Luxist

Knoxville, Tennessee-based Sea Ray's new $1.6 million 540DA Sundancer features a state-of-the-art joystick-controlled drive system allowing it to turn on a dime and literally maneuver sideways. The 54-ft. yacht has two 600 hp Cummins MerCruiser Diesel motors; the Zeus pod drive system employs propellers that work independently of each other and rotate 360 degrees on their axes to allow feats of steering impossible with traditional propulsion systems. Coupled with a sleek, aggressive exterior and luxe interior he yacht is designed to compete with European models which are usually far more stylish. A GPS-controlled Skyhook system automatically keeps the craft stationary even in strong currents or heavy winds, while both the forward VIP and master staterooms have a queen bed, Bose sound system and full bath; the latter also has a flat-screen TV.

Twenty rural retreats spanning the breadth of North America and over a century of architectural and social history are featured in author and photographer Bret Morgan's stylish new book Rustic. Examples include the Ames Gate Lodge, H. H. Richardson's "sublime pile of boulders" in Massachusetts; Camp Topridge, Marjorie Merriweather Post's rustic luxe compund in the Adirondacks; the Arts and Crafts masterpiece Charles Millard Pratt House in southern California; Fortune Rock, George Howe's striking modernist home on the coast of Maine; Robert A. M. Stern's nostalgic Spruce Lodge, hidden high in the Colorado Rockies; and Ledge House, Peter Bohlin's vision of rustic modernism in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland. All exemplify an "artfully informal aesthetic that celebrates the beauty of the natural world."

Akvinta, the world's first Mediterranean luxury vodka mentioned by my colleague Deidre Woollard when it was introduced to Europe last year, has just launched in the U.S. and is now available in New York, New Jersey and California.

The Croatian spirit was first introduced in New York as the official vodka of the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The brand is also available exclusively on Virgin Atlantic Airlines as well as in the airline's Upper Class Clubhouse at JFK airport, and at Nobu in New York and California.

Akvinta Vodka is a super-premium, USDA-certified organic spirit, carefully crafted using only premium ingredients including 100% organic wheat alcohol from Italy, pure Dalmatian spring water, and no additives of any kind.

Akvinta's revolutionary quintuple filtration system uses five natural filters - charcoal, marble, silver, gold and platinum - to purify the product, resulting in a smooth spirit with a light citrus nose with a touch of sweetness, a light peppery mouth feel, and a finish with no afterburn.

Pierre Borhan, former director of photography for the French Ministry of Culture, presents a compelling anthology of maritime photography since 1843 in his beautiful new book, The Sea. The slipcased volume features 300 color and black and white images ranging from historical photos, documentary photos, and art photos to archival works and pictures taken in the present day. Images include striking seascapes and perspectives, including lonely lighthouses, bustling port towns, early explorations of Antarctica and the Arctic Circle, and abstract compositions of waves,
water, and light by some of the world's best-known photographers. It makes a perfect gift for lovers of all things related to water and the ocean.

On Nov. 10 Christie's in New York will auction off an epic 15-ft. wide Jean-Michel Basquiat painting as part of its Post-War and Contemporary Art sale. The painting is expected to fetch up to $12 million. Brother Sausage (detail above), painted in 1983 and featured on the cover of Basquiat's catalogue raisonné, is a cartoon strip-like composition of six panels hinged together to form a narrative frieze of multiple drawings and Xeroxed overlays, each laden with themes of racial inequality and prejudice, wealth and corporate greed in a fame and consumer-obsessed American. Christie's notes the work is "steeped in Basquiat's signature style, raw energy and ingenious, loaded layering," exemplifying the artist at the pinnacle of his career. Also included in the auction are Andy Warhol's Tunafish Disaster, painted in 1963 and estimated at $6 - $8 million; and Jeff Koons' Large Vase of Flowers from 1991, estimated at $4 - $6 million.

[via JustLuxe]

On Nov. 14 Christie's will auction fine spirits in New York for only the second time since Prohibition began in 1920, headlined by the first U.S. offering of the extremely rare 1964 Bowmore Trilogy of single malts estimated at up to $24,000. Some $2 million worth of wines and spirits will cross the auction block, including over 40 lots of carefully-curated whisky, bourbon, cognac, armagnac, and rum, plus a fine crop of champagne. The Bowmore Trilogy, comprised of White, Black and Gold Bowmore, was matured below sea level for 42 - 44 years at the famed distillery on Islay in Scotland. Other lots include the Ardbeg Double Barrel, a two-bottle lot sourced from two 1974 whisky barrels in a bespoke leather shotgun case with eight solid silver cups, estimated at $15,000 - $20,000, and a 100 year old armagnac from Baron de Sigognac, est. at $2,000 - $3,000.

[via Duncan Quinn]

On Nov. 18 the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) will stage its 12th annual Collaborating for a Cure benefit dinner and auction at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. Building on the success of last year's event (above), which featured a concert by Steely Dan, this year's festivities include a Steve Winwood performance and a charity auction led by Sotheby's' C. Hugh Hildesley. Sure to attract high bids will be 5 pairs of tickets to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Nov. 19, an eye-popping display of supermodels in lingerie. The SWCRF, founded by Dr. Samuel Waxman in 1975, is a 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organization that focuses on the most promising strategies for developing cures and treatments for many types of cancers, as well as preventative measures. SWCRF is at the cutting edge of research into alternatives to the traditional treatments of chemotherapy and radiation.

Gail Buckland's new book Who Shot Rock & Roll is the first to truly explore the extraordinary work of the photographers who captured the "energy, intoxication, rebellion, and magic" of rock, with images of icons ranging from Elton John to Led Zeppelin, Bjork to Janis Joplin, and James Brown to John Lennon, that have become icons unto themselves. Featuring more than 250 photos, including many rare and never-before-seen images, Who Shot Rock & Roll is an unparalleled compendium of portraits, live concert shots, behind-the-scenes snaps, and studio work selected for their aesthetic quality and power. The extended captions tell stories from the photographers, including everyone from Bib Gruen to Richard Avedon and David LaChappelle, that reveal their role as both "creative collaborators and tireless journalists."

Covering 1955 to the present, "Who Shot Rock & Roll is a silent window into a world of sound," Buckland says. "There are photographs of crowds and fans reminiscent of the great historical paintings of battle scenes where bodies blend and bend and faces radiate with what can only be described as transcendence. Snapshots reveal the passion, ambition, and insecurity of aspiring young musicians. There are portraits of godheads, objects of mass adoration; the best could hang next to paintings of Renaissance princes, so similar are these royals with their finery, wealth, and power." An accompanying exhibit just opened at the Brooklyn Museum and will run through the end of January and before traveling across the country through 2011.

Originally developed in 1924 and served exclusively to family and friends of the manor at Mexico's Hacienda del Refugio, Antiguo tequila has never been sold in the U.S. - until now.

The super-premium brand was launched commercially in Mexico in 1995 to commemorate Casa Herradura's 125th anniversary (est. 1870) of producing the world's finest tequila, using the original formula that was kept a secret for almost a century.

Antiguo is crafted using only 100% pure agave to be a lighter bodied, exceptionally smooth and mellow spirit. Distilled at 80 proof, it has a suggested 750ml retail price of $24.99 to $29.99 here depending on the expression: Blanco, Reposado and Añejo, in handsome vintage-inspired bottles with Herradura's signature horseshoe motif.