Luxist

NetJets Announces Major Pilot Layoffs

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 7th 2009 3:26AM

NetJets Inc., the fractional ownership and plane leasing company owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc., has announced major layoffs. Due to a slowdown in business travel and the overall usage of private jets the company is firing 495 pilots.

Bloomberg quotes a statement from David Sokol, NetJets CEO who said that the decision came from looking at current and predicted flight demand. The news comes just around two months after Sokol took over and the company moved back to Columbus, Ohio.

Currently the company owns more planes than it is using. NetJets employs over 3,000 pilots worldwide. The layoffs come after an earlier layoff of 350 non-pilot workers which was announced in September. Some are questioning whether or not the fractional private jet model still has a place in this economy. I think it does but that the scale may be smaller than these companies would like.

Tags: berkshire hathaway, BerkshireHathaway, netjets, warren buffett, WarrenBuffett

Megha Mittal Is Escada's New Owner

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 6th 2009 7:01PM

If you had asked me earlier this week which suitor I thought would claim Escada as their own I would have guessed M1 Group, the owner of Faconnable. But the new owner of the German fashion house is actually Megha Mittal, daughter-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal. Mittal purchased the brand for an undisclosed sum.

Mittal beat out a bunch of fashion insiders including the former head of Gucci and persuaded the German insolvency administrator that she would be the best steward of the brand. She bought Escada through a family trust said to be in in the three-digit million range. The German press has estimated that the deal is worth around 100 million Euros including the debt.

Ms. Mittal is 33 years old and has had a lifelong love of fashion. She is married to Aditya Mittal and has two daughters. She has a degree from Wharton Business School in finance. The Economic Times in India quotes her as saying that her first priority is to preserve the heritage of Escada and help it achieve a successful feature. Mittal's success is also good news for current CEO Bruno Slazer who will likely stay in place during the transition and has wanted to move the brand toward more affordable careerwear and everyday fashion and away from red carpet and couture gowns. Mittal will serve as a board member and brand ambassador for the fashion house.

Tags: escada, escada-bankruptcy, megha mittal, MeghaMittal

Orso Restaurant Closing In Los Angeles

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 6th 2009 6:01PM

Celebrity-friendly restaurant Orso Los Angeles becomes the latest restaurant to close. Orso opened in 1989 and its location near Robertson Blvd. and the tree-shrouded smoking-friendly patio have made it a popular film industry haunt. But the NY Times reports that the Italian trattoria serving fare priced at around $25 per entree will close by November 21. Orso restaurants in New York and London will remain open. The NY Times article says that Orso Los Angeles began to falter when the Creative Artists Agency and International Creative Management moved into Century City office towers and when the nearby New Line Cinema once a huge client, began deep job cuts. There's no shortage of other restaurants in the area but its always sad to see a restaurant that has survived 20 years in the fickle world of Los Angeles restaurants close down.

Tags: los angeles, LosAngeles, orso, orso restaurant, OrsoRestaurant, restaurant closings, RestaurantClosings

Russell Brand In Hampstead, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 6th 2009 1:01PM

British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been in the news a bit lately. He's been increasing his profile in the United States with more acting roles (he's set to take on the Dudley Moore role in the remake of Arthur) and with his romance with Katy Perry. Perhaps Brand is considering a permanent move to the U.S. because the BrickWork blog reports that Brand's home in the Hampstead area of London is on the market.

The Victorian home has been renovated in a hiply goth style that reminds me of the vintagey creations of Douglas Little. The home has five levels and features dark flocked wallpaper, large televisions and modern furniture. An entire room is given over to Brand's love of yoga and the plush black and silver master bedroom is exactly what you might from this self-confessed sex addict. The home also includes a media room, outdoor hot tub and a top floor bedroom suite which currently serves as an office. It is listed at £2.5 million.

