I know I said in a recent post that some days I'm celebbed-out, but darn it, they just keep making news! Case in point: Hot couple David and Victoria Beckham have teamed up for another commercial venture. On September 26, the duo launched their new Beckham Signature Fragrance Collection at Macy's Herald Square in New York City. Let's hope it doesn't go the way of her clothing collection.

Anyway ... about 2,000 fans showed up in the rain to see the dynamic duo release their fragrances -- Signature for Her and Signature for Him. "It's great for me to be able to create a fragrance for him, but he is much more involved than he gives himself credit for," gushed Victoria. "David has such amazing taste!"

"The new venture reportedly represents a foray into more prestige branding and is meant to reflect their new image since their establishment in California," mimifroufrou.com reported. "It is not entirely clear what this means, but it seems to be an allusion to a more ostentatious, glamorous Californian lifestyle and maybe something to do with the myth of the American dream."

Signature for Her, a fruity floriental, was developed by Beckham with Sylvie Fischer from Takasago. It opens with anise flower and candy apple; has a heart of orchid, heliotrope, and vanilla; and a drydown of patchouli, amber, and musk. "I love white orchids, and I wanted something light," said Beckham. "I can't bear it when you can smell someone before you see them."

Signature for Him, a fresh woody oriental concocted by Beckham and Beatrice Piquet of International Flavors & Fragrances, opens with mandarin, watermelon, and marine notes; has a heart of fresh living lantana, cypress, and spicy juniper berry, and a drydown of moss, sensual white amber and patchouli.

The Eaux de Toilette will retail for $52 and $62 for her, and $50 and $60 for him.

Of note: Most of the comments I saw on this news focused on what the two were wearing (David: Tom Ford suit, Victoria: Antonio Berardi outfit and heel-less boots).

This home on 1.94 acres right on Long Island Sound offers more than a room with a view -- how about a whole house with a view? Located in Riverside, Conn. (part of tony Greenwich, where Kathie Lee Gifford and hubby Frank live) and built in 1956, this estate is offered for $12,900,000.

Sited in the gated Harbor Point Association, a peninsula of more than 500 feet of shoreline, this Contemporary Colonial offers the next owner the chance to build under current zoning for a new 11,000-plus square foot custom waterfront estate or live in the existing home, which is light-filled and recently updated with a cook's kitchen, built-in bookshelves, five tiled baths, new systems and new landscaping by a professional designer. There are two family rooms and two master suites among six bedrooms on both first and second floors. Three fireplaces and an artist's studio complete the picture.

Walk or jog to Elias Point, a sandy beach. A spectacularly landscaped enclave, historic Harbor Point is situated on the sweeping grounds of the former 49-acre Frederick T. Bonham estate, "Walhall," a legendary LI Sound private property with some of Southern Connecticut's best water views. The association's other amenities include a boat dock, boat mooring, picnicking and fishing privileges.

As much as celebrities make good copy here at Luxist, I confess some days I'm plumb celebbed-out from their overexposure on TV and in print. But I really couldn't stop myself from sharing the fact that Gwyneth Paltrow thinks she knows best, and wants to share it all with you real soon on her unfortunately-named website, GOOP. Not much to offer yet, but the home page urges readers to "nourish the inner aspect." And then you can select a category to explore further: make, go, get, do, be, or see. These all go to the same place, Paltrow's mission statement. If you sign up for the GOOP newsletter, Paltrow will send you some tips as well as an alert when the site officially opens. Too bad she won't be sending Coldplay tickets ... (BTW, if you're not a Paltrow fan, you can join in the making fun of her site here.)

Rachel Roy is in the news again, and this time it's not because of the dough that she and husband Damon Dash owe. Roy has teamed up with vodka maker Grey Goose, which commissioned her to exclusively design and create a signature cocktail dress to be worn by the brand's spokesmodels at select Grey Goose-sponsored events across the country. The dresses will be labeled "Rachel Roy exclusively for Grey Goose Vodka." Grey Goose was the official title sponsor of the Rachel Roy Spring 2009 Fashion Presentation earlier this month during New York Fashion Week, and the partnership also will include trunk shows and store openings.

The cocktail dress will resemble a classic silhouette with clean, modern lines. Made of stretch wool for structure and ease of movement, the design will include a feminine draped neckline and an element of fluidity in the back detailing. (See gallery.)

