What should you expect from Baselworld 2016?

Arsene Wargas
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1
Reading Time: 6 minutes

Every year Baselworld reveals itself as one of the biggest professional watch fairs in the world. By celebrating Swiss watch making, Baselworld is a place for important business and also where all the watchmaking planet meet. As the microcosm of the watch and jewellery industry, Baselworld is the focal point of the industry, where all players of the industry showcase their creations and innovations. The show attracts everyone from designers and purchasers, to the global press and consumers who wish to feel the pulse of this fascinating world, be inspired and share in this amazing experience.

Baselworld-2016-watch-fair

Baselworld, since 1917

The history of Baselworld takes us back to 1917 with the first “Schweizer Mustermesse Basel (muba)“. The Swiss fair had a special section devoted to watches and jewelry. It was only in 1925 that the fair organizers officially invited watch brands to display their creativity and new launches. In 1931, it was official! The Schweizer Uhrenmesse (Swiss Watch Show) was born and had its own dedicated pavillon. In 1983 the fair got renamed to BASEL and in 1986 brands outside of Switzerland were for the fist time invited. After another change of name, it was only in 2003 that the fair got its last name BASELWORLD. This new name is supposed to translate the prestige and the leading position of the fair. By getting very international year after year, decade after decade, the Baselworld fair is today a very importance reference in the world of watch-making. In 2004, the fair crosses the symbolic line of 100’000 visitors which was the reward of all the efforts placed in the internationalization of the fair. By projecting the fair into the future, 2013 was the right time to review the architecture and the organization of the fair. So by asking to the Basel architecture cabinet Herzog & de Meuron to rebuild the trade-show identity, this was bringing Baselworld to a next level. So for the 2013 edition, Baselworld revealed a new identity, some floor optimizations. Each exhibitor brand also took the opportunity to refresh their stands and it is a new Baselworld that opened its gates that year. So what is Baselworld today?

  • More than 150’000 visitors in 5 days
  • 4’000 journalists
  • 1’500 brands
  • 40 countries
  • 141’000 m2 of exhibition surface

Baselworld-2016-watch-jewelry-show

What should we expect from the Baselworld 2016 edition?

This year it will be interesting to see the impact of the Apple Watch in the industry. While some brands will not consider going in the path of smartwatches, others have already embrace it. We can definitely expect from Tag Heuer new updates from its Carrera 01 connected watch. It will be also interesting to see the positon of Swatch Group on the topic. The economic crisis and the strong Swiss Franc was a blast last year and now most of the Swiss manufacturers just cope with it. While 90% of all watches in the world are made in Hong-Kong, 90% of all watches above $1’000 are made in Switzerland. So Swiss rules in terms of high-end watches and at this level of execution, buyers will not be barging for 10 or even 20%. A Patek or an Omega will cost what ever it is meant to cost. Swiss watch-making has a price, the price of excellence.

After a big trend of big watches, 41mm and more, there is a counter-trend about small watches. So we can see more and more men’s watches with less than 39mm, often 36mm. This is also due to the predominance of the Chinese market, that prefers smaller watches. While smartwatches are booming the buzz charts, mechanical watches are still a very solid business. We might see one year more the big brands playing safety and capitalize on their strength without major revolutions. Other brands, more challengers, they will force the way to the top by presenting their amazing creations. In the last couple of years, there is also a bigger visibility from technology suppliers and this year, we will be able to see meet the people “in the shadows” that provide amazing technologies to the watch brands.

metiers-d-art-breguet

In terms of innovations, a lot is expected from the movements side. More precision, more compact and reliable are trends that leads watch-brands to shape the heart of the watch in order to adapt to the customers demands. Something that has been installing itself in our watch-makers tables is what we could call “Subtle-luxury”. The days of massive over the top pieces are over. People are focusing more on exclusivity and craftsmanship. It might sound strange but very often it is very difficult to make something simple. Watch-making has hundreds of amazing techniques that literally take your breath away. Some of them are rare, others almost disappeared and a few brands still keep them alive for the pleasure of collectors all over the world. In terms of metal, we can see a high-demand for white gold or Platinum. These materials for the pagan eyes can be taken as low profile items despite the high value. Subtle luxury brings a certain restrain that goes well with elegance and timeless chic.

Exploring the limits of technology is also a big trend. Accuracy is a milestone. Watches are more and more accurate with frequencies over-cross our imagination. Seeing technology from another angle can also bring a lot of good things when it comes to innovation. This gives a different thinking to the relationship between the watch and its owner. How do we perceive time and what is our connection with time? These questions brings a lot of anatomic and ergonomic thinking in watch-making. Probably we do realize that time flies and despite the fact a watch is a time-keeper, it cannot produce, stop, accelerate or alternate time. It is just a witness of every second that passes by. So you better get the best out if it. On a more ceremonial note, a tribute to the high-value of this show for Switzerland and the wider world, Baselworld is inaugurated every year by a member of the Swiss Federal Council. This year, Federal Councillor Simonetta Sommaruga, Head of the Federal Department of Justice and Police, will grace the show with her presence and officially open Baselworld on Thursday March 17, 2016.

Arsène.

Baselworld-2016-edition-reviews

Info sourced by the author for LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

Fashion Accessories for Supercar Driving

LuxuryActivist
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1
Reading Time: 3 minutes

Renting a luxury supercar is a cathartic experience. An exhilarating journey in a Ferrari or a Rolls Royce is, in many ways, a therapeutic release: the roar of the engine, the thrilling ride and the palpable union between man and machine purges the drivers of supercars. The driving experience is not just about the way of feeling, however; it is very much about the way of looking. A huge part of the allure of supercars is their spectacular design. It is understandable; therefore, that many drivers enjoy adorning their person with the latest, and most fashionable, accessories. This selection of supercar-inspired accessories will make you look the part, as well as feel the part, in your luxury supercar hire.

