Chloe is debuting a chic tote for fall crafted from "alligator-stamped" (that sounds humane, doesn't it?) calfskin leather. The Cyndi bag above is in a subtle yet chic slate grey that makes fall just one time of year to enjoy carrying it. (The bag is also available in black patent.) As far as pricey totes go, it's hard for me to get enthused about much in this handbag-saturated age we're living in (I'm still carrying the original L.L. Bean boat and tote -- my grandmother would be proud), but this bag does strike me as versatile and classic, a kind of sleeper it-bag you could carry for more than a few seasons. Oversized at 15 x 13 x 7.5 inches with a 6.5 inch handle drop, this tote is currently available exclusively at Net-a-Porter for $2,200.

Well I think I've figured out why Giorgio Armani is always smiling, it's not just to show off his large white teeth in his perfectly tanned face. Vogue UK reports that Armani's company released its annual report yesterday. Armani had a net profit rise of 66.2 per cent last year to $299.6 million, compared with $164.6 million last year. Giorgio Armani himself is the sole owner of his label and so he is enjoying the profit rise personally. According to WWD, the report revealed that among the firm's investments was a heftly $18.3 million which went for a new 213-foot yacht for Armani to help him keep that famous tan.

If you were one of millions this weekend you waited in line, paid for your tickets, waited in line again, and watched The Dark Knight with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger this weekend. Sure the gadgets and action were outrageously cool but did you see that smoking hot leather jacket on Bruce Wayne? The Belstaff leather blouson jacket which retails for $1,250 has already been ogled and presold to 6,000 wanna-be-Batmans but you can find yours today at Barneys. Don't think the ladies will mind if you aren't the only one wearing it -- this jacket is hot!

Prada lovers have a new place to play. A new flagship store has been opened in San Francisco's Union Square shopping area. The new store was designed by architect Roberto Baciocchi and has entrances on Post Street, Grant Avenue and Maiden Lane. It takes the place of the smaller women's-only Prada boutique on Geary Street. This new store offers the full range of merchandise for men and women including custom tailoring.

The retail area is on a single floor of approximately 5650 square feet and linen cloth in Prada's pale green hue covers the walls and furnishings. The women's area features bright colors and curved seating upholstered in lilac velvet and steel wile the men's area has palisander wood furniture, polished steel elements, and dark brown velvet seating. The store is part of Prada's initiative to have flagship stores in all of the famed shopping locations where they do business worldwide. Store interior shots can be found at Sfilate.com

I first saw this home back in April as part of the Sunday Real Estate Round-Up but it deserves full estate of the day treatment. As the New York Observer's Manhattan Transfers column mentioned back then, this converted 19th-century chapel belongs to investor and environmental philanthropist. Dan Lufkin. The five-bedroom spread at 455 Central Park West has been lovingly restored and includes details such as antique French oak floors, arched windows, gold-leafed walls, stone columns, Gothic fireplace and the most jawdropping detail, the living room with a 28-foot-high vaulted ceiling. The home has Park views, an interior private elevator, mezzanine library and a balcony sitting room. There is also a separate one-bedroom staff apartment. The apartment is listed at around three times what Lufkin paid three years ago. The chapel is listed at $17.5 million. These are some of the most intriguing rooms in New York City but the private spaces in this home are a little devoid of charm compared to the high drama of the main living/dining space.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Last month I mentioned that Chateau Montelena, one of Napa Valley's best-known wineries, might be for sale. Now the San Francisco Chronicle reveals the new owner. Michel Reybier, owner of Bordeaux chateau Cos d'Estournel, will soon own the Calistoga property pending approval from the federal government. There has been no definitive word on a price but rumor has it that the figure is in the $100 to $110 million range. The potential deal comes at a time when attention is being focused toward the winery anyway because of the release of the movie "Bottle Shock," which centers on the events surrounding the moment when the 1973 Montelena Chardonnay outscored top white Burgundies in the 1976 Judgment of Paris tasting.