Roy's creation is "derived from the classic heritage and discerning taste of the luxury vodka brand," according to Grey Goose. Roy notes, "In keeping with this tradition, my design matches the timeless fluidity of the little black dress, with a hint of the iconic, signature blue to capture the effortless elegance of this occasion."

In addition to joining with Grey Goose, Roy has jumped on the green bandwagon by designing eco-friendly clothing, which she will continue to selectively incorporate in seasons to come. Roy will donate 100% of the proceeds to Orphan Aid Africa, an organization that aims to help orphans in Ghana.

[Via Grey Goose and BlackVoices.com]

Is it cannibalistic to recommend another blog? I'm not sure, but here goes ... Nordstrom has a short and sweet weekly fashion blog, The Thread, that highlights what's going in the fashion world. It's easy to read and navigate because there are only 5 or so posts. Sure, it's somewhat self-serving, as you can be sure what the writers are touting is available in Nordstrom stores, but I liked it because it also hit upon outside news, such as Fashion Week. While Nordstrom might not be as high-end as Neiman Marcus or Saks, I like it because it still offers a variety of sizes (petite to plus) and styles that range from affordable to upscale. Plus the shoes! The Thread might be worth a few minutes of your time, just to see what hot fashion trend you may have missed. I checked out the Fall 2008 Boot Guide.

This Sunday, 9/21, at 8 p.m., get ready to park yourself on the couch to watch ABC and gawk at all the celebs who are famous-for-being famous and oh yes, the real actors, as they parade up and down the red carpet at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards. I'm always interested in the gifts and perks they get, though, because I know that manufacturers know that there's no better advertising than that which (whom) is unpaid: a celeb wearing or using your item.

Let's take a peek at some of the items inside this year's swag bag, according to the New York Post: "Everyone from Gossip Girls to Desperate Housewives will have the chance to be 'gifted' with Valentino and Jimmy Choo sunglasses ($300-$400), Rock & Republic jeans ($200-$300), Klipsch Image headphones ($350) and even drugstore finds like Dove chocolates ($2.50) and 5 Gum ($1.50)."

Well, fresh breath is a priority in the celeb world. ... Read more by clicking below!

A few weeks ago Guerlain opened a spa in the Waldorf=Astoria in New York City. The spa "ensures a comprehensive luxury experience for every Waldorf guest." On the menu are eight kinds of massage, four kinds of facials, six kinds of body treatments, and five men's treatments, as well as hand and foot therapies, makeup application and all-day and partial-day getaway spa experiences. The spa also has a boutique and personal training studio.

I'm no beauty maven, but I've had massages and lots of facials, and what's described on the site seems no more special than what's offered at any other upscale spa, except for the use of Guerlain products and exquisite descriptions of services. I've no doubt the products add a level of luxury that's likely missing from a run-of-the-mill salon-type spa on the corner. But does Guerlain do a better job for what I assume to be a big pricetag? I don't know. I might have to check it out!

Our sister site (brother site?), autoblog, a few days ago posted the news that British sports car manufacturer Lotus celebrated its 60th birthday on September 14 at its Hethel headquarters in England with a special edition of the Europa. Specially configured for the diamond anniversary to appeal to the socialite-type set, the special custom gear shift lever and other switches are in-set with diamonds in black metal. The high-gloss black paint has tiny bits of glass in it, boasting more sparkle than an average metallic finish. The Europa also gets some unspecified performance upgrades that give it a sub-five-second 0-60 dash and 146 mph at the top end. We don't know, though, if this £150,000 Europa is a one-of-a-kind or if Lotus is planning to build more. Autoblog has the full press release.

A few days ago I had the privilege of being a guest of American Express at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week 2008 in NYC. Aside from agonizing over what to wear (and realizing that of course no one was looking at me), it was a fun experience, and one I'd likely never get to have without this invite. As an AmEx guest, I got to go to a special "Skybox" to view the DKNY Spring 2009 show along with about 20 AmEx Platinum Card members, who were there (at the cool price of $700 each) to enjoy the day's events and luxuriate in special amenities as part of AmEx's "By Invitation Only" program. Also on hand were staffers from various companies associated with AmEx, who made sure the guests were comfortable and enjoying themselves. I chatted with one guest, who took advantage of the complimentary hair and makeup services that morning. She did have excellent hair. The room was too dim for me to see her makeup, but I'm sure it was lovely.