The Watch, £245

Ferrari-watch
Convertible-ferrari
Ferrari has long been associated with fashion, not least because of its Italian roots, but because the sleek lines of the Ferrari models attract the discerning eyes of practiced fashionistas. So when you’re driving the magnificently designed Ferrari 458, you should dress in a fittingly stylish manner. Ferrari’s Scuderia watch is an apt accessory to channel the brand’s style. With such a ageless design, this chronograph only accentuates the majesty of the supercar.

The Holdall, £535

travel-luxury-luggage
Aston-Martin
Another foreword in supercar fashion is British automaker Aston Martin. Strongly associated with James Bond and the British style that the persona evokes, the brand offers a clothing line to replicate the class of their vehicles in the style of the driver. This extra large leather holdall is hand crafted by Aston Martin, and exudes the same quality that driving a DBS Volante yields. Look chic, sophisticated and ready for business in a classic brand of supercar.

The Coat, £509

men-luxury-coat
lamborghini-spider-supercar
The LP560 Spider exemplifies the effortless sophistication of the Lamborghini brand. The model’s stunning design typifies the stylish aesthetic of the brand that has become so iconic. This style is characteristic of the brand’s clothing line too. From shirts and knitwear to jackets and beachwear Lamborghini offers an array of apparel that will complete your supercar’s image. Lamborghini’s timeless trench coat is our pick of the bunch.

The Sunglasses, €950

luxury-sun-glasses
bugatti-veyron
Bugatti offers an extensive range of clothing that is predicated on quality, style and design, making their apparel almost as fashionable as their magnificent cars. The incomparable Veyron necessitates a pair of sunglasses that are equally as spectacular. These Duotone EB sunglasses are every bit as stylish as you would expect from Bugatti. The Veyron offers over 1,000hp and can accelerate to 100km/h in under three seconds. Watch the scenery pass in a blur as you speed into the distance.

The Driving Gloves, £79.95

driving-gloves
range-rover-luxury-car
No driving experience is complete without luxury driving gloves. Land Rover offers brown Barbour driving gloves for £79.95 in all sizes. They complement style with functionality, looking great and increasing grip on the wheel. They would look best clinging to the wheel of the mighty Range Rover Vogue. You may well need them to control the 4.4 litre V8 model, which accelerates to 60 in just 6.5 seconds.

Muriel

fashion-accessories-luxury-cars
Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted wih no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

The JM Weston loafer N.180, icons are forever.

José Amorim
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1
Reading Time: 4 minutes

While fashion trends pass by and might never come back, icons are forever. In masculine elegance and refinement one of the ultimate icons is the JM Weston Loafer N.180. Created by the French luxury house after the Second World War, around 1946, it entered naturally in any gentlemen wardrobe. We needed to wait until the 60’s to see the jM Weston Moccasin to become the symbol of its time and the icon of a generation.

1960’s, the Drugstore band: rebels with Penny loafers

The 60’s were interesting times. Europe was finally free from the war trauma and what was supposed to be rebuilt was rebuilt. The young generations in the working class in London became opinion leaders for Fashion, music and culture. We call them Mods’ for Modern. France is not left aside. The 60’s see the arrival of the Drugstore band in Paris. These young people are wealthy, from good families, bourgeoise and Aristocratic, Western-Parisian and completely in rejection of their parents habits.

La-Bande-du-Drugstore
They use fashion from Renoma, pick up one thing or another at their parents clothes and young men wear JM Weston Penny Loafers without socks. They used to hang-out at the Champs Elysées Publicis Drugstore. Fashion, music, arts and parties were part of this culture. We used to call them “Minets”, french translation for “young cats” in reference of their young age. They were young, they had money and above all: they had the attitude of opinion leaders, setting the trends. By revisiting clothes, shoes and accessories, they brought a new excitement to the classics.

The JM Weston Moccasin 180 became the symbol of a new modernism, associated to the trendsetters and because of this exciting period of history, gave the iconic shoe the wings of timeless modernity that never goes out of style. Did you know why we call it Penny Loafers? It is a very simple yet interesting fact. On the leather Buckle in front of the shoe, there was a little space in which you could insert a little coin, a penny (a real one).

Les-Minets-Drugstore
Many Minets from the Drugstore band would wear their loafers with the shinning little coin. Several explanations for that. Some people would say they would simply customize their shoes in order to look different, others would say that with a penny you could do a phone call in case of need. In any case it was definitely a fashion detail. 
Since the 60’s, the JM Weston Moccasin 180 evolved but kept the essential look of a certain decontracted elegance.

Moccasin 180, the JM Weston spirit

JM-Weston-Mocassin-180-up-view
JM-Weston-Mocassin-180

Generations of Men decided to add the JM Weston Mocassin 180 to their garde-robes as a statement of elegance and contemporary style. From Presidents, to Super star artists, business men, yachting or just for the pleasure of a weekend, the Mocassin will always be there for you. It will be the final touch of a Men’s look.
JM-Weston-Mocassin-180-ad
Today, different models, different looks and different materials represent the full collection. At JM Weston, each model is made at their Manufacture in Limoges, France.
JM Weston Tannery and Manufacture
They also have their own Tannery, so they control the entire process from the choice of leathers to the commercialization. Michel Perry is the Creative and Artistic Director of the Brand and he masters every year the art of surprising us with new, yet consistent collections and models.
JM Weston style

JM Weston Mocassin style

JM Weston Loafers style

Loafers 180 JM Weston
You can see more about the Brand and its values by accessing the official website: http://www.jmweston.com.
If you have a Facebook profile, check the official fan page and follow every week the Brand adventures.
http://www.facebook.com/jmwestonofficiel
JM Weston look
When it comes to style, French savoir-faire has something more than what you see. It is simply a matter of attitude. And on this field, JM Weston has a lot of attitude.