To be filed under the ridiculously aspirational: the new Bentley laptop designed by Ego. For the fools who believe that a hood ornament transferred to your leather-bound laptop will lead you any closer to mogul status, please contact me so I can steer your financial missteps in the right direction (philanthropy, real estate, ok, fine, a pair of YSL Tribute sandals). I'm glad Engadget seems to agree on the absurdity of the latest to enter the luxury laptop division, which starting at close to $20K makes my current laptop wishlist (comprised solely of the Macbook Air) look like a trip to the 99 Cent Store. Barneys appeared to drop the line after carrying an earlier design, and this version is sold only at Selfridge's, although Ego is expanding its market in the label-happy UAE. Check out the Ego website for diamond-encrusted laptops and more signs that society isn't on its way to hell in a handbag after all. It's headed that direction via your luxury notebook.

One of the hottest accessories around just went hot pink! Alexander McQueen's scarves have been dipped in pink and scattered with paisley to benefit Breast Cancer Care through Selfridges & Co's charitable Pinkridges event. The event runs from the end of August and the scarf will only cost £140 -- a small price to support one of the common diseases among women. Wear something beautiful with a message and you'll find that fashion has a fabulously pink lining. Who doesn't love pink?

Ralph Lauren's 2008 Olympics Collection from his Polo line, to be worn by American athletes at the summer games in Beijing next month, is now available in stores. Lauren designed the official Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony parade outfits as well as an assortment of Olympic "village wear" pieces for the U.S. Teams, which anyone may now purchase. The Summer Olympics in Beijing run from Aug. 8 - 24th. Lauren's patriotic, logo-festooned red, white and blue designs are "inspired by the rich past of the Olympic Games and in keeping with the time-honored tradition of this historic event." Visit Lauren's site here for more and check out the gallery to see athletes modeling the collection.

In Kuwait's plans for Silk City (Madinat Al Hareer), no one will ever be more than three blocks from water or gardens. A vast National Wildlife Refuge is in the works. And medical treatment along with fresh, healthy food will be accessible on foot for 80% of residents. The centerpiece of the hugely ambitious project will be the tallest building in the world, the Mubarak al Kabir Tower, at 200 stories and comprised of seven distinct "vertical neighborhoods." (Fun fact: the tower will reach to 1,001 meters, an imposing physical reference to the Arabian Nights tale.) Add to that the four main quadrants of the city: Finance City, Leisure City (I'm totally moving there), Culture City and Ecologic City, and what is ostensibly an architectural feat becomes an experiment in crafting entire ways of life. With government investment of $132 billion, London-based design firm CivicArts/Eric R. Kuhne are ready to break ground ... and continue its labors until the estimated date of completion for Silk City, 2023.

Investors in the project state that their hopes to renew Kuwait's cultural influence are highly motivational, and the idea is based on the crucial links established over a thousand years ago when Kuwait was a center on the silk trade routes. Now planning to link itself with cities like Damascus and Baghdad, stretching ultimately all the way to China, Kuwait intends to reestablish its connectivity in more than just symbolic measure.

Clearly imitative of nearby architectural playgrounds like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Silk City and all its outrageous goals does come off feeling a bit more commercial than its underlying motives might imply. They're tossing around terms like the "Arabian Riviera" and plan to incorporate such enclaves as "Film City" and multiple "pleasure facilities." Maybe it's that the intentions aren't just outrageous but highly-regimented. The planners are busy designing 28 different "lifestyle zones" specifically branded by interest (sports, film, media, etc.). While all the bells and whistles sound pretty awesome (in the true sense of the word) the overly manufactured quality of every detail -- especially the neighborhoods, oops "lifestyle zones," which force homogeneity not diversity -- make this huge community appear rather disconnected after all.

I guess we'll have to reevaluate in 2023. But judging from a fairly recent visit to Dubai, a model of speedy construction and ambitious contemporary architecture, I'd be willing to bet Silk City is operational much before then. Those oil prices don't hurt the timeline, either.

Italian prosecco is in the process of re-branding itself as the "softer, lighter" bubbly, not to mention cheaper. Production has already increased thirty-fold over the past four decades, with plans for greater distribution particularly to emerging wine markets like China, where marketing drives the majority of sales, relegating prosecco to champagne wannabe status. Hence Italy's support of reserving the name prosecco for wine produced only within the region, a formerly Slovenian area that's been growing grapes since the 1500s, to up the exclusivity factor. Oh, and then there was that little Paris Hilton promo. Italian winemakers disparaged the pairing (she was, after all, promoting an Austrian-crafted sparkling wine in a can), but Paris certainly knows a thing or two about aspirational status.

