Cartier, Boucheron, Chanel, Van Cleef & Arpels confirmed their presence.

Will follow AltaromaAltamoda from 31st January to 2ns February 2010.

Italian version

With these new collections your creativity doesn’t have any age limit.
We thought to accompany women in every stage of their life. So, besides the novelty of the baby collection, we created a set of car products, ranging from stickers to ornament the bodywork, to the cat-shaped seat cover, to the trash bin. Another novelty is the cushions collection which contain, inside, a silhouette blanket or a remote cover to chill out on the sofa at night. In order to be even more glamorous, we created also a collection of finger watches made of sparkling crystals.

By now Camomilla does not simply follow the guidelines of the Japanese head office, but comes up with her own items.
Camomilla for Hello Kitty has become preponderant in the generation of our turnover. One needs thinking that the firm 2009 turnover, closed on 30th June, was of 37 millions euro (it was 30 millions last year) 60% of which gathered thanks to the Hello Kitty world. The success of Camomilla for Hello Kitty is due to the coherence of the project that gives to everything which represents the Italian lifestyle the mawkish imprint of the pink cat. Camomilla for Hello Kitty is the Italian side of Hello Kitty. We create with the same brand wine, sofas, and armchairs as well as glasses and many more households and accessorizes. For instance, from Brianza come armchairs and chaise longue, from Como silk foulards and scarfs, and from the wine cellars Torti Tenimenti Castelrotto of the Oltrepò Pavese sparkling wine, strictly rosè and other wines made of their best grapes.

The made in Italy by Camomilla for Hello Kitty is also the protagonist in the Sanrio stores all over the world.
It’s true, inside the Sanrio Luxe in New York we have a corner dedicated to Camomilla for Hello Kitty, where one can find all our products, from furniture to clothing and accessorizes. This corner is the format that we will duplicate in all the Sanrio Luxe store of the world already at work and in those whose opening is close. Other stores where to find Camomilla for Hello Kitty, besides the nearly 3,000 multibrand all over the world, are the two stores in Milan, the one in Times Square in New York, the one in Verone and Rome, to which will be added those in Paris, Barcelona and Madrid.

Alessandra Iannello

Italian version

From 16 October to 28 February 2010 the Memmo Foundation on Via del Corso in Rome will host the exhibition “The Grace Kelly Years. Princess of Monaco”. After a smash hit in Monaco in 2007, with 135 thousand visitors, the exhibition became a roving one and after Paris and Moscow, it gets to Italy to then head off to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, only with the fashion section, and then to Japan.

The exhibition starts with a gallery showing magazine covers from the 50s, period in which Grace turned from being an icon of Hitchcock’s films to being the Princess of Monaco. Set or artistic photos, realized by figures such as Howell Conant, Cecil Beaton, Irwing Penn, clothes by Christian Dior, Oleg Cassini, Balenciaga, Chanel – till the famous wedding dress made of ecru silk – jewells by Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels, bags, Hermès of course, posters, magazine covers, film contracts, letters exchanges with Alfred Hitchcock and Cary Grant, Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas, movies privately shot in important moments.

An intimate portrait of the American actress that became a princess, icon of style as well as perfect mother and wife.

Italian version

Paris is a city filled with an exciting and romantic charm. Well-known for her cultural and artistic wealth, the ville lumiere has a rich and vibrating musical heart, with her two opera theatres, the Opéra Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, and the three concert halls (Théâtre du Châtelet, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and Cité de la Musique).

During the week-end 23-25 October 2009, two important musical events will take place there: one of the most loved lyric operas and a refined concern directed by one of the promises of classic music.

On 23rd October, Anna Netrebko will play Mimi in the Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. Considered one of the most fascinating lyric voices, Valery Gergiev discovered her talent when she was cleaning the Marinskij Theater, and later led her to play, within only a few years, roles that were traditionally devolved upon the royal and fussy sopranos of the old school. From Lyudmilla by Glinka to Donizzetti’s Norina and Gilda of the Rigoletto. In 2004 her very first DVD Anna Netrebko – The woman, the voice exceeded, in Europe, the sales of Beyonce and Britney Spears’ DVDs.

