The Eclipse Yatch belongs to billionaire Roman Abramovich and is now officially the largest and most sophisticated yatch that is available for charter – to select clients only, of course!

The Eclipse took over four years to build and is 536 feet long; the yacht was constructed by Blohm + Voss, the design is by Terence Disdale Design while the naval architect is Francis design. Abramovich took possession on December 9, 2010 and it was rumoured that he would throw his NYE party on board (a rumour which was dispelled once the Black Eyed Peas were flown in to St Bart’s for a private party).

A September 2009 report indicates that the Eclipse yatch may have cost as much as $1.2 billion USD. And what were these billions spent on? The Eclipse has:

• two helicopter pads
• 24 guest cabins
• a disco hall
• a submarine that can submerge upto 50 metres
• several hot tubs
• room for dozens of crew members – apparantly 70 are needed to operate the yacht
• rumours have it that the yacht has two pools on board, one of which can be drained and converted to a dance floor

In addition the Eclipse has the following security measures:

• German-built missile defense system
• intruder defense system
• bullet-proof glass and armor-plated windows

Finally, the yacht reportedly has an “anti paparazzi” defense shield: these are lasers which sweep the surroundings of possible professional paparazzi, and then shine lights in that direction to prevent any photographs being taken – Abramovich and his girlfriend Daria Zhukova certainly know that it’s better to be safe than hounded by paparazzo.

If you are interested in chartering the Eclipse, you will need to go through SuperYachtsMonaco, a luxury yacht brokerage company. (And you will also need to invite me along!)

When it comes to luxury homes for sale, UK, you are almost spoilt for choice.

Of course, you need to have an eye out and a price range in mind, not to mention a good idea of what you are looking for. Luxury houses for sale, UK, can vary greatly in terms of price, design and location. A lovely townhouse in London is going to be very different from an estate in the country. And depending on where in London you wish to relocate, the price range will also vary greatly.

Speaking of lovely London townhouses, here are some images of a Mayfair mansion that’s currently up for sale. This townhouse is five storeys high and has a private lift. It also has three reception lounges, and a total of eight bedrooms – plus independent staff accomodations and garages.

And of course, if you have your heart set on a country estate, there is no reason why you should be disappointed. One of my favorites up for sale recently is Cowdry Park, famed as being the British home of polo. It includes the practice ground where polo was first played in the UK, 100 years ago.

This sale was called the landmark sale of the decade, and the estate includes a huge manor house with13 bedrooms, two lakes, a cricket pitch and landscaped grounds.

The Chateau Du Lac, Door Country, Wisconsin, is certainly an “interesting” place.

Put up for sale two years ago, it is… of a completely different era. Of course, the first word that springs to mind is “huge” – a family of five could go for hours without seeing each other in this house. The plan is also quite crazy – there are only three “bedrooms”, but there are: a grand parlor, two storey library, indoor pool and spa, a seven-room master suite and an art deco private theatre. There is also an indepent studio house and another guest house, as well as an independent beach house!

The Chateau Du Lac, Door County was sold fully furnished. And what furnishings – they included antique wallpaper, original autographed first-edition books, china, silver and crystal enough to last a lifetime.

And the most crazy bit – it’s located in Door County, Wisconsin; certainly not your traditional chateau setting. It is the most expensive home in Door County by a wide margin. Many people comment that it is not infact a house in the traditional sense, but a private hotel. Oh and did I mention that it is 35,000 square feet set amid a 100 acre estate? There are photos below for your enjoyment:

If you are looking for Blue Mountains Accomodation, luxury is the way to go.

There are so many great places to choose from, and you are sure to find a place that offers the comforts you are looking for, while not breaking your budget.

Options you can choose from include:

• Lilianfels Resoirt and Spa. The Conde Nast Traveller, UK says of them – “pampering is the secret word here”.
• Hurlstone of Leura, offers rooms from $110/night. Surrounded by lush gardens, the cottages are perfect for romantic escapes.
• Falls Mountain Retreat is situated among the Wentworth Falls, and prices start from $180/night.
• Sidney’s Retreat is a hideaway nestled near the Katoomba highway, and prices start from $200 per night.
• Echoes Boutique Hotel offer stylish living at the edge of the Jamison Value. Prices start from $350 per night.
• Old Leura Dairy offers lovely self-contained cottages in Leura; prices start from $175/night.

There are many other places you can choose from. However, availability will depend on your travel dates, and it is always safer to order ahead of time to ensure availability. Remember that you can always get some great deals if you travel during the off-season. Public holidays will tend to be fully booked, so if you wish to travel during a public holiday or school holiday, make sure you book your luxury Blue Mountains Accomodation ahead of time.

Another day, another ridiculous fashion accessory for the wealthy with no taste: introducing, the Diamond Encrusted Lollipop.