LA

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All info sourced at JM Weston official page, Paris70.free.fr and wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available.

The 18th Century in Art. Freedom undercover

José Amorim
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0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

The 18th century is marked by an extreme liberation of arts. This was due to the weakness of Royal power at that time. Painters, sculptors and even architects wave on a new flow of freedom, sometimes covered by the usage of classic codes revamped.

Philosophers like Diderot, protector of Arts, helped to establish the “free thinking” in Europe and a new way for Men to reconsider what surround them as well as their own existence. Welcome to a new era that was considered as one of the most progressivist decade of the classic period. It was also called the Era of Enlightenment.

18th century: Royal power is no more

In France, Louis XIV dies in 1715. As the young new King, Louis XV is only 5 years old (5 years and 9 month exactly), a period called Regency starts. During the mandate of Duke of Orleans, the royal power in France gets weaker and let the room to talented philosophers that liberate society from darkness. By enlightening people’s minds with true free thinking, they bring a strong wind of social progress in the Western known world. People like Diderot or Rousseau, completely reshaped the face of politics at that time.

Denis-Diderot
Denis Diderot by Louis-Michel van Loo, 1767

In the United Kingdom, the Royal family is not in a better condition than in France. With the death of Queen Ann, the last of the Stuarts, her son King George I let quite fast the throne to his son King George II. This one was not at all interested by the internal affairs of the country. Motivated by industrial revolution, the British society started moving forward towards a new era of progress. And we can witness this new spirit in Arts, especially in Painting.

Away from Classicism, painting gets a new layer

With less control and more freedom, artists of that time find themselves in a new creative process. The 17th century stretched Art towards a strict classical approach. Louis XIV was definitely the gatekeeper of this. After his death, the world of arts got a new dynamics. Painters would learn a lot from philosophers and the cultural landscape of Europe got reshaped by an almost subversive thinking. Painters like Jean-Baptiste Greuze, Jean Simeon Chardin, Antoine Watteau or François Boucher developed a new Genre. The appearance of “Fêtes Galantes” as a topic, let the painter’s imagination flows to unexpected lands. There was an interest for historical painting, and artists like Antoine Watteau developed a series of paintings under this theme. One specific example is “The bal of Pleasures” in 1717.

Le bal des plaisirs
The influence of Rococo and neoclassicism is primal. Facing the freedom that philosophers like Diderot, Voltaire or Rousseau spread, the classicism is less and less followed. The Artist has feelings and he wishes to express them through his painting. Everything becomes more sensitive. Landscapes are seen not as they are but as the painter wished to express himself. Like in this example painted by Simon Mantara “Coucher de Soleil”.

Coucher de Soleil
Of course there were certain topics that painters could not work on because of social moral. The power of Academic painting is still there and often, the artist needs to blur his messages. So painters will put on stage mythology scenes, not for a glorification purpose but for making fun of institutions or even public people. It was also a way to deal with nudity and even more tricky scenes. Jacques-Louis David painted several scenes like this one called Diana and Appolo piercing Niobe’s Children with their arrows. Portrait and Nature
Morte were also reviewed with a new eye, always trying to express something that the painter captured.

Diana and Appolo

What is our legacy?

The 18th century was a true revolution in arts and especially in the role of the artist. In deed, the painter discovered a new role that he could fulfil, the one of a sensitive person, capturing the essence of his time. All of it through the filters of his eyes and his heart. As the philosopher would translate ideas into words, the artist was translating a thought into colors, textures and impressions. These tributes to free thinking would cross eras and be the witness of a passionate time.
The 18th century brought the understanding of the classical codes and the classification of these as an alternative, not an obligation. The Artist went away from the traditional patterns and in a certain way built the foundations of a modern vision of Art.

José Amorim

Info sourced at Fondation de l’Hermitage website, Washington Post archives, Wikipedia, New York Times and Beaux-Arts magazine. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available

2016 top 5 dive watches for men you would not think about (and you should). 

Arsene Wargas
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0
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Watchmaking has several themes that decade after decade are timeless and well installed. One of them is dive watches. No matter if you are a professional dive master in Australia or just a tourist snorkling in Barbados, you definitely need a watch to do the job. And that watch will be the perfect companion for adventure. While some brands are well known for their divers collection, here is a short yet unexpected selection of dive watches you would not think about (and that you should). Generally when it comes to divers watches, we would think about Omega, Tag Heuer or Even Seiko. Here are some interesting watches that would definitely surprise you.

1- Pontos S. Diver by Maurice Lacroix

Maurice Lacroix is a luxury brand of Swiss watches based in the Canton of Jura and headquartered in Zurich. It was founded in 1975 and since then the Swiss manufacture has excelled in terms of know-how and state of art. since 2006, they produce their own movements which is definitely a big difference. Maurice Lacroix Although the Pontos S Diver is a professional diving instrument, with a maximum water resistance of 600 metres, making it suitable for exploring deep seas, it is so much more than a diver’s watch. The Pontos S Diver exhibits a powerful appearance with its slightly retro aesthetics. You can use it in deep sea as well as in the city center. It is an interesting watch, quite minimalistic and has everything a diver might seek in a diver watch. With its helium valve and a clever bezel that rotates thanks to the secondary crown, the Pontos S Diver is the perfect watch, down to 600m.

