offered by certain Middle Eastern locations and it would seem that major brands both American and European are as well. Construction-crazy Dubai suffered some financial setbacks recently but there are already signs that it is bouncing back mere months after the crisis. Bloomingdale's opened two stores (one for fashion and one for home) in Dubai this February, the first outside of the USA. The 160-room Armani Hotel Dubai opened this week in the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. The rooms are decorated in dark leather and zebra wood, with marble floors and furnishings from the Armani Casa collection. The hotel boasts three boutiques, which in addition to apparel and accessories, carry Armani-branded candy and flowers! There is also a spa, which features thermal baths and bespoke therapies using oils blended (and branded) by Armani. There are eight restaurants and lounges, including a sushi bar and a dance club with an in-house D.J. Reservations and other requests will be handled by a lifestyle manager. Wow.

Comments

  1. Neville BeanMarch 24, 2011 at 5:56 PM

    The architecture just knocks me out! A glowing sky spire.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Divine Decadence of Helmut Newton

-
Image
As I mentioned recently, the current fascination amongst certain runway designers and celebrities with racy lingerie looks often brings to mind Helmut Newton 's style of photography. If only he were still alive, what a moment he'd be having. Unfortunately he died in a macabre accident when his car hit a wall in the driveway of Chateau Marmont which had for several years served as his L.A. residence. It has been speculated that Newton suffered a heart attack in the moments before the collision. Newton favorite Nadja Auermann appeared in many of his portraits including these photos taken for American Vogue in 1994. Newton was born in Berlin in 1920. The 1972 movie Cabaret based on a novel written by British author Christopher Isherwood, Goodbye to Berlin evokes the air of danger and desperation prevalent during the years of the Weimar Republic as Hitler rose to power and Jews were increasingly discriminated against. Seemingly the spirit of smoke-filled, pre-WW2 German night-clu
Read more

Nan Goldin, Fashion Photographer!

-
Image
"Documentary photographer Nan Goldin, known for her exploration of gender politics and producing intimate and often autobiographical images incorporating themes of love, friendship and sexuality, recently shot her first-ever ad campaign, for Bottega Veneta.  Creative director Tomas Maier has followed Goldin’s work and asked her to partner with the brand. “Nan’s work is intensely personal, with a sincere and unusual focus on the individual,” said Maier. Goldin shot the campaign in Staten Island, N.Y., and it will break in February fashion titles" Amy Wicks for WWD, January 12 2010 I have long been a great fan of the photographer Nan Goldin. Full disclosure: my career began with an internship at the Village Voice back when that newspaper was known for cool and edgy reporting. It included a monthly fashion magazine called View whose editors liked working with the sort of photographers who dance to the beat of a different drum.  Nan Goldin was one of them. Shot in the Ea
Read more

The apple of My i

-
Image
Japanese ad for iMac, 1998 iMac in 5 colors 1999 My obsession with Apple began in 1999 when I bought my first i-Mac. I don't mind admitting that the main reason I bought it was because of the way it looked.The ergonomic shape was both futuristic yet comforting and who could resist those fresh and juicy colors? Mine was blueberry but you could also have strawberry, lime, tangerine and grape. It was a eureka moment for me, that first realization that computers and electronics don't have to be beige and boring or worse still frightening and hard to use. It's quaint to think about it now but my hesitation about buying it was based on the fact that it was a hard drive and monitor "all-in-one". Based on the comments of the few computer buffs I knew back then, this could prove to be a problem later on if the hard drive broke down but the monitor was still good or vice versa. Well form won out over possible malfunction, I bought my first Apple product and I have never l
Read more