Kim Kardashian was presented with this lovely diamond encrusted lollipop – oh sorry, Couture Pop – at the opening of the Sugar Factory candy emporium. Unfortunately, it seems like she didn’t get to take it home, since it’s now displayed in the store window. She was also given a lovely diamond necklace.. not sure if she got to take that one home?

Oh well, now that I’ve dissed the luxury lollipops, I am sure they will be accepted by fashionistas everywhere and I’ll have to eat my words…

Here are some celebrities whose outfits I am loving right now:

First off, Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Doglous are out and about in New York. I am loving that coat Catherine is wearing. It looks deliciously warm and toasty, while being incredibly fashionable at the same time. Unfortunately, if it were mine I could never manage to keep it looking so shiny and white: I’d probably spill coffee on it the very first time I put it on.

This isn’t the most flattering photo of Douglas, but it’s great to see that he’s looking healthy and enjoying the perks of his success. Catherine looks stunning as usual: you can moan all you want about her plastic surgery, but that makeup is feminine and glowy and lovely.

Chace Crawfor and Emma Roberts at Elton John’s Oscar Viewing Party. He looks dashing, there is no other word for it, although that hairstyle isn’t my favorite. Emma’s hairdo doesn’t look that great either, and her expression is a bit, er, tired, to put it nicely. However, their outfits! I am adoring that grey dress. It’s all shimmery and princess-ey, and it seems like something you or I could wear to a party as well (with a tank top or something underneath). Also, I like that she’s given the jewelry a miss for this party, it seems appropriate.

Love her or hate her, I am loving Paris Hilton’s outfit here. The black (faux?) fur is glamorous, that pink dress is demure and chic, while the purse is something I need to own right now! Check out her black nailpolish and cool ring… not to mention that her makeup is perfect and she looks beauutiful.

I have a complete girl crush on Tina Fey, and her choice of accessory (Alec Baldwin) is perfect. Not sure I could tuck my shirt in like that, no matter how pretty and shiny it is… Tina has pulled this look off perfectly, and did I mention how pretty she looks? Gorgeous.

LVMH – Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy – is about to announce its control of 51% of the luxury jewelry brand Bulgari. 51% of Bulgari will now be owned by LVMH; the family currently controlling Bulgari will be gaining seats on the board of LVMH.

I suppose this is just one of many more acquisitions to come. LVMH is now regarded as a massive luxury and fashion powerfouse. It controls stakes in a large number of fashion brands, including Christian Dior, Fendi, Louis Vuitton (duh!) and Dom Perignon. Last year, LVMH’s profit rose 73% to 3 billion euros, as the looming end of the financial crisis has seen more and more consumers opt to buy luxury goods again.

Bernard Arnault, the CEO and Chairman of LVMH, has now solidified his reputation as an aggressive buyer in the industry, with a massive appetite for striking deals.

Bulgari is a 127 year old makor of jewelry and watches, regarded as being one of the most prestigious brands in the industry.

$65 million: that’s how much you should’ve earned last year if you were interested in “keeping up” with the Kardashians.

I always admire people (or in this case, a family) who take their good looks, decent net worth and love of the spotlight, and turn it into a whole lot of moolah. To me, that reeks of great business acumen – and while I might not admire all their actions, I admire their success. And the Kardashians are one family who have gained that success – all from a single daughter’s modest modelling success.

The Kardashians earned a cool $65 in net profits last year. They earned a fair amount of the income from their reality TV show, but the profits rolled in from a number of different venues as well, including:

• $100,000 – $300,000 per party appearance by Kim in the US, and upto $1 million for each appearance overseas
• $25,000 per sponsored Tweet made by Kim
• Payment to the Kardashians for magazine appearances, including six figures for a cover story: consider the number of times you’ve seen them grace the covers of your preferred weeklies or monthlies, and do the math!

In addition, the Kardashian clan earns from sponsorships of various fashion and health products.

Kudos to the Kardashians – let’s see what this year will bring for them.

Florida-dwellers can now enjoy another luxuy magazine: Plum Miami. Does the name sound familiar? It should, because it’s been launched by the luxury lifestyle channel Plum TV.

Plum Miami has a number of A-list contributers, including Ryan Seacrest, Venus Williams and many more. This issue (March 2011) includes an interview with Brooklyn Decker, who starred in “Just Go With It”, as well as another interview with Gabrielle Anwar, the actress from “Burn Notice” who is currently living in Palm Island with Shareef Malnik, a well-known local playboy.

Plum Miami is distributed to an elite clientelle; two other sister publications are set to follow soon: Plum Aspen and Plum Hamptons.

This is an interesting event to note. Back last year, the future of luxury magazines was being called into question. But now they seem to be confidently popular, so much so that new ones are being launched… or does Plum just have an advantage of being spun off an existing television channel? Whatever the reasoning behind its launched, I am sure the publishing world is excited about this.

And of course, the most important milestone of this launch is the fact that the magazine has already exceeded revenue forecasts, bringing in almost half a million dollars, with over 50,000 copies in print.

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