On July 22, Orient-Express will launch a new river cruiser, the Orcaella, which will sail on the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River in Myanmar, also known as Burma. Named for a species of dolphin that inhabits the river, Orcaella (‘Or-kay-la’), was built in the colonial capital city of Yangon. The 200-foot-long ship was designed with a [...]
The historic Prince de Galles hotel in Paris celebrated its grand reopening last month following an extensive two-year, $100 million renovation and redesign that restores the landmark property’s original Art Deco style.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts tapped prominent French designer Pierre-Yves Rochon to transform the hotel with 155 [...]
“When you think about making engines in the U.S., where do you go? You go to Detroit,” says Jacques Panis, director of strategic partnerships at the fledgling Detroit-based watch brand Shinola, making the natural comparison between watch movements and automobile engines. Fossil founder Tom Kartsotis launched Shinola with the aim of restoring [...]
Venice’s landmark Gritti Palace was officially reborn for the 21st century with a grande festa on the Grand Canal last Tuesday night. Guests gathered on the terrace to hear Noemi, an Italian pop star whose soulful vocals drew Venetians from across the canal to their windowsills as the sound reverberated up and down the city’s bustling [...]
Despite the bitter cold outside, spring was in the air last Saturday night in Vienna’s flower-bedecked Gartenpalais Liechtenstein as Nicole Kidman took the stage to speak about her passion for watches and her eight-year partnership with Omega, which has launched a new global advertising campaign featuring the actress photographed by Peter [...]
On March 16, The Forbes Galleries will present Out of this World! Jewelry in the Space Age, an exhibition of jewelry inspired by the final frontier. The eclectic display will feature fine and fashion pieces from more than 100 designers and lenders. Van Cleef & Arpels’ Tampa Necklace, for example, features detachable space-themed [...]
For the first time since it launched its limited edition Métiers d’Art collection, Vacheron Constantin dedicated this year’s series to the fairer sex. The Métiers d’Art Florilège trilogy presents three designs, each referencing a beautifully rendered botanical illustration from Robert John Thornton’s The Temple of [...]
Audemars Piguet has unveiled a new range of Royal Oak Offshore watches, including the first grand complication in the brawny sport watch range, which marks it 20th anniversary this year. Representing the pinnacle of complicated watchmaking, a grand complication combines at least three of watchmaking’s most demanding complications with [...]
In a simple neighborhood monastery in Yangon, Myanmar, last December, resident monks offered their views on recent monks’ protests as we discussed the democratic political reforms that have been transforming the former authoritarian country, also known as Burma. As I left, a man by the door told me he had been a political prisoner for 12 years. [...]
At the 63rd Berlinale, Berlin’s annual international film festival which draws to a close this evening, critics showered some of the highest praise on the actresses—including Juliette Binoche and Paulina García—for their strong performances. Meanwhile, off screen, event sponsor Glashütte Original debuted its new leading lady, the [...]
