Halloween 2011

Yes people, this is our pumpkin 
photographed, obviously, in the dark
in full glowering glow
HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Ka$hing In With Kim Karda$hian

Hi...remember me?
Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I posted anything on BHB

I've been busy, really busy
But I just couldn't not comment on this

The celebrity wedding of the year
rumored to be putting over a million dollars into the pockets of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries
was apparently a full on hoax planned and executed just for Kim$ reality televi$ion $how.
I don't believe everything that I read on Radar online and neither should you
but somehow this doesn't surprise me

She wore a lot of serious jewelry for a non serious occasion

Don't you agree?



Around Town - The New and Improved Hotel Bel Air

Why is it that September seems to pass by with not much going
then October hits and it's nonstop activity
It's like the universe sends us a message to come out of hibernation from the heat of the Summer months
and then get back into the swing of things

I've been busy this week with little time for blogging
Already I've been to a private preview of the newly redone Hotel Bel Air
and a viewing the Elizabeth Taylor jewelry being presented by Christie's
So I'll get on with the Bel Air and post about the Liz Taylor loot later this week.


Purchased by The Dorchester Group a few years ago, the Hotel Bel Air was in definitely in need of refurbishing. (The Dorchester Collection includes The Beverly Hills Hotel, The Dorchester in London, The Hotel Plaza Athenee and Le Meurice in Paris, and the Principe di Savoia in Milan)

So, after 2 years and 100 million dollars, the hotel will finally reopen tomorrow. 

To me the old hotel was like an aging dowager, elegant and classic.
In fact it was my favorite hotel in LA just because it wasn't too new and shiny.
Way, way back in the day my husband loved the clubby atmosphere of the bar with it's roaring fire and piano player crooning the standards.  And I used to love the restaurant which was charming for lunch outdoors on the terrace overlooking the pond.   It was an especially heady place for a power breakfasts way back when power breakfasting was all the rage amongst Hollywood honchos and hedgefunders.

Now my classic dowager has had full facelift by way of New York interior designer Alexandra Champalimaud.
Goodbye traditional California Spanish Colonial style
Hello Old Hollywood Glamour with a twist

Here's an example of one of the rooms.

What do you think?

I appreciate the details such as the heated flooring in the bathrooms and the ipads for ordering from room service.

And here is the new Wolfgang Puck restaurant which will serve...

are you ready for this...

California - Mediterranean cuisine...

what a surprise!

Here's the bar.

It's still kinda clubby....kinda.

A new La Prairie has been added

are you curious about the prices for the treatments?

A manicure is $60

a microdermabrasion facial is $270

and

a white caviar illuminating facial is $1,000

So serene but I won't be booking spa services there anytime soon.

At least the pool and and the gardens look pretty much the same.

(my photos.... that's why they are blurry)

The hotel will be open this week for guests and the restaurant and bar will be open to the general public in November.

The hotel's website says the usual stuff about corporate responsibility including low resource usage and core values, but there is a rumor that the Dorchester Group laid off all of the old employees who had worked at the hotel for years and replaced them with younger workers.  I hope that this isn't the case. 

I will miss the lovely blond lady who was the hostess of the restaurant.  She always remembered me and would greet me with "Hello Mrs. R, it's so lovely to see you again".

Certainly beautiful rooms and amenities are important for any high end hotel

but nothing beats personalized service.

Don't you agree?

Because Winter Is Coming

For those of you who suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder
may I make a humble suggestion?

Bring a little sunshine into your life with the Sun-Drop Diamond.
to be auctioned by Sotheby's Geneva this November.
The diamond is a mere110 carats and VVSI of Vivid Fancy Yellow color
and I can guarantee that it will brighten up even the darkest days of Winter.

The stone was exhibited earlier this year at London’s Natural History Museum. The rough for the Sun-Drop Diamond was discovered in South Africa in 2010, and was cut and polished by Cora International, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of exceptional diamonds, with its headquarters in New York. This stunning diamond comes to the market with an estimate of $11-15 million.