The following evening, the enfant prodige of Claudio Abbado, Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel will direct the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in a concert entirely dedicated to Čajkovskij.
Final outcome of the FESNOJIV (Fundación del Estado para el Sistema de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles del Venezuela), the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra is one of the most important musical project of the last years, which had a significant impact on the social sphere too. When 16, Gustavo Dudamel became director of the Orchestra symbol of the Sistema, the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra. In 2009, 28 years old, Dudamel took in charge the directorship of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

For a luxury stay, Il Sipario Musicale offers first class tickets for both shows and hotel accommodation for two nights, double bedroom and breakfast included at the Hotel Balzac or at the Jolly Lotti.

www.ilsipariomusicale.com

Italian version

Architectures recalling the great tradition of luxury hospitality or post-modern interior inspired to Pop Art, striking although original, can constitute an interesting solution for a holiday in Europe in the name of luxury and art.

Among the over 500 hotels of the Group, we point out few address in the most interesting cities of Europe.

Paris, Hotel Bellechasse –
www.slh.com/lebellechasse – It’s not just chance that it is located on the Rive Gauche, the artistic one, not far from the Musèe d’Orsay and from the Louvre. The exterior deceive the Nineteenth Century origins and convey to the Bellechasse hotel a severe look, but beyond the entrance door Christian Lacroix created a contemporary haute couture work of art, made of each of the 34 rooms turned by him into places for experiment.

Athens, Baby Grand Hotel –
www.slh.com/babygrandhotel – The Baby Grand has been inaugurated in 2004 and is the result of the creativity of 10 world wide famous artists, coming from the world of graphics, of graffiti and of underground art, who turned to usual spaces of the hotel into a high creativity world. An example? The desk in the conciergerie is made out of two vintage Mini.

London, The Goring -  www.slh.com/goring – The oldest family run luxury hotel of London, since 1910 located in one of the most elegant and ‘british’ boroughs of London, Belgravia, entrusted the interior designer Nina Campbell with renewing the traditional style. In some rooms, small sheeps in soft white wool are a company for the most demanding guests.

Bonn, Galerie Design Hotel – www.slh.com/galeriedesign – That Germany is one of the motherlands of design and art, is something known. Besides Berlin, Bonn has its deisgn hotel, the Galerie, where everything, including the restaurant “Vernissage”, is in the name of works of art.

Poznan, Blow Up Hall -  www.slh.com/blowuphall – Poland as well has its artist hotel. It’s the Blow Up Hall, the electronic art hotel with architecture rotating around the video installation “Blow Up” by the contemporary artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. Hi-tech, art and music are the ingredients of this “full immersion” structure. One needs only say that when entering the hotel hall, the guests can see their image reflected in 2400 micro screens.

For booking: www.slh.com or calling 800.525.48000.
Italian version

Since now on the customers of the 9 European Outlet signed of Value Retail will have at disposal a tourist guide thought especially to satisfy all their needs. London, Dublin, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Brussels, Frankfurt and Monaco will no more have secrets and it will be much easier to organize outdoor excursions.

It can be consulted also at the website: www.chicoutletshopping.com this guide, besides providing a map of the boutiques of the most prestigious brands of the world for fashion and household goods, will suggest travel itineraries, where to sleep or to discover the tastes of the place you are visiting, obviously in the name of excellence.

“What we want to achieve is that our clients live an unforgettable experience inside our outlets – said Frank Blanchette, Group Retail & Marketing Director of Value Retail and he continued -: this guide book allows us to come into contact with them even before they come in, creating a special relationship and making them feel safe”.

Italian version

Four homage to the world of women from four different artists, but sharing their origins and cosmopolitan experiences.

