The Montblanc For BMW’s Limited-Edition 7 Series

With ingenuity and creativity, the “Montblanc for BMW” centennial fountain pen is more like the car it celebrates than you might first expect.  This 7 series was designed to honor the German car manufacturers 100th anniversary, as it was based off of Montblanc’s Meisterstück 149 piston fountain pen.  The commemorative fountain pen symbolizes the strong partnership between BMW’s Head of Design, Karim Habib and Montblanc’s Creative Director, Zaim Kamal.

Only to add to the cars already undeniable beauty, the fountain pen features a skeletonized rhodium plated grid design, which perfectly reflects the patterned Merino-leather interior of the  7 Series, and is beautifully resin-finished to match the cars blue exterior.  The pen also features BMW’s “7” motif on its 18-karat gold rhodium-plated nib, as Montblanc’s snow covered mountain logo is created by quartz and black onyx at the top of the pen.  Not to mention that it has the same color and patterning as the sharp “stylo” is the associating full-grain calfskin carrying pouch.  This unique Montblanc pen will be included as a gift with each limited edition BMW 7 series.  If you love BMW and Montblanc than this limited edition BMW is just the ride for you, and besides who doesn’t love a free pen.

For more information visit:  montblanc.com

GoPro Goes All Out

The American technology company GoPro has just announced the release date for one of its most anxiously awaited products, the 360-degree virtual reality capture Omni.  The six GoPro camera rig was first declared in early 2016, and now GoPro has finally revealed more specifics about its productivity and retail price.  The camera rig was designed to carry six GoPro HD Hero 4 Black cameras, that were made for capturing all around 360-degree footage.  Specifically for virtual reality (VR) or on-screen playback, in fact the company has already began shipping pre-ordered units as of August 17th.

The Omni is priced at $5,000 for the full package, which includes six Hero 4 Black cameras, the cube-shaped metal housing, and all the hardware/software that is essential to film and stitch the 360-degree footage.  A prorated version is also available for as little as $1500.  Though, it does not include cameras like the full package.

For more information visit:  gopro.com

Christie Brinkley’s Hamptons Home Hits The Market

Reflecting her own beauty, Christie Brinkley’s Hamptons home is just as equally breathtaking as Christie Brinkley herself, and the renowned supermodel’s Hamptons home is now on the market for $29.5 million.  The “tower hill home” is situated on nearly 20 acres in Bridgehampton North, New York, with a simply stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean and Connecticut shore.  The beautiful home includes four bedrooms and five bathrooms, but that’s not all the estate also features a four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom guesthouse, a four car heated garage, a green house, a barn, and a marvelous 50-foot observation tower.

In addition, the estate includes many other desirable amenities like; a double height great room with arched french windows, hardwood floors, an exquisite antique chandelier or a country styled kitchen with blue cabinets and multicolored chandeliers.  Key features include an office, a gym, and a total of three fireplaces, which were all added to keep you pleased and always entertained.

The fairly-large backyard is embellished with lovely pink flowers and a screen of verdant trees, the backyard also features a patio, a Jacuzzi, and a pool.  On better days, owners can discover a sense of serenity and tranquility on the walking path that takes you though the magnificent wooded area right behind the estate.

For more information visit:  toptenrealestatedeals.com

For any inquiries regarding the estate visit:  elliman.com

Petrossian’s Secret Soufflé

There is a new dish in New York City, known as Petrossian’s “Secret Soufflé”.  Its name originated from the fact that it’s an off-menu item at Petrossian’s.  The dish is quite large compared to other soufflés, containing 30 grams of Royal Reserve Ossetra caviar, (Petrossian’s priciest assortment) quail eggs right in the middle, and then beautifully finished with a mosaic of gold leaf.  Once the epicurean delight is created it is then served to you covered by a glass cloche that contains the aroma of applewood smoke, which the dish marinates in since leaving the oven minutes earlier.

Later a rolling trolley approaches you with a bottle of Richard Hennessy, (a Cognac that retails for about $3,500 a glass) which includes an essence in its blend dating all the way back to around the time of Napoleon.  They take two ounces of the fine drink and flambé it in a saucepan as the liquid is still ablaze, they pour it over the soufflé right in front of your table. Which will be quite the show, not to mention far surpassing any epicurean food video you have posted so far.

Petrossian’s executive chef as well as the soufflé’s creator, Richard Farnabe even said it’s a dish that exists simply because it “can”.   Farnabe was very enthusiastic to be able to experiment with no limit to food cost, so he could used the most premium of ingredients in as much quantities as he desired.  The soufflé is a tribute to 1980s-style excess, and to the golden days of when the restaurant was in the most pristine of conditions.

