Luxury

Watch fest

Watchmakers go back to basics

Luxury watchmakers are going back to basics with classic designs, as industry players at the world's biggest watch fair warned that the "years of extravagance" were over.

Luxury rebounds

Luxury hotel rates rise as demand for butlers, views jumps

Julian Saipe is finally taking his family on the dream vacation he put off amid last year's recession. Apparently, so are plenty of other people.

Twiggy tops Aussies on Forbes rich list

A dozen Australians - including WA mining magnate Andrew Forrest and now-American citizen Rupert Murdoch - have made it onto Forbes' annual billionaires list.

The Forbes rich list 2010

The top 20 richest people in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

World's richest

Bill Gates knocked off top of rich list

Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim is the world's richest person, knocking Microsoft founder Bill Gates into second spot, as the wealth of the world's billionaires grew by 50 percent over the last year, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday.

Economic recovery

Number of US millionaires up 16 per cent in 2009

The number of millionaires in the US jumped by 16 per cent last year, a report shows.

Record price

Rough diamond fetches $40m

A diamond the size of a hen's egg has sold for $40 million, the highest sale price on record for a rough diamond.

Sponsor impact

Tag, Tiger and timepieces

SARAH MCINERNEY Tag Heuer chief executive Jean-Christophe Babin talks Tiger Woods, trends and timepieces with Sarah McInerney.

Sporting venture

James Packer gets his polo complex

James Packer has been granted planning permission to build a sprawling new British polo complex reported to be costing about $36 million.

Packer gets go-ahead for polo complex

James Packer has been granted planning permission to build a sprawling new British polo complex reported to be costing about $36 million.

Money misery

Tycoon trades high life for bedsit

HENRY SAMUEL PARIS: An Austrian tycoon is giving away every penny of his £3 million ($5.3 million) fortune, having realised that his riches made him unhappy.

Tycoon trades high life for bedsit

HENRY SAMUEL PARIS: An Austrian tycoon is giving away every penny of his £3 million ($5.3 million) fortune, having realised that his riches made him unhappy.

Anonymous bidder

Giacometti art work fetches auction world record

Alberto Giacometti's sculpture L'homme qui marche I has created a record by selling for $117.7 million in the highest auction price for an art work.

Westpac chief executive buys a slice of the good life

JONATHAN CHANCELLOR PROPERTY EDITOR GAIL KELLY, the boss of Westpac, has splashed out about $9 million on a Terrey Hills acreage property, highlighting the deep pockets of bankers at the recession-proof end of town. The acquisition cost Ms Kelly less than one year's income before tax.

Property purchase

Westpac chief executive buys a slice of the good life

JONATHAN CHANCELLOR PROPERTY EDITOR Gail Kelly, the boss of Westpac, splashes out about $9 million on a property, highlighting the deep pockets of bankers at the recession-proof end of town.

Grooming grows

Men spend up for the sake of looks

TOKYO: Japanese men are buying more cosmetics made specifically for them, even as salaries fall, unemployment rises and the population shrinks in Asia's largest market for beauty products.

Taking a break

Spain's elBulli restaurant to take two-year break

Spain's elBulli restaurant will shut for two years to allow head chef Ferran Adria to compile an encyclopedia of the recipes that have made it one of the world's most celebrated eateries.

On the scent

He Wood: Rocky Mountain Wood Dsquared2 (ITF Cosmetics)

HELEN GREENWOOD Dsquared2's Dan and Dean Caten are proud Canadians with a lumberjack wit and sexy tailoring in their hip clothing line. Their second men's fragrance is a woody scent with a hint of spiciness.