After beginning with the classic and all important luxury news, this edition of Lusso magazine launches straight into the product reviews and gift ideas section. With a variety of thought out gift ideas for everyone in the family, ranging from gadgets and gizmos for a few hundred pounds to a £5,000 bottle of Cognac and a £30,000 advent calendar.
A favourite with many of our readers, the Lusso Talk section contains columns from Phil Spencer (Location, Location, Location), Darren Beaman (Savile-Row) and Jim Bryant (Bidwells) and we also welcome back Dave Unwin (Editor, Today's Pilot) as he tests out the latest offering Raytheon.
In our events section we look back on the Burghley Horse Trials, Southampton Boat show and Lavazza's world famous 2007 calendar launch. In our Fleet section we give you the latest update on the Range Rover we keep on fleet, and say goodbye to the Volvo V50 that we've had for 6 months. Oliver Walston takes the new off-road Segway for a spin, and we try out the brand new Jaguar XKR.
The fashion section offers a full catwalk report on the London Fashion Week just gone, a look at both Bamford & Sons (a new fashion collection from the same Bamford's that bought you JCB) and Holland & Holland, as well as a what to wear guide when it comes to gold.
The travel section kicks off with a look at the world-famous and ultra modern 'g Hotel' in Ireland (pictured right) and also looks in depth at what happens to the popular resort of Gstaad in the summer when the snow's all gone. Peter Rear visits the Lakeside Hotel on Lake Windermere, Sarah Hardy visits the Donington Hotel & Spa and Al Fox runs into none other than J.K. Rowling at the Balmoral Hotel in Scotland.
The features in this edition include a tour of the Bollinger house and vine yards, a visit to the Diageo Castle to see exactly what makes Johnnie Walker Blue Label so different from their other products. Daniel Sharp looks at V International and how they differ from the other fractional ownership outfits on the market, and Andy Rixon looks in depth at the Aero GP, examining the adrenaline and investment opportunity this new extreme series offers.
Louis Vuitton buys Yacht Manufacturer
The Louis Vuitton Group, LVMH, has purchased Dutch yacht manufacturer Royal van Lent. The yacht company make ultra high end yachts, with an average selling price of 30 million euros. The sellers are Dutch investment firm Egeria and the acquisition price is worth approximiately 11 times net profit.
Asics Inner Muscle Revolutionises Sport Clothing
High end sports clothing has recently gone down the route of tight elastic tops and shorts that initially appear about 4 sizes too small for the athlete. The theory is that the tops provide more overall support to muscles, which improves performance. Asics, a leading trainer company, has taken this technology one step further. Lusso took a look.
Topper chosen for Champion of Champions event
Topper Sailboats offer a range of 12 different boats for all abilities of sailor. They are highly regarded as having excellent construction quality and design. They have been chosen to be the craft of choice for the Endeavour Trophy at least up until 2010 and probably further into the future. Lusso have taken a closer look at this company to see how they do it.
Did Russian billionaire buy 496 million euro property?
Recently, it was reported that Villa Leopolda was sold to a Russian billionaire for just under 500 million euros. It soon revealed that Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov was behind the sale. As is the habit with Russian oligarchs, Prokhorov made his billions in precious metals. In 2007 he launched a $17 billion private investment fund, so he was definitely wealthy enough to purchase the property.
Issue 15, Available December 2008.
Travel Special
The ultimate in peace and quite. Lusso Magazine investigates the best island resorts in the world - it's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it.
Ultimate Toys
Super yacht tenders, powerboats, motorbikes and super cars, we serve up the usual dose of high octane machinery.
And the regulars...
Brian Ebbesen, Arash Farboud, Nick English and others all share their views
The Value for Luxury Market
“Doug,Very interested in your article on EOS and this is something I am trying to re-create ...” By Nigel Worrall 27 September 2008
