Laurent-Perrier Celebrates Bicentenary Year With Gold Medal At Chelsea Flower Show

Champagne Laurent-Perrier is delighted to announce it has again been awarded Gold at this year’s prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show.  The gold medal was received by Arne Maynard for his elegant design, which represents the art of fine craftsmanship - the garden is a timeless, ornamental, ‘gardener’s garden’ with all elements having been carefully handcrafted.

Hedge fund: Laurent-Perrier's
award winning garden

  “This is a very special year for Laurent-Perrier, as we celebrate our Bicentenary,” said David Hesketh MW, Managing Director, Champagne Laurent-Perrier UK. “Laurent-Perrier has been handcrafting a fine and diverse range of champagnes since 1812 and Arne’s design perfectly encapsulates the essence of our heritage. This, our twelfth gold medal at Chelsea, is deserved recognition of all the hours of hard work that has gone into delivering an exceptional garden”.

  With a theme inspired by Laurent-Perrier’s 200-year heritage of time-honoured methods and reputation for creating pioneering champagnes, the garden showcases exacting attention to detail.  A combination of traditional and contemporary elements exudes an everlasting elegance through both the planting and landscaping. Arne, who returns to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show after 12 years, has devised a ‘real’ garden that will sustain its splendour all year round and which in a true situation would provide a regular supply of cut flowers for the house.

  Plants have been chosen for their colour, texture and scent to evoke fond memories and affections. Arne uses a variety of roses, not seen on Chelsea Show Gardens in recent years, as well as Dianthus superbus, Hesperis matronalis var. albiflora and lavender to leave lingering floral notes in the air around the garden. The dusky pink, burgundy and copper colour palette evokes the iconic Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé. 

Montblanc Statue of Liberty Artisan Edition Limited Edition 50

Montblanc pays tribute to the freedom of America with the launch of the Statue of Liberty

Artisan Edition Writing Instrument. The statue was a gift from the French to the United States constructed by Gustave Eiffel. Previous editions include tributes to Max Reinhardt, Frida Kahlo and our Presidential Series, all in the form of exquisitely crafted Montblanc writing instruments.

Write away - Montblanc's
Statue of Liberty Artisan Edition

  Limited to just 50 pieces, symbolising the number of states of the United States, the Statue of Liberty Artisan Edition showcases Montblanc’s premier craftsmanship and pioneering design. The intricate 750 solid gold fittings over the gray PVD coating covering the writing instrument is inspired by the elements of the neoclassical sculpture. 

  The barrel is engraved with the official date of the American Independence Declaration in roman letters. The cap symbolizes the crown of the statue in an abstract manner with a clip in the form of a torch enriched with a citrin jewel, which stands for the symbol of freedom. The three dimensional pattern of the writing instrument symbolises the steel construction of the actual statue by

Gustave Eiffel.

  As a mark of the quality and craftsmanship of this piece, a mother-of-pearl Montblanc emblem is featured at the very summit of the writing instrument. The Montblanc Statue of Liberty Artisan Edition will be available from 04 July 2012.

Fabergé opens its first New York Boutique

My blue heaven:
Blue Sapphire ring by Faberge

Fabergé has opened its first New York boutique, at 694 Madison Avenue. The jewel-like boutique, intimate, inviting, a haven of luxury, is designed to balance opulence and modernity, in contemporary Fabergé style. 

  In the spirit of the spectacular flagship in Geneva, the Madison Avenue store is decorated in exquisite materials, silk curtains and wall panels, brushed oak flooring, painted wood accents, in a soft, sensual palette of grey and silver, punctuated with a rich purple button-backed wall, subtly evoking Romanov splendour. The striking facade of the boutique, a champagne coloured lattice, is inspired by the Coronation Egg, one of the legendary Imperial Easter eggs created by Peter Carl Fabergé in 1897, in celebration of the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II. 

   The new 850 square foot boutique will house Fabergé High and Fine Jewellery, Handmade Timepieces, Cufflinks, and Silver collections. Designed under the artistic direction of Creative and Managing Director, Katharina Flohr, the collections are testament to the eminence of contemporary Fabergé artistry and jewellery making. The new designs include exquisitely crafted one of a kind necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings destined to become investment pieces; as well as couture egg pendants that test the boundaries of contemporary craftsmanship.

  To celebrate Fabergé’s historic links with America’s great families – the Vanderbilts, Forbes and Morgans amongst others – the Madison Avenue boutique will launch with an exclusive new collection, Les Précieuses de Fabergé paying tribute to the unrivalled style of America’s Gilded Age society.   Les Précieuses comprises a series of precious single stone cocktail rings and delicate earrings.   The creations are each centred on a rare and dramatic coloured stone, set in an intricate diamond mount in two colours of gold, subtly interwoven with iconic Fabergé style references.

