Elite Traveler January-February 2015

DISCOVER

elite traveler JAN/FEB 2015 ISSUE 1 52

Fringe benefits Louboutin’s uplifting four-tone shoes with burgundy tassels bring a new meaning to kicking your heels up. louboutin.com

Chengdu’s emergence as one of Asia’s most enticing cities continues apace with the arrival this season of the region’s first standalone Alexander McQueen store. Designed by David Collins Studio (the team behind the award-winning interiors at Lime Wood Hotel in the UK and the London West Hollywood in California) it features the brand’s signature references – plaster panels moulded into wings and tiny skulls for example – and will sell seasonal items and iconic pieces such as skull scarves and knuckle clutches. Shop L249, 2FIFS, Hongxing Road, McQueen and country

Jinjiang District, Chengdu alexandermcqueen.com

Mcqueen’s Mini Heroine bag in mirror leather, $1,550

TRUE BLUE Certified by the Gemological Institute of America, The One & Only One ring collection features the world’s rarest gems in unusual colors, such as this blue diamond in a platinum setting. Price on request info@theoneandonlyone.com

TIMELESS SIGNATURE

“My main inspiration was the ‘rouge à l’or’ technique, exclusive to Baccarat, and the art of red crystal making,” explains perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, who created the scent. “The idea was to create the olfactive signature of Baccarat.” The fragrance’s name also comes from a Baccarat signature. It is a nod to the temperature at which the company’s deep crimson crystals are produced: 540 degrees Celsius. uk.baccarat.com

Baccarat’s newest creation, introduced in honor of the French luxury brand’s 250th anniversary, is focused around more than just hand-blown crystal. It is, instead, a unisex fragrance called Rouge 540, complex and ambery, but also wearably light with hints of fruit. Available in a numbered, limited edition of 250 (and priced at $4,000 for 100ml), it comes in a sleekly-faceted, diamond-cut crystal bottle.

Words: Rachel Felder and Emily Mathieson