So who will buy this magnificent diamond? My guess is swift bidding between secretive collectors, society jewellers, oligarchs keen to impress their women, and maybe, just maybe, interest from Prince Albert of Monaco who has showered his bride Charlene with gems.

We had rain here this week and there is already snow in the Sierra Mountains.
It's going to be an early Winter.

Have a great weekend!

Steve Jobs - One Of The Best Of My Generation

 ‎"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future, You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."- Steve Jobs 2005.

How Steve Jobs Made Business Cool Again by Virginia Postrel

It's a Wonderful Life by Richard Fernandez

In Praise of Entrepreneurs by Rand Simberg



For statements on the amazing Steve Jobs by President Obama, Bill Gates, Michael Dell and more.
see this post on  MacRumors

Mid-Week Miscellany and R.I.P Steve Jobs

Are you already starting to make your plans for Christmas? 
I am.  This year has really flown by, hasn't it?

I didn't want to let the week go by without sending a big congratulations to Parisian blogger Tish Jett for her article in More Magazine, A Crime of Fashion Narrowly Averted.  Well done Tish.

Also, I was thrilled to see Wendy's post on the creative process that goes into making a piece of jewelry. 

If you aren't reading the weekend Wall Street Journal, you should be. It's a great paper.  Last weekend's issue had a great article on the Death of the Playboy.
In his day, a playboy didn't shout he was a "playah"—he just . . . was. What the deuce did he care if anyone else knew it?

Included in the list of long lost playboys was the playboy of the century, Porfiro Rubirosa.   Polo playing dilettante Rubrirosa managed to marry not one but two of the wealthiest women in the world, Barbara Hutton and Doris Duke.  Imagine what kind of charm he must have had to pull that off. When is someone going to make a film about his life?

I also enjoyed reading about Luca Cordero di Montezemolo
La Bella Vita,
Meet the uncrowned king of Italy, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo,chairman of Ferrari,multimillionaire entrepreneur and champion of Italian culture. Is he ready to give up his charmed life to save his troubled country?

All I have to say after reading this article is... run Luca run!
Italy needs you.

More miscellany regarding Italy
don't you just love the fact that Fiat has recently introduced the Fiat 500 to the US. 
Fiat's haven't been sold here is like what, decades? 
Here's a couple of photos of the one of the Gucci versions that I saw on Rodeo Drive

It's like a Mini...but with a little more.
Loving Italian design, jewelry and of course food
it only makes sense that I would love Italian wines too.
My fabulous Italian client Giulia suggested that I try these
Nero d'Avola, Greco di Tufo and Fiano d'Avellino
Have you tried them?
Opinions?

On the topic of wine, closer to home I can recommend Salus Cabernet from the Staglin family vineyard in Napa Valley.

I just tried it a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious.
Last weekend I met the Staglins at an event and learned that they are serious about their philanthropy.  A portion of every sale from Salus wine goes to mental health research so not only do they make amazing wines they raise a huge amount of money for mental health charities.
On my Roku I'm just now getting around to watching the second season of Mad Men but honestly I'm having trouble staying interested.

While I love the production value of the show and the attention to period detail especially with the clothes, architecture and dismissive attitude towards the women, I find that most of the characters are just so obnoxious that I get annoyed with the show.
Right now I'm more interested in reading about the advertising business from the perspective of a real ad man.

Pickett, Plunkett and Puckett  was written by my friend Larry Postaer who's ad agency has created so many memorable ads.

OK, so I really can't finish without blogging a little for Beladora.com.

If you are perusing this month's Marie Claire magazine, be sure to check out he jewelry worn by Reese Witherspoon.

Vintage English Retro Link Bracelet from Beladora2.com

Cute bracelet, isn't it?

Addendum

Steve Jobs RIP