Gallery: Russell Brand In Hampstead

Tags: england, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, hampstead, london, russell brand, RussellBrand

Jeweler Wendy Brandes To Open NYC Pop-Up Store

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 6th 2009 11:01AM

A little shopping inspiration can be found in New York City when jewelry designer and fashion blogger Wendy Brandes will open a popup store in the West Village for two days this holiday season. The Wendy Brandes popup store will be open on November 20th and 21st from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at 48 Greenwich Avenue near Perry Street. Wendy will be on hand both days to showcase her detailed handcrafted pieces. Hear straight from Wendy about the rich and witty inspirations for each unique piece. In addition to being a talented designer Brandes has an abiding love of history which manifests in unique pieces like a tiny sarcophagus that opens to reveal a mummy with diamond eyes or her popular poison rings which have secret compartments. Her collections have been inspired by a variety of historical figures including an Anglo-Saxon Queen, an Empress of Rome and the Queen of Scots.

The Wendy Brandes Popup Store will also have styles from her friend Zang Toi's collection available for shoppers interested in clothing to go along with their jewels. Zang Toi established the "House of Toi" collection in New York in 1989, and was awarded the 1990 Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year award, which recognizes the top young US designer of the year. Over the years, his design has evolved from the bright and decadent of the 1990s to the timeless yet modern lines of the turn of the country.

Tags: holiday shopping, HolidayShopping, jewelry, new york city, NewYorkCity, pop up store, PopUpStore, wendy brandes, WendyBrandes

Gisele Bundchen On Her Way To Helicopter Pilot License

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 5th 2009 9:01PM

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen is on her way to a private pilot's license. Bundchen, who is pregnant with her first child with New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, spent the summer taking helicopter flying lessons. She has now passed her private pilot written exam and flies several times a week at Shoreline Aviation in Marshfield, Massachusetts.

You need fewer hours in a helicopter than in a fixed wing plane to get a license and it generally takes over $10,000 to log in the necessary flight hours and experience. She is only a month away from giving birth but she is expected to take her checkride next week. The checkride is the practical test in which she will fly with a pilot examiner and be tested on key skills.

People magazine reported earlier this year that she was interested in learning to fly because she is a goodwill ambassador for the UN's Environmental Programme on finding an alternative source of jet fuel.

Gallery: Celebrity Pilots

Tags: gisele bunchen, GiseleBunchen, helicopter pilot, HelicopterPilot

Starwood Sells Off St. Regis New York Retail Space

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 5th 2009 8:01PM

The Starwood sell off continues. Earlier this week it unloaded the Bliss spa brand to Steiner Leisure for $100 million. Now Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc has announced that it has sold 24,700 square feet of retail space in St. Regis New York hotel for $117 million. The brand plans to use the proceeds to pay down debt. Starwood sold the space to GFC Fifth Avenue LLC, an investment group led by the Chera family's Crown Acquisitions and is is part of an ongoing push to streamline and chip away at its debt. As Reuters reports in its most recently quarterly earnings report, Starwood reported $3.36 billion in long-term debt.

Tags: st regis new york, starwood, StRegisNewYork

Reggie Bush In the Hollywood Hills, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 5th 2009 1:02PM

I'm not up to date on the on again and off again relationship between Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush but it is significant that the curvy reality television star put her home on the market a few weeks ago and now Bush, a New Orleans Saints football player has listed his Hollywood Hills home. I also suspect these two might have had the same decorator. Either that or Kardashian had a major influence on the decor of Bush's tri-level home on a cul-de-sac overlooking the city.

The four-bedroom home has views all the way to the ocean with a glittering swath of city spread out below. It is filled with touches that seem Kardashian inspired including zebra print cushions in the living room and a master suite with an apricot-colored padded headboard. Masculine touches reassert themselves in sports jerseys mounted on the staircase, a pool table on one of the home's many terraces and a wonderful walk-in gentleman's closet. This home has one of the most makeout friendly home theaters I've ever seen. It's decked out in black and red velvet. The football star also seems to have a love of his own monogram, his initials appear throughout the house including in the velvety red elevator. This home is listed at $5.099 million. According to the LA Times Hot Property, Bush bought the home for $4.7 million in 2007 for use as his off-season home.