Allegra Betti Van Der Noot, Cecilia Capuana, Sonia Sion and Cristina Stifanic (STIF) represent the woman as the essence of nature, of life, as metaphor of the soul.

From the metaphysic works of the Italo-Belgian Allegra Betti Van Der Noot and of Cecilia Capuana, Italian painter who moved to Paris, to the philosopher artist Sonia Sion – already winner of the Arte Mondadori awards in 1998, to those of the Italo-Croatian Cristina Stifanic – computer scientist by formation, but very interested in Pop Art and comics “a la Roy Lichtenstein” – here is a path of visual emotions, available until 8th September.

“Women, female Art”
Allegra Betti Van Der Noot ,  Cecilia Capuana,  Sonia Sion and Cristina Stifanic (STIF)
10th June – 8th September 2009
Italian Institute of Culture Bruxelles
Rue de Livourne, 38 – 1000 Bruxelles
opening hours: 9.30-13; 14-17
Opening 10th June 2009 at 7pm
www.iicbruxelles.esteri.it

Italian version

Two hundred and fifty applications submitted from all over the world, 24 countries represented at the stands and over 110 art galleries world wide famous with a registered increase compared to last year, due to the great visibility obtained in the very edition 2008.

Contemporary art, new names and the most longed for creations of the 20th century authors aim at appealing Asian collectors interested in the western creativity. But Art HK 09 is also meant to be a showcase for an international audience that appreciates inedited international works of art coming from Asia and from the rest of the world.

A melting pot of cultures meeting in Hong Kong, cosmopolitan city par excellence that strategically invested on cultural institutions to organize the set up of the Fair. Schools, universities, museums and art no-profit organizations have been called upon to interact with the organization to establish a calendar of forums, events, conferences and guided tours.

Hong Kong as cultural cradle and inexhaustible resource even in this moment of economic crisis, as declared by the Fair Director, Magnus Renfrew: “Asia is more and more overlooking the global context and it will play an ever increasing role both in cultural and economic terms in the future; general consensus is that Hong Kong will consolidate its position as the centre of the artistic market of the area”. He added: “Hong Kong and Asia are still young and have great growth potential. The number of applicants at the fair has grown compared to last year and the reason is that there is a new interest towards exploring the Asian market”.

In virtue of its projection towards the future, this second edition presents Art Future, the initiative promoting only 13 art galleries selected among those who have been active within the market for only 5 years. A real launch pad for young artists who have the chance to meet some among the most prestigious art galleries in the world, such as White Cube and Lisson Gallery of London, Galleria Continua (Italy) and the guests coming from Pechino, Shanghai, Seul, Mexico City, Santa Fe, Jakarta, Tokyo, Taipei, Mumbai, Dubai, Karachi, Sidney, San Francisco, Vancouver, Helsinki, Colone, Dusseldorf, Berlin, Zurich, Edinburgh, Paris, Vienna and Rome.

For further information or tickets reservation:
www.hongkongartfair.com/2009/index.php

Italian version

According to a recent survey by Future Concept Lab for Bank Americard, products and services are becoming “culturally and emotionally important; they determine new aesthetics and a new consumer culture, where happiness derived from luxury expands to new targets based on the experience and memory that it generates”.

Indeed, if in this marketing era, communication is indirectly forced in its words, channels and approaches, culture is sometimes forced as well: the new trends and limits of style and of cultural wealth do not stand in doing but rather in knowing. And obviously, if it is possible to find and express “knowledge” while immersed in fascinating and breathtaking sceneries, the crystal marriage between luxury and the pleasure to find and enrich culture becomes certainty.

The world of luxury is an extreme field, where human beings are allowed to experience very peculiar conditions and where events turn out to feature emphasized and particular characteristics. In Abu Dhabi all this is possible. In an environment dominated by impressive buildings, solutions, objects and where you can find anything you may ever want, in utmost wealth, the concept of luxury is transforming into the culture of luxury: where luxury itself, losing its physical connotations and gaining a more “philosophical value”, is no longer connected to the merely financial value of “price”. Anyone heard about the Louvre and the MOMA, but not everyone knows that Abu Dhabi aims to become one of the world’s capitals of the new culture.