AmEx, a major Fashion Week sponsor for the second consecutive year, has long associated itself with fashion icons. On display in the tent's main lobby, front and center, was an AmEx booth that featured three iconic photos, used as part of AmEx's "I'm a Card Member" ads: Sammy Davis Jr., Diane Von Furstenburg and Venus Williams. Word is the photos changed throughout the show. Other sponsors also had booths in the main lobby, from the usual suspects, such as Judith Ripka and the Italian Trade Commission, to unexpected companies, such as Office Max and M&M's.

You might be thinking that "seatbelt" and "luxury" aren't synonymous, unless you're talking about a car. Then you must not know about Harveys Seatbelt Bags. These bags are great -- durable, practical, fun, functional, and available in lots if colors. But still not luxury, until now. Harveys recently debuted its Boutique Collection, branching out into more elegant styles and even doing a bag in leather instead of the traditional seatbelt. There are six new collections within Boutique: Vertigo, Leather, Herringbone, Carriage Nickel, Carriage Gold, and Accessories (see the gallery for examples of each). I love the Carriage Medium Tote Nickel, and plan to order one this weekend. Prices range from $34 for a key chain that holds a picture to $498 for the Carriage leather bag; free ground shipping.

I've mentioned Zappos Luxe Life before. Now and then I browse the store to see what's new in the Couture section, and recently I found a bag that I really like for fall. Usually Alexander McQueen is too way out for me, but I think this Western-inspired patent bag is great for the days when you break out the jeans and boots but want a nice bag to polish the look. The burgundy and gold bag is made of of patent leather. It's 14" wide across the bottom, 9.5" wide across the top, 5.5" deep and 10" high, enough room for wallet, keys, sunglasses, lipstick and personal technology. The handle drop is 5". Other features: a front exterior slip pocket, platform bottom, top zip closure and a luxurious interior lining with a back wall zip pocket and multifunctional slip pockets. Comes with a protective dust bag. $2,569; free shipping and returns from Zappos.

A nice one-bedroom apartment in NYC rents for about $2,500/month. And for that same price you can get a shot -- yes, just a taste -- of Louis XIII Black Pearl Magnum cognac, a limited edition, natch, kept in a glass case and then offered exclusively at NYC's Rose Club at the Plaza hotel. The spirit, produced by Remy Martin, cannot be sampled anywhere else in the State of New York. The bottle, designed by Baccarat and hand-blown from black crystal, has not yet been uncorked since it was introduced in June. A recent Rose Club patron asked if he could buy the entire bottle, one of only 358 in the world. Rose Club manager Anthony Evangelista turned him down, and the man left without even tasting it. There are about 32 pours in the 1.75 liter bottle, meaning that the decanter contains $80,000 worth of cognac.

[Via New York Daily News]

The New York Post reports that Naomi Campbell and her Russian billionaire boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin, the "Donald Trump of Russia," recently were in her favorite country, Brazil, where he dropped $18.5 million on a penthouse apartment for her in Jardins, the Upper East Side of Sao Paolo. This came after Campbell told him how much she loved the country and "wanted to settle down there." Glamurama.com says the apartment was a "gift" to the supermodel and the couple will use it as their home in Brazil.

And more news: Campbell, who's trying to improve her angry, assistant-attacking image, also is focusing on being photographed at charitable events and launching a clothing line through 284, the new label from Daslu. "It's for strong women. I hope everybody will like it," she told a local Brazilian paper.

A summer survey, conducted by the Luxury Institute, asked 1,771 wealthy Americans with an average income of $351,000 and average net worth of $4.3 million to rate wine and liquor brands based on quality, uniqueness and exclusivity. Check out the CNBC slideshow to see which brands came out on top. The institute offers a variety of articles on luxury-related topics. Here is a list of its 2008 articles, but you can read back to 2005.

[Via CNBC]

Carbon Fiber Gear highlighted recently a Ferrari 355 gas cap paperweight. Made by RaceChairs.com, it's constructed of a 6″ x 6″ piece of carbon fiber, a colored suede underside and a real (but unused) gas cap from a Ferrari 355. (Also available with a Lamborghini Diablo gas cap.) The carbon fiber weave is clearcoated for shiny finish, and the bottom of the paperweight is covered in your choice of black, yellow, or red suede, to ensure it won't scratch your desk. The gas cap is highly polished aluminum with the Ferrari logo on the center. Optional: have an engraved plaque added or get wall hangers for display. $325, but just $199 on RaceChairs.com at the time of this writing. Looks like something our sister site, autoblog, might take a liking to.

[Thanks, Dave]