After all the other expensive epicurean delights, like the golden opulence sundae ($1,000) or the golden phoenix cupcake ($1,010), a $2,500 soufflé doesn’t seem all that surprising, especially in New York City where luxurious delights like these aren’t that hard to come by.  Of course you could easily purchase Ossetra caviar, quail eggs, and two ounces of Richard Hennessy, in order to create your own “secret soufflé”, but then again, you would never know how amazing Petrossian’s “Secret Soufflé” is.

For more information visit:  petrossian.com

Louis Vuitton Opens Their Doors To The World Of Fragrance

Louis Vuitton has been making high quality leather accessories and travel bags for over a century, but now the luxury fashion brand is going to try opening a few doors into the fragrance industry.  So Maison is putting his heart and soul into accomplishing beyond flawless aromas for the upcoming collection, labeled Les Parfums Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton has even hired master perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud, who exclusively designed the seven following scents; Rose des Vents, Dans la Peau, Contre Moi, Turbulences, Mille Feux, Apogee, and Matiere Noire.  Belletrud used unique extraction techniques, so that the collection would feature only the purest of floral and leather.  The perfumes are already set to be issued in 100 to 200-ml sizes, and will be priced at $240 and $350 each, respectively.

For more information visit:  Louis Vuitton

Meet Noa Nowling

Photographer: Paul Schefz

Meet Swedish Born Los Angeles based Model Noa Nowling.  We caught up with Noa on all things lifestyle & modeling.

What do you think is the best part about being a model in the industry today?
“What I’ve experienced to be the best part of the industry today would definitely be meeting new and amazing people everyday. Everyday I have new coworkers and get to hear all types of different life stories that inspire me.”

Take us through a typical day in the life of Noa Nowling.
“A typical day for me always starts with a healthy breakfast whether it be an omelette or a protein smoothie. After that, if I don’t have an early casting I will go to Corepower Sculpt class which is a heated room workout class using weights which really kickstarts my day. Usually I have a few castings a day so I hop in my car and drive to wherever that casting takes me for the day. In the evenings I like to unwind with my boyfriend and see whatever jobs I have upcoming for the next week.”

Photographer: Paul Schefz

What are three things most people don’t know about you?
“I’m quite an open person but these three things most people tend to not know about me. The most strange is that I have quite a long tongue and Guinness Book of World Records contacted me for next years issue! Another thing most people don’t know is that I’m an equestrian and have been showjumping since I was 11 years old. The third would be that I was born in Sweden and all of my relatives and extended family live out there.”

Which five words would your friends use to describe you?
“Five words my friends would use to describe me would be adventurous, caring, family oriented, responsible, and fun loving.”

Photographer: Alex Jackson

Is there anywhere your dying to travel to?
“I’m definitely dying to go to New York and model since I have never been.”

How would you describe your personal style?
“My personal style usually consists of  street wear. I love a cool pair of ripped jeans and a simple t-shirt with accessories and heels.”

Photographer: Alex Jackson

Do you have any favorite clothing brands?
“My favorite clothing brands would be Paige and Hudson jeans as well as Zara.”

Where to next?
“What comes next is pursuing modeling and seeing where it takes me!”

Where can we follow you?
“You can follow my Instagram at NoaAthena“

Dreamliner Boeing 787 BBJ: Traveling Through The Sky The Right-Way

Although for many years, Boeing has made its airliners available for sale to individuals under their Boeing Business Jet program commonly known as BBJ, their 787-8 Dreamliner is one of the newest and most intriguing offers to the private jumbo jet market.  Potential owners and guests will be immersed in over 2,400 square feet of luxury accommodation.  The 787-8 Dreamliner is much more like a flying palace than a typical business jet, boasting the ability to carry as many as 39 guests in a class far beyond first and a range of nearly 10,000 miles or 17 hours of flight time.

Kestrel Aviation Management, along with their partners at Pierrejean Design Studios and Greenpoint Technologies, had to fully design as well as engineer the interior of the jet.  Total design, fabrication, and installation time exceeded two and a half years, as this project represented the very first Dreamliner to be built as a Boeing Business Jet.  Though, the innovative 787 BBJ did not come cheap, with a price of $224.6 million for the base Boeing 787-8, and an additional cost estimated at $100 million for interior modifications.

The end result of this teams hard work is a business jet offering five designer bathrooms, a massive master suite divided into several separate sections to reduce noise to as little as 48 decimbels while the owner can take a well deserved nap in the suites king sized bed, in addition the master suite also features a walk in closet with radiant heated marble floors and his & hers marble sinks plus a massive shower.

The design team also took advantage of many other areas such as the foyer, by using recessed lighting the hallway walls are designed to appear as vertical flowing waves.  Beyond the flowing hallway walls sits a truly substantial main lounge, featuring two daybeds which face a 55 inch flat-screen display.  In addition this Dreamliner features a dinning/meeting area, several VIP lavatory’s, a guest area with 18 seats, and a separate designated crew area.