In 1791, two events took place, at first glance unrelated to each other: the Bedouin tribe Bani Yas, upon discovery of a spring of freshwater in the Persian Gulf, founded the settlement, which was later to become the emirate of Abu Dhabi; several thousand kilometres away, in Paris, the constituent assembly of post-revolution France issued the National decree on the royal art collection, with which it announced the opening of the Louvre, the first public museum. Today, 216 years later, the Louvre and Abu Dhabi suddenly have a lot in common: the capital of the Arab Emirates is going to have its Louvre.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has in fact commissioned Frank O. Gehry, Jean Nouvel, Tadao Ando and Zaha Hadid, some of the most important names in the world of architecture, to build on an island just outside the Arab metropolis, what is supposed to become the most spectacular concentration of museums worldwide and likely to become one of the most important cultural destinations of the world. This probably helps to understand the evolution of social luxury oriented behaviours, resulting from the transformation process going through the whole sector of contemporary luxury. This is actually moving away from the opulence of materialistic showing-off to the gentleness of immaterial emotions.

Luxury, the culture of beauty, exclusiveness, timeless pleasure: these are the “key words” that move the “luxury cultural-consumer”. The Abu Dhabi Louvre is about to become one of the biggest companies worldwide in the field of art galleries. The adoption of such name has been negotiated through an agreement with the Louvre Museum in Paris (French agency for Museums and the Ministry of Culture and Communication), the use of the name “Louvre” will be valid for 30 years.

Opening in 2012: the new Louvre will be built in the “cultural district” of the Saadiyat Island, 500 metres offshore Abu Dhabi City, together with the biggest worldwide branch of the Guggenheim Museum, the Maritime Museum and the Biennial Park, hosting 19 exhibition pavilions.

According to the digital version of the project designed by French architect Jean Nouvel and approved after a closed door meeting in the capital of the seven Arab Emirates, the new Louvre Abu Dhabi will be similar in shape to a colossal flying saucer, the Museum will lie under the monumental dome, surrounded by palm trees and water.

“Abu Dhabi chose an institution that has always been committed to reaching the essence of the human nature through the contemplation of a work of art”, the French former President Jacque Chirac declared. “Born from the ancient collections of the Kingdom of France and enriched by works collected over more than two centuries, the Louvre has been deeply convinced since its establishment that art is a universal message. With the Louvre, the Emirate pays tribute to this classical heritage and commits to enhancing the importance of the past, while looking at the future”. “The total cost of the operation is 700 million Euro”, reports the French daily newspaper Le Monde, amount for which the French government not only conceded the prestigious brand-name. In fact, the Middle Eastern museum, while waiting for the creation of its own collections with the assistance of a team of experts, will be guaranteed to host 4 temporary exhibitions over a 10 year period and to host borrowed works of art from prestigious French museums. At the same time an education program will be carried on for the new generations, with the aim to create a local leadership ready for the future management of this business. There are many rumours about three zero figures cashed in by the government that will be used to finance the restoration of an area for the grouping of non-displayed works of art in Paris, that is the pavilion de Flore of the Louvre, currently hosting a refreshment centre, destined to the “exhibition of collections that have never been displayed before.”

One floor of this section will be named after Sheikh Zayed, founder of the UAE, who died 3 years ago, as an acknowledgement for the 25 million Euro patronage donations done by the Emirate. Another 10 million Euro will be destined to the Fontainebleau Castle, in the Parisian area of l’Ile de France. Those who appreciate luxury will appreciate the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum. For Abu Dhabi this project represents only a small section of cultural tourism and development project for Saadiyat Island (the island of happiness) with a cost amounting to over 20.7 billion Euro.