For a colorful addition to your wardrobe, DKNY's Patent Leather Hobo is the perfect accessory that can last for seasons to come. With a vibrant turquoise color tone and gold metal studs beautifully outlining its shape, the size will prove to be functional for days while its glossy sheen and gold detailing will be fashionable for evenings. It features metal rings at either ends of the shoulder strap and interior zip pockets and compartments for organization. DKNY's Patent Leather Hobo is also available in white. For those who want something smaller in size and classic look, try the Patent Leather Shopper in black. Bag dimensions: 12"W x 10"H x 5"D. Price: $275.

Anyone who has walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame lately knows that certain stars have definitely seen better days. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has taken a new approach to raising funds to restore the Walk. They have created the Friends of the Walk of Fame initiative to restore the Walk of Fame before its 50th anniversary in two years and they've hooked their first big sponsor, Absolut Vodka.

Sponsors won't get an official star but according to the press release "sizable donations from corporate supporters will be acknowledged with a Friend of the Walk of Fame honorary star" which is described as a "new terrazzo piece that will be placed in the sidewalk, on private property, adjacent to the Walk of Fame." The Chamber presented Absolut with the first honorary star which will be located near the entrance to the Kodak Theatre, part of Hollywood & Highland Center on Hollywood Boulevard.

Certainly corporate sponsors are a familiar sight on baseball fields and other public landmarks but the LA Times reports that the news of Absolut's pseudo star isn't sitting well with everyone. Some see it as an affront to the tradition of honoring Los Angeles luminaries with their own piece of sidewalk space.

Absolut is also launching a new flavor, Absolut LA, a mix of "blueberry, acai berry, acerola cherry, and fruity notes of pomegranate" which will be available this month.

Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts , Napa Valley's gorgeous shrine to food and wine may be a wonderful place to visit but the Sacramento Bee reveals that it is a bit of a financial albatross.

The 80,000-square-foot center was built with a $20 million gift from the late Robert Mondavi and has relied on a tiny state-owned bank, Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, or I-Bank for short, which gave the center a $77 million bailout. Now the small bank is in deep trouble due to the subprime mortgage crisis and is facing an Aug. 11 deadline to come up with cash to back its guarantees. According to the Bee I-Bank authorized the first bond offering for Copia in 1999 for $70 million which backed the construction of the buildings and grounds that include indoor and outdoor kitchens, a demonstration vineyard and organic vegetable gardens, cooking and tasting classrooms and a 240-seat auditorium. Copia is also home to two restaurants and a large gift shop. But many tourists prefer to spend their time at individual wineries rather than at Copia. Since it opened in 2001 it has lost between $4.2 million and $12 million a year and has $14 million deficit, according to the 2007 annual report. Even though I-Bank knew Copia was in deep trouble, it approved Copia's financial rescue in April 2007 and authorized the bond refinancing deal three months later through New York-based securities firm JPMorgan.

The Bee also reports that Copia faced scrutiny over how it was using the space and facilities built with its first round of tax-exempt bond money. An IRS agent found that Copia was using far more than the allowable five percent of its space for business activities putting the center's tax-exempt status in jeopardy.

The article's commenters have some fascinating ideas for Copia, including turning into a museum to honor the late Robert Mondavi . Others argue that is was flawed from the get-go and an unnecessary expense for a region that already has so many wine and food options.

Lots of us have been put off by port's connotations of crusty vintages and even crustier connoisseurs. You don't actually need an English country house, a kennel full of fox hounds and a gouty leg to enjoy it, however.

Ironically, it fell to Warre's, the oldest British-owned port producer dating to 1670, to give the storied fortified wine a facelift. With the introduction of their Otima bottlings, Warre's managed to modernize the drink without turning it into some kind of silly snake oil marketed to wannabe rap stars.

Otima is a premium tawny (the best of port's non-vintage iterations) with a "lighter, more contemporary style," available in 10 and 20-year-old versions.

The "contemporary" vibe is admirably captured by the clean, elegant clear glass bottle and minimalist labeling, making for an aesthetically pleasing addition to your bar without sacrificing any of the wine's sophistication. On the palate it presents pleasing notes of honey, raisins, nuts and dried fruit. If you've never tried port before we suggest starting here.