Pontos-S-Diver-Maurice-Lacroix

2- Pelagos by Tudor

The history of the TUDOR divers’ watch is closely tied to its intensive use by underwater professionals, particularly by the world’s major navies. The brand’s submersible products are genuine tools that have evolved over the years to take into account the needs of these intensive users. Readability is an essential characteristic of a good diving instrument, and the TUDOR Pelagos offers several solutions for this. The watch’s dial presents generously-sized square hour markers, complete with a large quantity of luminous material for excellent contrast. The luminescence is blue, the last colour on the spectrum to be discernible at great depths.

  • 42 mm Monobloc middle case, screw-down case back and winding crown, helium escape valve at 9 o’clock
  • Titanium, satin finish, case back in 316L stainless steel
  • Screw-down winding crown, triple waterproofness system
  • Scratch-resistant and anti-reflective crystal
  • Waterproof to 500 m (1,640 ft)
  • Blue or black rubber bracelet with titanium buckle

The titanium case and bracelet buckle guarantee a perfect stability in time, especially when exposed to salt water and outdoor activities. Pelagos translates perfectly the Tudor heritage and gives a bright future to the Swiss brand in terms of professional watches.

Tudor-Pelagos-watch

3- Heritage Divers by Longines

Today, Longines combines the original beauty of the most remarkable of its former products with cutting-edge watchmaking technology. The Heritage models are a tribute to the pioneering spirit that has inspired Longines designers since the company’s early days. Enjoy all the watchmaking savoir-faire of Longines even when you are exploring under the sea thanks to the dive watches of the winged hourglass brand. These automatic timepieces is watertight and will allow you to enjoy all your favourite underwater activities, including scuba diving. To this great robustness is added the unquestionable elegance that is peculiar to Longines, whether you are looking for an understated and refined timepiece of a sports watch with a modern design.

Longines-diver-watch-heritage

4- Bathyscaphe Flyback by Blancpain

Born in the late 1950s from a desire to offer a diver’s watch in a size suited to daily wear, the Bathyscaphe was reinterpreted by Blancpain in 2013. This year, the timepiece that is equally at home under water and in chic urban settings takes on board a new self-winding F385 movement featuring a flyback chronograph function. This new Fifty Fathoms Bathyscaphe model houses a new 13-lignes Manufacture Blancpain movement beating at a rate of 36,000 vibrations/hour. It is equipped with a column-wheel chronograph mechanism and a vertical clutch. It also offers a flyback function enabling the wearer to reset and instantly restart the chronograph simply by pressing the pusher at 4 o’clock. Moreover, the water-resistant chronograph pushers also enable user underwater to depths of 300 metres without any risk of damaging the watch. The presence of a sapphire case-back on this diver’s watch is made possible by the use of a balance-spring made in silicon – a material endowed with anti-magnetic properties that enable the watch to dispense with the inner Faraday cage. This transparent back reveals the 18-carat gold oscillating weight clad in NAC (a platinum alloy) and featuring a sculpted Blancpain logo.

Bathyscaphe-Flyback-Blancpain

5- Calibre de Cartier Diver by Cartier

The Calibre de Cartier Diver watch is an authentic diving instrument. A powerful accurate watch with water-resistance to 300 meters, rubber strap, maximum-precision unidirectional turning bezel coated with ADLC and time-control displays in Super-LumiNova®. Powered by a 1904 MC movement, it combines the strict technical requirements of ISO 6425 and the striking design of the Calibre de Cartier watch.

  • Manufacture self-winding mechanical movement
  • Caliber 1904-PS MC.
  • Steel case, ADLC-coated steel bezel with Super-LumiNova indicator
  • Faceted crown set with a faceted synthetic spinel.
  • Partly snailed black dial with Super-LumiNova indicators, steel sword-shaped hands coated with Super-LumiNova.
  • Sapphire crystal.
  • Steel bracelet, triple folding steel security buckle.
  • Case dimensions: diameter: 42 mm, thickness: 11 mm.
  • Water-resistant to 300 meters. 

Caliber-divers-Cartier-watch

A diver watch is a promise of adventure. It is a reminder on your wrist that you can escape to another context that means exploring the unknown. It perfectly fits the modern life of a man. Some brands have developed a tremendous know how on diver watches and the word waterproof is for these brands a piece of cake.

Arsène Vargas

Info sourced at respective brands websites, wikipedia, ABlogToWatch, Hodinkee and Forbes. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

Maserati Levante, the SUV with the Italian sexiness.

José Amorim
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0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

The SUV market is a very interesting segment of the luxury car industry. It has democratized the 4×4 drive experience. It also allowed a certain luxury clientele to extend the field of possibilities. Now it is Maserati who is launching its SUV called Maserati Levante. After Bentley, Jaguar, Range Rover, and Porsche, it is another luxury brand to take positions in the SUV market. Traditionally it was a segment taken by British and German brands, now Italy is coming to the table of SUVs. We also know that Lamborghini is planing to launch its own SUV in the incoming years.

Maserati Levante, a longterm dream that gets real now

Maserati has a strong automobile know-how and every time the Italian brand decides to extend the brand territory to a new car, it is a great event. The new Maserati Levante is based on a 2003 concept, presented at the Detroit motor show under the name of Maserati Kubang.

Maserati-SUV-Concept

Maserati used this project to study, analyse, improve and prepare its entry into the SUV market. As part of the Fiat group, Maserati is linked to Chrysler and Jeep, which gives the Italian company easy access to an SUV architecture—the Jeep Grand Cherokee’s platform, which is actually the new Mercedes-Benz M-class’s platform. While Maserati is upfront about the Kubang’s Jeep roots, the company also promises that its SUV will be pure Maserati when it comes to the engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, and overall feel. The Kubang was powered by a revised version of the Maserati’s current V-8, and an eight-speed automatic was promised. In 2011, during the Frankfurt motor show, Maserati updated its SUV concept by calling it Levante and showing the evolution of the 2003 concept. By revealing the new concept, we could immediately see the aim of the company to bring a SUV to the streets. Here are the first 2016 images of the Maserati Levante – very promising.