The main home of the Jenner- Kardashian clan also remains on the market. It was originally listed at $3.395 million but is now listed at $2.995 million.

Gallery: Reggie Bush in the Hollywood Hills

Gallery: Kim Kardashian In Los Angeles

Gallery: The Jenner-Kardashian Clan in Hidden HIlls

Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, hollywood hills, HollywoodHills, reggie bush, ReggieBush

Bouchon Beverly Hills To Open Soon

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 4th 2009 11:01PM

The ramp up has begin for the long-anticipated opening of Chef Thomas Keller's first Los Angeles restaurant, Bouchon in Beverly Hills. Chef Keller now has a total of seven Michelin stars to his credit (three for The French Laundry in Yountville, California, three for Per Se in New York City and one for Bouchon in Yountville). Bouchon in Beverly Hills will feature classic bistro favorites and seasonal offerings as well as a raw bar featuring a wide array of oysters on the half-shell from both the west and east coasts. Bouchon in Beverly Hills will open on November 18, 2009 in the Beverly Hills Gardens building located at 235 North Cañon Drive and is already accepting reservations.

Bar Bouchon, a French wine bar with an extensive wines-by-the-glass selection and small plate offerings will open in mid December 2009 and will be located on the first floor of the restaurant. The restaurant's small plates menu will feature a variety of both classic and seasonal potted foods, salads, charcuterie, cheeses, tartines, sandwiches, caviar and desserts. Vin de Carafe, a Bouchon wine program that brings recognition to local vintners will feature unique selections to showcase wine producers in Southern California. Each exclusive selection is blended specially for the restaurant one barrel at a time to showcase the distinct personality and flavors of the featured winemaker.

Tags: bouchon, bouchon beverly hills, BouchonBeverlyHills, retaurant, thomas keller, ThomasKeller

Space Hotel To Open In 2012

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) — Nov 4th 2009 10:00PM

Will space tourism stays be possible in just a couple of years? A Spanish company has said that their Galactic Suite Space Resort orbiting hotel will open in 2012. The company is offering a three-night stay for €3 million. It sounds exorbitant but that price does include an eight-week training course on a tropical island and the travel on a rocket to reach the hotel which will float 280 miles above the earth. The company says that they already have 43 reservations.

The Independent reports that "an anonymous billionaire space enthusiast" has given the company more than €2 billion to finance the hotel. The hotel will rotate the earth 15 times per day offering a trip around the world in just 80 minutes. The modular space habitat willl be built around a central docking platform. Each pod has a window at the base and tourists will be experiencing weightlessness during their stay.

Tags: galactic suite, GalacticSuite, space hotel, space tourism, space travel, SpaceHotel, SpaceTourism, SpaceTravel

Ensuring a Safe Manicure and Pedicure

Millions of women (and a few men) visit nail salons regularly to have their nails done. ...

Lalique and Haviland Open Flagship Boutique

Two of the most prestigious brands in the luxury industry have joined forces to open a flagship ...

Learn More»

Join Luxist on Facebook!

Luxist bloggers (30 days)

#	Blogger	Posts	Cmts
1	Deidre Woollard	187	4
2	Jared Paul Stern	52	0
3	Ariel Adams	46	0
4	Tom Johansmeyer	37	1
5	Carrie Coolidge	35	0
6	Rigel Celeste	29	0
7	Annie Scott	28	4
8	Lisa Palladino	21	0
9	Noah Joseph	19	0
10	Jeremy Korzeniewski	14	0
11	Alison Wellner	12	0
12	Deb West	10	0
13	Jonathon Ramsey	9	0
14	Ariston Anderson	6	0
15	Kristin Young	5	0
16	Brendan Cleary	5	0
17	Amanda Gordon	2	0
18	Ann Brenoff	2	0
19	Dan Roth	1	0
20	Sam Abuelsamid	1	0