Bell & Ross Gets Airborne for D-Day

Swiss watchmakers Bell & Ross, known for their hi-tech watches with aeronautical instrumentation that are able to withstand the extreme environmental conditions, have created a limited edition collection of 500, BR01 Airborne watches to be sold exclusively at at the hip boutique store Colette in Paris for one week starting June 8th. The watch will honor the 65th anniversary of D-Day and the commemoration ceremony by President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The watch bears the skull emblem that paratroopers of the US Airborne division wore on their uniforms during WWII as a symbol of their bravery in the face of death. Many of the paratroopers were often the first to face death and their uniform badges carried the rather unsettling “Death from Above” motto. For those feeling a little Damien Hirst inspired, two of the watches from the collection will have diamond-encrusted skulls.
 
Colette.fr
Bellross.com

Fade to Gray

DKNY’s iconic billboard will soon be replaced by California tween beach brand Hollister.

It’s another sign of changing times.

Since 1992, DKNY's iconic billboard at 600 Broadway served as the unofficial gateway into SoHo. Designed by Peter Arnell, it features a view of the lower Manhattan skyline before 9/11, including the Twin Towers and the Statute of Liberty. It appeared in the opening credits of "NYPD Blue" and was the first of three outdoor advertisements Donna Karan had commissioned in the ‘90s. It is also the last one standing. "It's very sad," Karan said of the billboard impending removal. “I hope to find a new home for it soon.”

Last year, the six-story building was sold to Abercrombie & Fitch for $71 million and shortly after DKNY lost the right to use the wall. The signed will be replaced by a gray Hollister sign in time for the store’s opening in July.

HOME, SWEET HOME

(From left: A scene from “HOME” and silk scarf by Alexander McQueen)

PPR CEO Francois Henri-Pinault thinks everyone should see Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s environmental documentary. He paid $14 million, but you can watch it tonight for free.

Al Gore's inconvenient truth about global warming created more than a few waves on the eco-front. It inspired the creation of other inauspicious documentaries highlighting Earth’s 11th hour as mankind continues to drains it of its natural resources. While his predecessors focused mostly on science, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes a look at the bigger picture by providing a breath-taking bird's-eye view of the world and what is at stake if all is lost. Betrand and his team shot the film entirely from a helicopter flying across more than 50 countries around the world over the span of three years. The award-winning photographer so impressed PPR CEO Francoise Henri-Pinault that Pinault’s French luxury company contributed approximately $14 million to Betrand’s project so that the film could be distributed worldwide for free today on World Environment Day. Pinault’s wife, Salma Hayek, also narrates the Spanish version of the film while Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and Sergio Rossi, all owned by PPR, designed limited edition pieces made from sustainable materials. Proceeds from the sales of these items will go towards Good Planet.

"HOME" premieres tonight on the National Geographic Channel and on YouTube.

Buzz Aldrin Stars in New Louis Vuitton and Omega Campaigns

In honor of the 40th anniversary of man’s historical first steps on the moon in 1969, luxury companies are snatching up former astronaut Buzz Aldrin for their Fall Campaigns.
Louis Vuitton has been known to use shocking figureheads outside the realm of celebrity and beauty before, like their 2007 ad campaign with Mikhail Gorbachev, but Buzz Aldrin—shot by Annie Leibovitz—is certainly the coolest one yet. Omega’s ties to Aldrin date back to the actual moon landing when Aldrin famously wore an Omega Speedmaster to the moon. It was the only watch tested by NASA that was discovered to be compatible with the lunar environment. To celebrate this achievement Omega will launch a limited edition of 69 platinum versions of the Omega Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch Apollo 11 “40th Anniversary” watch. And that’s plenty to buzz about!

Black Beauty

A goth resurgence is in the air with vampire themed hit book series turned film, Twilight and the HBO series, True Blood and even the Fall 2009 collections which were dominated by black. Perhaps it’s a sign of the times? No doubt, and cosmetic companies are catching on with everyone from M.A.C and Chanel to YSL putting out dark lipstick for Fall in deep purples to shades that are dangerously close to black. YSL has its wine colored tinted gloss called PruneFrappé while M.A.C’s statement makers are Rock Star and Here I Am. Chanel was so inspired by this season’s dark overtones that they’re putting out about four different variations all of which are so dark they’re virtually black with names like Oriental and Maniac. This season we can all look like Marilyn…Manson that is.

Bernard Arnault’s Wife Hits the Books

Hélène Mercier Arnault is probably best known as the second wife of French luxury billionaire, Bernard Arnault (who happens to be the richest man in all of France). But, Hélène is in fact a well-accomplished woman herself as a classically trained concert pianist with international acclaim. This month, Arnault will release her memoir entitled, “Au Fil des Notes” (“As the Music Flows” in English) in which she will not only discuss her love of music but will also cover everything from her bourgeois upbringing in Quebec, her youth in New York to living la vie bohème in a studio in Paris and her first encounter with Bernard Arnault. Unfortunately, for a look into her colorful and privileged life you will have to know French bien sûr, as it is currently only being published in France by French publishing house Plons.

Paul Smith Bunny Bins

At the Super Contemporary Exhibition in London which is being sponsored by the Design Museum and Beefeater 24, twelve new innovative commissioned designs by various London designers are on display now through October 4th . The cheekiest of them all? Paul Smith’s five foot tall Bunny Bins—public trash cans designed as bunnies whose red ears light up whenever something is thrown into the receptacle. The idea in mind is that by making trash cans fun it will give city dwellers a new incentive to keep the city sparkling clean. The Bunny Bins will also be in Covent Garden and Holland Park through October 4th. Not bad for some rubbish!
www.designmuseum.org