Maserati-Levante-suv

Maserati-Levante-suv-side

The official start of the Maserati Levante will take place during the Geneva motorshow. By revealing the new car in Switzerland it shows as well an interest into the Swiss luxury cars market as the SUVs are clearly a big portion of the market. Leaked details suggest a less powerful Levante 350 will go from 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds and has a top speed of 151mph, while the higher-powered Levante 450 will go from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and up to 164mph. The entry-level diesel does the sprint in 6.9 seconds and will manage 143mph flat-out. By 2018, a 560 horsepower V8 will be added. There is an 8-Speed ZF Automatic Transmission from the sixth generation Maserati Quattroporte. The Levante will be four-wheel-drive. The Levante will also gain Maserati Touch Control with a full color 8.1-inch TFT touch screen display, as well as a reconfigurable TFT gauge cluster with full color. The design of the Levante features clear associations with the Maserati brand and its distinctive Italian character: the aggressive front introduces new, tapered headlights separated into two elements, with the upper headlight unit connected to the radiator grille. Maserati’s design signature is clearly visible on the sides: the three iconic air vents on the front wings, the trapezoidal C-pillar with the “Saetta” logo and the large, frameless door windows. The rear is dominated by the very tapered back window and streamlined shape, both typical of a high-performance sports car.

Maserati-Levante-suv-iconic

Maserati-Levante-suv-back

At a technical level, the Levante’s chassis is designed to combine the outstanding on-road performance typical of every Maserati with unrivalled handling even on very low-grip surfaces and an excellent off-road performance and ride. The new SUV boasts a high level of content as standard, with all versions featuring: sophisticated electronic suspension with controlled damping and air springs, which can be set on several levels, “Q4” intelligent all-wheel drive and 8-speed automatic transmission specially calibrated for the brand’s new SUV. When it comes to power units, the Levante is equipped with both petrol and diesel engines that are all Euro6-compliant. The Maserati Levante is built at the Mirafiori plant in Turin; the first cars have already come off the assembly line with the launch planned for this spring in Europe, to be followed by the rest of the world later this year.

To stay tuned and to learn more about the Maserati Levante, please visit the brand official website here:
http://www.maserati.com.

Between the Porsche Cayenne and the BMW X3, the Maserati Levante has a luxury and comfortable aspect with a heart of a sports beast. This new SUV will definitely find its place in the tight market of luxury 4×4 cars.

José Amorim

Maserati-Levante-suv

Info sourced at Maserati official communication release. Thanks to Lucy Tallo for the information. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.  

 

The Ultimate Guide – Summer Trends In 2016 You Can’t Miss

LuxuryActivist
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0
Reading Time: 4 minutes

Trends change – that is common but your style should be perpetual. So what is the most recent style drift that characterizes this season? I have listed few trends from head to toes, you should be aware about it in 2016. Let’s explore –
2016-fashion-trends 

Hats Trend

Bucket hat are the new charm this season. Bucket cap at first may sound somewhat out-dated for a few individuals, yet the 90s pattern is in the season once more! Spring and summer are dependably the seasons for easygoing garments, so match the bucket cap with easygoing shorts or skirts would be your outfit to go in this spring and summer in 2016. 

Top

Summers are the perfect season for every girl to flaunt their well-trained body. Enchantment would at present be in trend for this spring and summer, exposed shoulder would be the main highlight in this summer. Coordinating the exposed shoulder top with a mini skirt or some hot jeans is the ideal match. In case if you love SAVINGS you can search for many wholesale women’s clothing provider on web. On the off chance that you need a sexier, seduction alternative, then stripped shoulder crop top is certainly your pick up in 2016. 

Bottom

It’s summer! Everyone is aware about the humid weather and accordingly prepares themselves. The ebb and flow season trend will make everyone’s summer more enjoyable as wide-leg bottoms are in trend once more. Maybe, not everybody like wide-leg bottoms since this could make individuals look shorter, picking a high-waist wide-leg bottom and coordinating it with crop top will make you look taller and in vogue in 2016. 

Dress

Time for some classiness! This summer be prepared for embracing the feminine points of interest this season. Ruffles around the sleeve or everywhere throughout the dress will be the universally adored in 2016. All these little details of interest will change your look in season. Basic hues like pink and dark are designer most loved in this season as well. 

Shoes

Many individuals thought wedges are likewise the shoes to go in spring and summer, however in 2016, you will see the flats everywhere. The designers are attempting to have more variety of combination flats or low-heels that reveals less about the gender identity. 
2016-shoe-trends 

Bags

In case if you are in thought that tote bags are excessively boring, or on the off chance that need to convey your heavy portable laptop to various places in the day, you have a decent decision this season which makes you feel loose and in trend. I would like to thank to different luxury retail brands available in market that brought vintage like bags and it is in trend again. Vintage bags with nylon products will be prevalent in this season. Coordinating it with a couple of oxford shoes could be your everyday outfit which makes you look great in each events this spring and summer. 

Makeup

It’s not an astonishment for every spring and summer, even this time natural tone is in trend. Moderate cosmetics are make-up fashioners’ most loved this season. Extremely smooth foundation, eye shadow with earth tone eye shadow palette and tenderly applied blush is the trend for day-night event in this summer. 
nude-make-up-look 

Accessories

Accessories are the actual makeup for your look. Without accessories you are totally incomplete. No outfit goes immaculate without these extra accessories. It’s like adding accessories to your regular and simple look you adopt this late spring. The simple yet elegant jewelry are going to make you feel completed in day time and shimmered during the evening. 