For more information visit:  www.kestrelaviation.com

Wine Palace Monte-Carlo Caters During The 2016 Monaco Yacht Show

The Wine Palace Monte-Carlo (which serves only the finest of wines, champagnes, and heart & soul)  will be at your beckon call as they serve you heavenly palatable drinks for four days as you attend the exclusive 2016 Monaco Yacht Show.  It will be Wine Palace Monte-Carlo’s second year in a row, of catering to one of Monaco’s most beloved events of the year.  Starting on the 28th of September through the 1st of October, the Wine Palace Monte-Carlo will introduce a vast array of private events that is sure to intrigue the most sophisticated guests with a variety of rare vintages from around the world.

The merchant is going to bring more than 2,300 esoteric gifts from varying sizes and shapes to the grand yacht show, including bottles of Petrus that date back all the way to 1959.  Guests are even granted access on the wine retailer’s terrace, where they can enjoy their palatable drinks as well as an astounding view of the Rock of Monaco.  The best part is all the wines, champagnes, and of course hearts & souls are available for purchase either online or shipped straight to your yacht or even back home.

For more information visit:  Wine Palace Monte-Carlo

The Most Breathtaking Penthouse In Atlanta

The Penthouse at the Residences at Mandarin Oriental, Atlanta emits an allure that’s like no other, with roughly 10,000 square feet as well as an asking price of $7.3 million, that dubs it the most expensive piece of real estate in the city.  In addition, the property is also the largest penthouse presently for sale and the second largest in Atlanta once off the market (as the largest in Atlanta is not currently for sale).  Istar, ( the real-estate and financial firm selling the property) are giving buyers the option to customize the inside, by selling it as an unfinished unit, so that buyers can design the interior to his or her liking.  Istar then can introduce the buyer to a local architecture company to complete the finishing touches.  The most recent recommended design features four bedrooms, a library, a fitness room, a music room, a catering kitchen, and a stylish spiral staircase that makes the journey from the lower floor to the upper floor all the more thrilling.

The penthouse takes up the top two floors (the 40th and 41st) of the building, offering residence 360-degree views of the Buckhead neighborhood.  Residents are even permitted to all of the hotels on-site amenities, not to mention room service that’s open 24/7, high security fingerprint scanners, personal drivers and shoppers, and private elevators & entrances.

For more information visit:  moresidencesatlanta.com

Meet Gianna Dispenza

Meet Gianna Dispenza; a young American artist currently residing in Beirut, creating some of the most unique and captivating works of our time.  Her art which tends to organically morph into an abstract creation of the utmost originality is like nothing else.  Having graduated the acclaimed San Francisco Art Institute, the philanthropic hearted Dispenza spends much of her time bringing art into the lives of underprivileged refugees.  We spoke exclusively with Gianna about art & life in the Paris of the Middle East.

What are you currently inspired by?
“I’ve always been interested in and inspired by people. Right now, my direction is turning toward a study of form, character, and a return to biomorphic, gestural bodies.”

Being a frequent traveler, how has your exposure to multiple cultures influenced your work?
“Different places have always influenced my work, but I recently experienced a bigger shift. I’ll have to backtrack a bit to answer this question, though. In college I began studying art history more thoroughly and it opened up a dialogue between my own paintings and sculptures and the work of other artists and movements through history. For example, I might have made a painting where the brushstrokes referenced Cézanne, and that reference invited a conversation on perspective. This happened both intentionally and unintentionally, but whatever the case, when someone looked at the piece, a connection was suggested between my work and history. It was subtle, but I took for granted how much the culture and history of Western art contextualized my work.

Now, I am living in Beirut, a place with a very different history and naturally a very different art history. So suddenly, the influences of artists or movements that my work had been in conversation with were abruptly removed from their context. I realized that people viewing my work now couldn’t relate because I was asking them to relate to the art history of a different part of the world. My work needed to adjust to a new place and culture.

For a number of reasons, I now feel the need to return to a more basic study of character and form. Not necessarily realism but relating to the figure. The pieces will naturally become more and more abstract, but there is a space on the border of abstraction and representation where I think my work has always been strongest. I recently had a very conceptual and abstract exhibition in Beirut, and in moving forward, I hope to produce something that is more representational and ultimately more human.”

Favorite medium?
“I’ve been experimenting with different media over the past five years, but a simple water-based clay will probably always win. As a final product, I usually prefer the clay to be cast in bronze.”

What is your creative process?
“Like with anything, there are times when we feel compelled to create and there are times when its a real struggle. But I’ve learned that persistence is my friend. I work everyday and if I reach the point where I really want to give up—I mean outright, hysterical, ‘I’m-no-artist’ kind of giving up— and then I keep pushing forward, that’s usually when the best work happens.”