Fabulous Faberge: The New York Store

  A century ago, the House of Fabergé, under the legendary Peter Carl Fabergé, goldsmith to the Russian Imperial Court, attracted the elite of America’s Gilded Age society, collectors and connoisseurs.  Henry Walters sailed his yacht up the River Neva in St Petersburg to pay a personal visit to Peter Carl Fabergé.  The banker J. P. Morgan was a devoted client.  For the Duchess of Marlborough, Consuelo Vanderbilt, considered one of the most beautiful and stylish women of her day, Fabergé created a spectacular pink enamelled clock egg, one of the few major egg objects made for clients other than the Romanovs. 

  In the years after the closure of the House of Fabergé during the Russian Revolution, and through the 20^th century, great American women of style and substance, including Marjorie Merriweather Post and Lillian Thomas Pratt, whose collection is now in Richmond’s Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, have been amongst the avid and discerning collectors of Fabergé works of art. Other great American Fabergé collectors include the Louisiana heiress, Matilda Geddings Gray, India Early Minshall, of Ohio, and more recently the comedian Joan Rivers and most notably, Malcolm Forbes, whose unrivalled collection included nine Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs.

The Oitavos, the five star luxury hotel on Lisbon’s Atlantic Coast, launches first Japanese Bar

Rice to you see: sushi at The Oitavos

The Oitavos, a five-star luxury hotel and spa on Portugal’s Atlantic coast, has launched its first ever Japanese Bar. Just 20 minutes from Lisbon, the Japanese Bar at The Oitavos offers modern and healthy cuisine, created by ‘Sushi-man’ Mike Silva.

  Portuguese-Canadian Chef Silva joins The Oitavos from one of Lisbon’s most popular restaurants’, Bica do Sapato, with a wealth of knowledge on the art of sushi-making and the history of Portuguese and Japanese gastronomy.

  The traditional but modern menu includes a selection of Sushi, Sashimi, Unamaki and authentic Ceviche, made with locally-sourced catch, as well as à la carte dishes, accompanied by a selection of Japanese green teas and international wines. The intimate Japanese Bar seats eight people, allowing guests to interact closely with the chef. Set within the informal and cosmopolitan ambience of the Ipsylon lounge restaurant, this is sure to become one of Lisbon’s hottest weekend destinations.

  “We’re delighted to have created this space dedicated to a Japanese Bar at The Oitavos. Guests and local visitors can come together here to enjoy a truly fresh and authentic experience in outstanding surroundings,” says Mike Silva.

Blue Heaven: the pool at The Oitavos

  With the brand new Japanese Bar, The Oitavos further expands its gourmet offering. Presenting a uniquely modern interpretation on Portuguese and international cuisine, the hotel already offers the Ipsylon lounge and gastronomic restaurant, delivering a culinary experience like no other, in one of Portugal’s smartest and most contemporary settings.

  The Japanese Bar is open on Friday and Saturday from 7.30pm to 10.30pm for dinner.

Montblanc introduces two high-end statements of elegance to its StarWalker Collection

Montblanc has introduced two high-end statements of elegance to its StarWalker Collection. With the addition of the StarWalker Red gold-plated Resin and StarWalker Red gold-plated Metal, Montblanc completes this statement collection with this new line featuring precious red gold.

  With its StarWalker collection, the brand famous for the creation of the iconic Montblanc Meisterstück writing instrument has now become synonymous with cutting-edge design and smart innovation. What makes StarWalker unique is the combination of innovative materials and a distinctive ergonomic shape. The presence of the inimitable Montblanc emblem floating inside a transparent cap top is a reminder that every writing instrument has been individually made by a

The Write Stuff: the Montblanc Starwalker
Red Gold-Plated Fountain Pen

craftsman who has imbued it with a soul.

The new exclusive Montblanc StarWalker Red gold-plated Metal features a red gold-plated and black lacquered surface with diamond cut lines, giving it an architectural appearance. A true mark of quality, the handcrafted 14 K gold nib is

the heart and soul of the writing instrument while the distinctive transparent StarWalker cap top crowns each piece. The Red gold-plated Resin version features black precious resin with contrasting gold-plated fittings.

 The Montblanc StarWalker Red Gold-Plated Resin fountain pen, available at a recommended retail price of £380.00 (including VAT), boasts black precious resin with contrasting gold-plated fittings.   

  The Montblanc StarWalker Red Gold-Plated Metal fountain pen, available at a recommended retail price of £765.00 (including VAT) features a red gold-plated and black lacquered surface with diamond cut lines, giving it an architectural appearance. A true mark of quality, the handcrafted 14 K gold nib is the heart and soul of the pen, whilst the distinctive transparent StarWalker cap top crowns each piece.  The two new writing instruments can be purchased from Montblanc boutiques as of June 2012.