Hence, we can say that the 90s trend is back once more, and this is the season to embrace your real natural outfit. We should blend, match and appreciate the new innovation of style trend in 2016.

Daniel

  

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

Best 2016 Online Boutiques Guide: How to Find that Unique Spring Look

LuxuryActivist
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Reading Time: 3 minutes

Spring is just around the corner and with that comes the need for a new look and few new statement clothing pieces to add to your wardrobe. The ladies either will be flocking to the nationwide chains and megamalls for that run-of-the-mill get-up or searching through the online shopping outlets, hoping for a genuine look. It is a tough game to play; trying to find that one outfit that truly speaks to your character. Sometimes your search comes down to finding the right online boutique choice and that is what the pocket version of the Best 2016 Online Boutiques Guide it here to do. Choosing clothes for springtime does not have to be hopeless if you know what to look for in a truly unique fashion experience that aligns with the trends of the day while keeping a classic base. The process boils down to a few key traits.
Best-online-shopping
As the 2016 spring fashion shows debuted for us, white shirts are all the rage; pleats are pleasing once again and fringe anything is the look of the day. These brilliant fashion movements will be popular today but might be yesterday’s news tomorrow so you need a place that keeps you in the fashion know-how but with a timeless flair, at a decent price and from a company that truly cares for its clientele and purpose. That is exactly the secret secret sauce for the best 2016 online boutiques right there:
Fashion Forward – theshop is up-to-date on the latest styles and “in” items.

“Timeless” or “Classic” Style Backbone – the foundation of the online boutique is rooted in a self-styled “classic” look so that you can wear the pieces again and again throughout the years.

Affordable Pricing – prices that are affordable and fair.

Good Quality – quality is a key factor and it is something that is imperative not to overlook.

Genuineness – the boutique must show that it truly cares about its customers and its purpose through its messaging and customer services.
These characteristics might seem a bit too obvious but the traits need to also be used in combination to achieve the best 2016 online boutiques experience for you. Using even four out of five of these guidelines basis alone can lead to a boutique that is not what you truly want. Online local outlets truly exemplify all of these traits in one exclusive shopping portal that allows shoppers to seek out elite looks from a place that is down-to-earth, trendy yet timeless, of high value and genuine.
Let not deny this fact: the best 2016 online boutiques shopping experience will be a two-way relationship between you and the shop. The ones that stand out are the ones that go above and beyond in their service and clothing selections to ensure that you look not only like a rock star, but a one-of-a-kind rock star. People will start coming up to you asking for fashion tips and your shopping location and choices and you can just say, you follow five simple traits to know what really works.

Daniel

Best-fashion-shops
Info sourced by the author exclusively for LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

The Oscars, what you need to know.

José Amorim
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0
Reading Time: 11 minutes

The Oscars is one of the biggest Arts and Cultural events in the world. It celebrates cinema and all the talents put together to make great and amazing movies. Every year by the end of February, the Academy awards organize a special evening with a show filled with emotions, laughs and tears. Basically welcome to the film movie industry. Here are some facts you probably did not know about the Oscars and below, the complete list of nominees and winners.

chris-rock-oscars

 

The Oscars statuette, 2’947 is the number.

The Oscars statuette is probably one of the most recognizable awards in the world. According to the Academy Awards, until this year, 2’947 statuettes were presented during the 87 ceremonies hold so far. This year 24 new statuettes will find a legitimate and talented new owner. The first time the golden knight personnification was given to someone was in the initial awards banquet on May 16th 1929. Emil Jannings was named Best Actor for his amazing performance in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh“.

The Statuette was originally designed by MGM Art Director Cedric Gibbons. It is supposed to represent a  Gold knight holding a sword and standing on a reel of film. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers. Although the statuette remains true to its original design, the size of the base varied until 1945, when the current standard was adopted. During the years, the statuette got some revamps and this year, for the 88th edition, it will have another makeover. The statuettes, which had been manufactured by Chicago company R.S. Owens since 1982, will now be made by Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry in Rock Tavern, New York, known for its collaborations with artists and architects like Louise Bourgeois. As part of the switch, the statuette is going back to its roots with a design that incorporates details from George Stanley’s original creation.

oscar-statuette-plans

oscar-statuette-sculpture

oscar-statuette-polish

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for US$1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums. In December 2011, Orson Welles’ 1941 Oscar for Citizen Kane (Best Original Screenplay) was put up for auction, after his heirs won a 2004 court decision contending that Welles did not sign any agreement to return the statue to the Academy. On December 20, 2011, it sold in an online auction for US$861,542.

Who is voting for the Oscars? I am not!

In order to vote for the Best Motion Picture or Best Director, you need to be part of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This membership will give you the rights to vote. In the first edition of the ceremony, only 230 voters participated in the awards allocation. Today they are 6’291 active members with voting rights. Can anyone be member of the Academy? Not exactly. To get into the Academy, first of all, you have to work in film production, according to the organization’s membership rules. So no press allowed, which makes the Academy Awards distinct from many annual-awards groups. A candidate has to be sponsored by two current members of the organization’s branch, which they hope to join. The Academy has 17 branches ranging from acting, directing, and writing to producers and executives. The largest segment of members is made up of actors, giving them an outsize influence on what ultimately wins. Here are the conditions to join the Academy if you are an Actor:

From Academy Bylaws:

Article III, Section 1.  Membership shall be by invitation of the Board of Governors.  Invitations to active membership shall be limited to those persons active in the motion picture arts and sciences, or credited with screen achievements, or who have otherwise achieved distinction in the motion picture arts and sciences and who, in the opinion of the Board, are qualified for membership.