Favorite Restaurant in Beirut?
“There are so many. Lebanon also has great Armenian and Syrian food (there are about 160,000 Armenians living in Lebanon right now). One of my favorites is a tiny Armenian bistro called Onno in Bourj Hammoud. Makan usually has great art on the walls and it holds some of my dearest memories. The food changes every week but is nonetheless excellent. Casablanca is also great. I’d recommend Gram for lunch, for the food and the people and the heart and soul that’s gone into its opening. Though, one of the best meals I have had in Lebanon yet was actually in Nahr Al-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp in the North about 20k south of the Syrian border. It was all prepared from a garden in the camp and exceeded standards not only in flavor but also in generosity, which is pretty remarkable considering how little they have to begin with.”

How has your style changed over the years?
“I began studying art in high school with almost no direction. To give you a sense, I tried to use water to thin my oil paints. I knew nothing but I was so eager just to make something. After some time studying in Florence with bronze and stone and marble figures at every stop, and maybe a hundred hours sitting beneath Perseus, I wanted to understand anatomy. I attended a university that enforced a kind of military approach to aesthetics and realism. This was all fine in the beginning, but after a while I started thinking about character and how realism sometimes leaves that out. So I got loose with my work and impulsive, and my teachers were getting hot-headed because I didn’t start the portrait with the cheekbones like they said I should or because the clay wasn’t quite as smooth as a boiled egg. Eventually I realized it was time to get out of there and into a place where I could experiment. I transferred to a more conceptually-driven institute where I was suddenly the classicist and so I started sprinting to catch up with everyone. I worked hard and produced a body of big sculptures in concrete and plaster. After that, Beirut happened, and for the first year I was quite unwell and wasn’t able to make much, but by the second year I was experimenting and exhibiting plenty. Now, after all that, I just want to take a few steps back and revisit reality. I think repeating this process in Beirut, the process of patiently pushing and deconstructing form, may take more time, but the work will be more whole and more genuine than it ever would have been had I stayed where I was.”

Talk me through a day in the life of Gianna Dispenza.
“I’m traveling now, but my days in Beirut have been pretty full. Around 7:15 I walk through Hamra to Ahmed’s car. Ahmed is my dear friend, my taxi driver, and something of an Arabic teacher for me. He takes me up to the mountains to a campus where I teach a kindergarten class for refugees, ages 4-5. After classes, I might go to a school on the outskirts of the Palestinian refugee camps in the southern suburbs where I meet two other teachers and we hold an English support program. Or, depending on the day, I’ll head back to Beirut and start sculpting. I usually need about an hour to decompress at home after work then I’ll sculpt or paint though the evening. If it’s a figurative collection, friends or neighbors or strangers will come model for 2-4 hours after work. At sunset I run or walk along the corniche (a long path along the shore), or go to our friends house by the sea. We meet on his roof or balcony and swim or talk and they all play music (I may or may not have thrown down a few notes on the flute). Anyway, it’s calm and it’s beautiful. Sometimes more friends come model at night; they stumble in around 11 and recline into a snoring pose on my studio floor. The past six months have been pretty demanding, and so I’m looking forward to a summer with a bit more of the snoring for myself.”

What are you working on right now?
“I’ve been on the road but I did fill a suitcase with clay, which, my travels have taught me the hard way, bears a striking resemblance to C-4. I’ve been doing sketches and figure studies as I go along. Once I get back to Beirut I’ll most likely work on a simple series of ceramic busts. I see myself returning to the figure more and more right now, emphasizing form and unity.”

What artists influence you most?
“The beautiful thing about studying art history is that artists tend to layer and build on each other over time. That layering is what excites me. But there is an abundance of artists whose work has influenced my own, and I could go down that road but it might test even the avid reader’s attention span. To name a few: Van Gogh, Bacon, Calder, Dubuffet, Hesse, Gorky, Abakanowicz, Rodin, De Kooning, De Keersmaeker.”

What are four things most people do not know about you?
“One thing I’ve struggled even to define for myself and in my work is a feeling of existing in liminal spaces. Coming from a background of extreme opposites has made me feel like a bunch of very different people are all paying tug-of-war with one brain. This might be why I connect in the way that I do with the people in the camps, because their liminal existence humbles my own. The work I am doing with refugees is also probably something most people don’t know about me. It’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had—getting to know all of these people and their stories and characters. In doing this work, I found out that teaching is awesome and hugely gratifying. And lastly, I don’t ever want only to be an artist. I’ll always need to keep my mind challenged and my heart engaged with something outside of myself and I feel lucky to be in a place where all of those things are happening.”

Where to next?
“I’ll be in Beirut for at least another year, hopefully. After that I really do not know.”

Where can we follow you?
Website:  giannadispenza.com
Tumblr:  giannadispenza.tumblr.com
Instagram:  @giannadispenza

Photographer: Ashley Jordan Gordon