Coco Avant Chanel: New On-Set Stills with Audrey Tautou

The new edition of Elle France published new on-set stills from the upcoming film Coco Avant Chanel starring Audrey Tautou. The movie is currently filming in Paris and is said to be released in France in May of 2009 and will be available worldwide following later in the year. The film will center around Coco Chanel’s earlier years. Designer Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated with costumer Catherine Leterrier for the extravagant film costumes which will include classic Chanel designs and will show how Mademoiselle Chanel was “different from the ladies of her time” — “she was poor, but she had her own style.”

Gisele Bundchen: New Face For Dior Spring 2009

It has been confirmed that the new hot face of Christian Dior Spring 2009 campaign will be none other than Brazilian Supermodel Gisele Bundchen. The news leaked on her blog, where it said that Gisele “went to Paris, France, to shoot the ad campaign for Dior. Gisele is the new face for the new collection of the brand.” Although, the new collection is not available yet, it is certain that we all cannot wait!

Power Catamarans: New, Hot and Fast

Power catamarans may be a recent addition to the popular yacht market but they have been in existance for a very long time. The catamaran was first discovered to be used in a small fishing community in the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, India in the 5th century AD. The development of the power catamaran incorporates the best features of the motor yacht combined with the multihull characteristic. Nathanael Herreshoff designed a racing catamaran in 1876, which was banned by the New York Yacht Club because it was actually too fast.

In fact, power catamarans or power cats, are known for their increased speed, more space, and less expensive engines. Another attractive feature of these power cats is their stability. Because of their double hulls and greater beam, the catamarans offer a steadiness that single-hull yachts cannot offer. However, the larger beam is one of its disadvantages since many marinas simply cannot fit you.

The catamaran design remains relatively young and so, there is a great future for experimentation compared to the monohull yachts. There are already  power cats with hydrofoils, power cats that rely on solar energy and even power cats that look like single hulls above the water because of its faux bows feature. The market for power cats is still in its early stages but we see a growing trend and popular interest is on the definite increase.

The faster speed and increased space combined with the attractive lower costs attract many yacht lovers, but as for any other new market, make sure you do your research and examine your options carefully, talk to power cat owners, and most importantly take you time and find what best suits you!

As for my opinion, I can definitely state that I love these power cats! Ever since sailing in the Caribbean in one of these beauties, I fell in love. It offers great space and the speed is unbelievable! Yes, it can be harder for single-hull yacht owners to adjust since it is much larger and it sure feels different when you sail it; both because of its better steadiness and quicker loping motion compared to single-hulls. One thing is for certain, power cats are truly attractive and their design offers that little extra adventurous visage that is so appealing.

Some of the Current Power Cats: Aeroyacht are French builders that offer many sailing cats, but the Blubay TC 45 is a high performance hydrofoil power cat. Fountaine Pajot are a well known French company that offer power cats from 35 feet to 55 feet, including the Summerland 40 motoryacht. The Brazilian builders Sunboats offer mega hot luxurious catamarans from 83 feet to 155 feet, with features such as helipads and the ability to beach the yacht, the two pictures you see here show the Sunboats with these two hot features. With a slogan of “These are the yachts Da Vinci would have designed,” the Italian builders BRB yachts offer great layouts such as the three cabin layout with the master suite filling one entire hull and the four stateroom version of the 62 feet power cat.

Karl Lagerfeld Buys a Home in Vermont

The famous designer, Karl Lagerfeld has bought a six bedroom “landmark building” on an island in Lake Champlain, Vermont which dates back to 1840. “I love it. It’s very much Emily Dickinson,” Karl said backstage at the Chanel fashion show in Paris to WWD, adding that the home reminds him of Northern Europe from where he is originally from as Karl was born in Hamburg, Germany. The great designer also said that he “will start doing the Chanel campaigns there.” Lagerfeld is already planning the perfect fashion decor and we can only imagine what it would look like.

Lake Champlain is a beautiful lake containing about 80 islands. On one of the islands, Isle La Motte, one can find the oldest reef in the world, The Chazy Reef. The lake was actually named after the French explorer Samuel de Champlain, who found it in 1609. So, while Lagerfeld may seem as he is turning to America, he is not as far away from France as many might think.

Rafael Nadal to be The New Face of Lanvin Perfumes

Tennis’ hottest athlete and my personal favorite, Rafael Nadal is the new face of Lanvin’s L’Homme Sport fragrance. The four time French Open champion and tennis’ number one, certainly captured the hearts of France as he signed the deal with Inter Parfums to be global ambassador for its Paris-based luxury line of fragrances Lanvin. Nadal will help to develop the new fragrance and it is set to launch in the summer of 2009. The line, Lanvin L’Homme Sport, will be built around the Spanish star’s image and Rafael will also be at the center of the major marketing campaign for the launch. Rafael Nadal is also a Wimbledon champion and an Olympic Gold medalist.

Manolo Blahnik’s New Obsession: Flats

Well, we already know he makes great heels. And we know that platforms are the ugliest shoes he has ever seen in his life. So, about flats? Apparently, Carrie Bradshaw’s favorite designer loves flats. “It’s much more difficult to be beautiful and walk femininely in flats. Bardot in France did it and Audrey Hepburn in America. They looked fantastic and walked like tigers, beautiful and graceful, but you can walk like a beach bum in them - then they don’t look so good.” The secret to impressing the great show designer with your shoes is not their style and pricetag but rather your attitude. “I love any kind of shoe as long as the right person is wearing them,” says the talented Manolo. Except platforms of course.

“Paris, Not France”: The Paris Hilton Documentary

Paris Hilton and boyfriend Benji Madden from the band Good Charlotte showed up at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premier of “Paris, Not France,” a documentary film about the life of the famous Hilton heiress. The film is the first feature effort of film director Adria Petty, the daughter of rocker Tom Petty. Adria spent a year documenting Paris’ life, following her to many events and interviewing Hilton’s parents, Kathy and Rick, sister Nicky and personalities such as Donald Trump. Besides the featured insider interviews, the film shows a scene where a make-up artist prepares Paris for a public appearance while she is asleep. Feel sorry for her yet? Paris also openly and apparently repeatedly talks about her infamous sex tape and portrays herself as the victim. “I’m basically being judged, and they’re creating this false person, and I can’t do anything about it,” Hilton says in the film. She also compares herself favorably to Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana, although she does not mention their tragic ends … Director Adria publicly thanked Paris for her “humor, wit, trust and taking me on the most incredible journey of my life.”

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