To be considered for invitation to membership in the Actors Branch of the Academy, an individual must:

(a)  have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy,

and/or

(b)  have been nominated for an Academy Award in one of the acting categories,

or

(c) have, in the judgment of the Actors Branch Executive Committee, otherwise achieved unique distinction, earned special merit or made an outstanding contribution as a motion picture actor.

Oscars-Members-list

As we can see, it is an extremely thoughtful process to become a member. The Academy awards wishes to maintain a certain level of quality and also an independent status. According to a study published at the end of 2013 by the Los Angeles Times, these movie industry representatives are on average 62 years old, 77% are men and 93% are white. These stats do nothing to help the current debate about the lack of diversity at the Oscars. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite was a big buzz and many well-known actors and directors like Will Smith or Spike Lee took position against this lack of diversity. Nevertheless, the 88th Oscars will take place this year and hopefully amazing artists will be rewarded.

A few amazing statistics that will blow your mind

The Oscars is a tremendous event, probably one of the most universal ones, together with the Olympic games. There are 255 countries live broadcasting the Oscars, no matter is the local time is in the morning, the afternoon or the middle of the night. The first TV broadcasted show was the 25th ceremony back in 1953. Here are some interesting statistics around the Oscars:

  • Total years ABC has broadcasted the awards: 51
  • Seating capacity at the Dolby Theatre: 3,300
  • Longest Oscar telecast: 74th Oscars in 2002 at 4 hours, 23 minutes
  • Shortest Oscar telecast: 31st Oscars in 1959 at 1 hour, 40 minutes
  • American viewers last year: 37.3 million
  • Estimated global viewership: Several hundred million
  • Number of countries that submitted a feature film for the best foreign language film award: 81
  • The total number of Oscar nominations for musician John Williams, the record for a living person: 50

The 88th Oscars ceremony: The nominees.

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE NOMINEES

BRYAN CRANSTON
Trumbo

MATT DAMON
The Martian

LEONARDO DICAPRIO – WINNER
The Revenant

MICHAEL FASSBENDER
Steve Jobs

EDDIE REDMAYNE
The Danish Girl

DiCaprio-the-revenant

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE NOMINEES

CHRISTIAN BALE
The Big Short

TOM HARDY
The Revenant

MARK RUFFALO
Spotlight

MARK RYLANCE – WINNER
Bridge of Spies

SYLVESTER STALLONE
Creed

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE NOMINEES

CATE BLANCHETT
Carol

BRIE LARSON – WINNER
Room

JENNIFER LAWRENCE
Joy

CHARLOTTE RAMPLING
45 Years

SAOIRSE RONAN
Brooklyn

joy-jennifer-lawrence

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE NOMINEES

JENNIFER JASON LEIGH
The Hateful Eight

ROONEY MARA
Carol

RACHEL MADAMS
Spotlight

ALICIA VIKANDER – WINNER
The Danish Girl

KATE WINSLET
Steve Jobs

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

ANOMALISA
Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson and Rosa Tran

BOY AND THE WORLD
Alê Abreu

INSIDE OUT – WINNER
Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera

SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE
Mark Burton and Richard Starzak

WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE
Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura

BEST PICTURE

THE BIG SHORT
Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Steven Spielberg, Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

BROOKLYN
Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Doug Mitchell and George Miller, Producers

THE MARTIAN
Simon Kinberg, Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer and Mark Huffam, Producers

THE REVENANT
Arnon Milchan, Steve Golin, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Mary Parent and Keith Redmon, Producers

ROOM
Ed Guiney, Producer

SPOTLIGHT – WINNER
Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust, Producers

The-Revenant-oscars

CINEMATOGRAPHY NOMINEES

CAROL
Ed Lachman

THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Robert Richardson

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
John Seale

THE REVENANT – WINNER
Emmanuel Lubezki

SICARIO
Roger Deakins

COSTUME DESIGN

CAROL
Sandy Powell

CINDERELLA
Sandy Powell

THE DANISH GIRL
Paco Delgado

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – WINNER
Jenny Beavan

THE REVENANT
Jacqueline West

DIRECTING

THE BIG SHORT
Adam McKay

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
George Miller

THE REVENANT – WINNER
Alejandro G. Iñárritu

ROOM
Lenny Abrahamsson

SPOTLIGHT
Tom McCarthy

Alejandro-Gonzalez-Inarritu

FILM EDITING

THE BIG SHORT
Hank Corwin

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – WINNER
Margaret Sixel

THE REVENANT
Stephen Mirions

SPOTLIGHT
Tom McArdle

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Maryann Brandon and Mary Jo Markey

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM NOMINEES

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT
Colombia

MUSTANG
France

SON OF SAUL – WINNER
Hungary

THEEB
Jordan

A WAR
Denmark

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING NOMINEES

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – WINNER
Lesley Vanderwalt, Elka Wardega and Damian Martin

THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED
Love Larson and Eva von Bahr

THE REVENANT
Siân Grigg, Duncan Jarman and Robert Pandini

PRODUCTION DESIGN

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo and Bernhard Henrich

THE DANISH GIRL
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Michael Standish

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – WINNER
Production Design: Colin Gibson; Set Decoration: Lisa Thompson

THE MARTIAN
Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Celia Bobak

THE REVENANT
Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Hamish Purdy

SOUND EDITING

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – WINNER
Mark Mangini and David White

THE MARTIAN
Oliver Tarney

THE REVENANT
Martin Hernandez and Lon Bender

SICARIO
Alan Robert Murray

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Matthew Wood and David Acord

