India’s love affair with gold is waning as high prices deter casual buyers in the world’s largest gold importer and savvy housewives try to sell their spare jewellery to capitalise on rocketing prices.

As gold, which traditionally is viewed as a safe haven in uncertain times, hovered close to record highs yesterday, Suresh Hundia, head of the Bombay Bullion Association (BBA), said that Indian consumers were deferring all but the most essential purchases. “Households are selling spare gold. There is zero demand at these prices in India,” he said.

Gold hit a record $923.40 (£465) an ounce in New York last week, as investors hurt by tumbling share prices put their money in the yellow metal. Prices have also been buoyed by power outages in South Africa, which have hurt production in goldmines there.

Source: The Times

Style Clinic by Astin Brown departs for Mumbai 24-29 March 2008 before the summer heat. Join an intimate group of 8 and blaze the trails of our urban scouts and stylists who have uncovered the best Emporiums, bazaars, hole-in-the wall stores, back streets stalls & colonial arcades to bring you Mumbai shopping. Expect to be guided through vibrancy and chaos. We’ll plunge you into the social fabric and history of the city with hand picked culture stops woven into the day.

A shopper’s paradise from glorious Indian high fashion to one season disposals, intricate jewelry, glamorous gems, unique antiques to tawdry gifts, export quality Indian cotton, bespoke perfume and oils and eclectic home style.  You will find so much dressing for you, your home and shopping list others.

You’ll love sifting, sorting and deciding – then getting into the bargaining rhythm. Every purchase will have its own story wrapped in the experience of this heaving and glittery city.

After tempering your shoe fetish, swathed in jewels, plushed your home with made to measure, found treasures, discovered street chic, secured beaded and needled creations and packed cherished bargains - be prepared for;
Luxury Ayuvedic pampering, special guest entry to Bollywood Studios, and meeting a fabulous group of Indian identities who spice up our nights of hot food & cool hindi sounds.

Slip on your flats for heady, high octane shopping, and inject your addiction.

$US 480.00 per day per person. Luxury twin share accomodation and much more info@styleclinicab.com
 

Or in this case, it’s furniture.

You’ve heard it many times, “only Starck could be so bold”. Well now it seems that the well-established fashion brands Dolce and Gabbana and Burberry are upping the ante with their unique reinterpretations of Philippe Starck’s 2004 design. The Mademoiselle Chair shown here as interpreted by Dolce and Gabbana is now being offered by Kartell as a limited production run and special edition piece, $918 USD.

Starck’s design, which plays on the perception of space and shape has now been dressed in this season’s hottest fabrics. These limited edition pieces are bound to make a statement and are already in hot demand by design conscious fashionistas.

For more information visit kartell.com for your nearest showroom.

Source: Design Boston

LONDON - Cocktail hour is about to get expensive. The world’s priciest drink, with a bill of £35,000 attached to each glass, has just been launched in London. The cocktail, named the Flawless, was unveiled at Movida nightclub - West End hangout of models, footballers and other celebrities. The drink consists of a large measure of Louis XII cognac, half a bottle of Cristal Rose champagne, some brown sugar, angostura bitters and a few flakes of 24-carat edible gold leaf.  An 11-carat white diamond ring rests at the bottom of the crystal glass. Party-goers ordering the £35,000 drink will be rewarded with a floorshow, with the drink mixed in front of them, and two security guards.

Ed Rollason, the bar manager, told the UK Telegraph, “They are definitely paying for the show as well. They will have the attention of everyone in the bar.”

Source: Travel Mole

Eyelash bars first became a beauty trend when Shu Uemura opened one in Tokyo’s hip Omotesando neighborhood two years ago. Once primarily attracting high end beauty shoppers or outrageously dressed clubbers, the Shu Uemura eyelash bar now attracts teens who go for fun designs like the Yellow Flash and Lucent Sun, which, when hit with light, cast colored patterns on the face. Copycat eyelash bars around the city are also attracting teens, making eyelash bar hopping a popular afterschool and weekend activity.

Source: the intelligence group

Winter Badeschiff: Made from a converted cargo ship, these two glowing tubes anchored off the banks of the Spree River boast a fantastic winter time respite from the gritty Berlin weather. Inside the Winter Badeschiff, visitors will find a loungelike atmosphere with a pool, sauna, and a sand floored bar. Just 12 Euros buys a full three hours of chill time. And there’s no need to rush out, as the bar is open until midnight all winter long. For those visiting in the warmer months, you’ll find an open air version of the oasis that’s perfect for optimum sun exposure and poolside cocktails.

Arena Berlin
Winter Badeschiff
Eichenstrasse 4
12435 Berlin
P: +49 (0) 30 533 20 30

Source:IG Intelligence

Built—the New York company famous for its sleek two-bottle wine tote—is all about making it easier to carry stuff by repurposing neoprene, the lightweight, washable, spongy fabric normally used for divers’ wetsuits. They’ve been rapidly expanding their catalog with everything from laptop cases to baby-bottle totes, but the product most likely to make your holiday travel slightly more sane is the genius Charger Bag. It has six compartments lined with fleece—to keep the charger cords for your laptop, cell phone, iPod, PDA, etc., from mating—and an “industrial strength” zipper. Comes in black (with powder-blue insides) and green (black inside).

Source: S.Dumenco New York Magazine

Polyvore is simple in design and easy to use, this site is an online forum for aspiring stylists and interior decorators to create scrapbooks of products that serve almost as mini “inspiration boards”. Be prepared to lose a few hours to the site if you try it out: as soon as you put up a new set, within two minutes there will be 50 new sets posted that likely make yours feel inferior. Currently, Hayden-Harnett is sponsoring a contest whereby users create sets of their products, with winners (selected by the Polyvore community) receiving gift certificates to the brand’s online store.

Source: IGIntelligence

If you’re the kind of person that likes to be one step ahead of the trend, put away your Ray-Ban Wayfarers and pick up a pair of these limited edition shades. Popular in the ‘80s, the reflective lens sunglasses have been resurrected by Oakley and are already becoming favored among young Hollywood stars who like to “hide” from the paparazzi. Unfortunately, they’re being created in a limited run of 3,000 so if you can’t track down a pair, there’s always eBay.

Source: TrendCentral

In the southern hemisphere summer days of picnics & evening soirees are pending. Plan  your parties well, use SpudWare Cutlery to impress your next  party guests! Made from 80% potato starch and 20% soy oil, these spoons, forks and knives are washable and reusable, just as strong as plasticware and so much more designer. They also biodegrade in just six months! Buy on line - A pack of 50 of each utensil costs just $US20.

source:trendcentral