SOUND MIXING

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Drew Kunin

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – WINNER
Chris Jenkins, Gregg Rudloff and Ben Osmo

THE MARTIAN
Paul Massey, Mark Taylor and Mac Ruth

THE REVENANT
Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Randy Thom and Chris Duesterdiek

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Andy Nelson, Christopher Scarabosio and Stuart Wilson

VISUAL EFFECTS

EX MACHINA – WINNER
Andrew Whitehurst, Paul Norris, Mark Ardington and Sara Bennett

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Andrew Jackson, Tom Wood, Dan Oliver and Andy Williams

THE MARTIAN
Richard Stammers, Anders Langlands, Chris Lawrence and Steven Warner

THE REVENANT
Rich McBride, Matthew Shumway, Jason Smith and Cameron Waldbauer

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Thomas Newman

CAROL
Carter Burrell

THE HATEFUL EIGHT – WINNER
Ennio Morricone

SICARIO
Jóhann Jóhannsson

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
John Williams

john-williams-star-wars

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

BRIDGE OF SPIES
Written by Matt Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen

EX MACHINA
Written by Alex Garland

INSIDE OUT
Screenplay by Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley; Original story by Pete Docter, Ronnie del Carmen

SPOTLIGHT – WINNER
Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge & Alan Wenkus and Andrea Berloff

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

BODY TEAM 12
David Darg and Bryn Mooser

CHAU, BEYOND THE LINES
Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck

CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH
Adam Benzine

A GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS – WINNER
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

LAST DAY OF FREEDOM
Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

AMY – WINNER
Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees

CARTEL LAND
Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellen

THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen

WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?
Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes

WINTER ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

BEAR STORY – WINNER
Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala

PROLOGUE
Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton

SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM
Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle

WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS
Konstantin Bronzit

WORLD OF TOMORROW
Don Hertzfeld

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

AVE MARIA
Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont

DAY ONE
Henry Hughes

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY (ALLES WIRD GUT)
Patrick Vollrath

SHOK
Jamie Donoghue

STUTTERER – WINNER
Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
“Earned It” from Fifty Shades of Grey; Music and Lyric by The Weeknd, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Quenneville and Stephan Moccia

RACING EXTINCTION
“Manta Ray” from Racing Extinction; Music by J. Ralph, Lyric by Anohni

YOUTH
“Simple Song #3” from Youth; Music and Lyric by David Lang

THE HUNTING GROUND
“Til It Happens To You” from The Hunting Ground; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga

SPECTRE – WINNER
“Writing’s On The Wall” from Spectre; Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

THE BIG SHORT – WINNER
Screenplay by Charles Randolph and Adam McKay

BROOKLYN
Screenplay by Nick Hornby

CAROL
Screenplay by Phyllis Nagy

THE MARTIAN
Screenplay by Drew Goddard

ROOM
Screenplay by Emma Donoghue

This Sunday, the 88th Oscars ceremony rewarded the best movie professionals that have made our lives sparkling. Movies like The Revenant or Mad Max Fury Road nailed it.

Jose Amorim

chris-rock-oscars

Info sourced at the Oscars official website, hollywoodreporter.com, star2.com, wikipedia, Vanity Fair, Forbes, ABC.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

 

Making the Most of Your Swimming Pool. 5 Ideas That Will Add Some Style

LuxuryActivist
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0
Reading Time: 3 minutes

If you are lucky enough to have a swimming pool in your garden then you are already the envy of many of your neighbours, but it is possible to go that bit further and turn your swimming pool into a luxury area to enjoy the water and the sun. Here are a few ideas that will almost certainly have your friends eying your property enviously.

Backyard-Landscaping-Ideas-Swimming-Pool-Design-Homesthetics

Pool Room

Pool rooms are available in all shapes and sizes, and range from a basic box for storage to multi-roomed changing and play areas. You can build from scratch or buy a purpose made pool room from a supplier (visit Garden Spaces for some breathtaking examples). Any pool room should be practical, but to impress you will need to be worried about form as much as function. A pool room that gives an added dimension to the area such as an indoor sports or entertainment room will always be a winner, but one that looks stunning too will have style and substance.

Pool Furniture

If you buy low quality pool furniture, you will quickly regret it. Good quality furniture will be made of great quality materials, and will be treated or coated to last your for years to come. It will also have a  higher design standard, and all the features and looks that show why you paid the money. Cheaper alternatives may look good off the shelf, but will fade,and look shabby relatively quickly.

Lighting

Pools are not only used in the day, and though a halogen light will undoubtedly give you the light you want, you can do so much more. Lighting ideas for your pool are not as straightforward as you may believe, but if you take the right advice; your pool will look beautiful in the evening, and the seating and garden areas can be lit for the best effect. Imagine a high end hotel with a beautiful pool and seating area; that is what you should be aiming for in your pool.

pool-ideas-lighting

Pool Finish

Most swimming pools you will see in gardens have the same boring old tile look, but there is no need for you to follow suit. Pools can be finished with a multitude of finishes (click here for some great examples) including plaster, aggregate, stone tiles and even glass or glass beading. You can really use the finish of your pool to give it a stylish luxurious look that everybody will want.

Dining Area

As you have sensibly invested in some great pool lighting, why not go that step further and build a dining area? This is actually a relatively inexpensive way to upgrade your swimming pool, but will help you impress guests as you all enjoy a meal served by the poolside. A beautifully lit pool area, relaxing music played from your pool room, comfortable seating, and a great meal served beside a glittering pool; this is the way to have guests enjoy a meal at your home.

If you combine all of these ideas for your pool, you will undoubtedly succeed in adding a touch of style to what could otherwise be just a hole in the ground with water in it.

Carol

Info sourced by the author for LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. 

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