If Luxury Yacht makers can build marinas in Dubai, and movie stars can design hotels there, it makes sense that a fashion designer should be designing houses. Legendary fashion icon, Karl Lagerfeld, has signed an exclusive deal with Dubai Infinity to design limited edition luxury homes on Isla Moda, the world’s first dedicated fashion island, set in the iconic development, The World

Samira Abdulrazzak, CEO of Dubai Infinity Holdings said, “Dubai Infinity Holdings is excited to bring Karl Lagerfeld to the UAE region for the first time as he embarks on laying his footprint on Isla Moda. He is the first of five iconic designers who will shape Isla Moda into an international destination. This is a very important phase in the development and begins a new chapter for fashion in Dubai. Karl Lagerfeld’s exquisite work transcends demographics and is idolized by fashionistas in Dubai.”

Lagerfeld’s collaborations with avant-garde fashion labels such as Chloe, Chanel and Fendi have propelled him to Fashion Icon status, although he is also famous for losing 40 kilos in weight just to be able to wear a particular designers clothes.

His passion for photography took him behind the lens, creating his own campaigns and artistic photography, which are shown in the most famous galleries and museums all over the world. This obsession for photography and books naturally lead him to open his own bookshop on the leftbank of Paris and start a new venture as a publisher of art books with his publication house, 7L. He has implemented his passion for interior design by creating several different designs for his own properties, which reflect his artistic vision.

“The metamorphosis of art and beauty is my passion. The discovery of contemporary mediums of expression has allowed me to pursue my interest in art, beauty, architecture and progressive cultural exchange,” said Karl Lagerfeld. “Dubai is a fashion bud on the verge of blossoming into the next fashion hub of the world. The city is alive with culture and rich in personality, making it a perfect place for aesthetic, fashion and design to flourish. Isla Moda has tremendous potential to be the style icon of the future and I intend on driving the island to high style stardom,” he added.

Karl Lagerfeld is the first of five designers who will contribute to the Isla Moda Development.

At the signing ceremony, Ms Abdulrazzak, wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim headscarf, said, “We believe that the synergy of cultures will propel Isla Moda into international status making it an iconic landmark on the fashion world map. The most important aspect of this collaboration is the fact that we share a common vision”.

Karl Lagerfeld’s website

Dubai Infinity Holdings

Any piece of luxury real estate worth it’s salt will probably have a swimming pool on the property. Inside, outside, or both perhaps. This is a guide to the most luxurious, most insane, most expensive, most photographed, largest - and even the ugliest swimming pools in the World

Although this started as a serious look at swimming pools in luxury homes, it is now just a little fun. As I began researching swimming pools I discover some pretty amazing variations. Not all these are private, luxury swimming pools, in fact, some of them are just plain scary. But they were so interesting I decided to forget about private pools and just make this a compilation of swimming pools from around the world.

Some of them are privately owned and in some of the most luxurious homes on the planet, but some of them are open to the public and a few of them are even free of charge. The pool at the top of the page is inside the Raj Palace Hotel in Jaipur, India. If you like what you read here, please feel free to submit this page to your favorite social bookmarking site.

The most-photographed/most famous pool

It could be argued that the most famous pools are the Hearst Mansion pools.

Interior

Exterior

The world’s largest outdoor swimming pool

The largest outdoor swimming pool in the world is actually a man-made salt water lagoon in San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Southern Chile. Now, they might have a big pool, but I certainly hope the same engineers didn’t build their website. If this one takes a long time to load, don’t be too surprised, all their electricity is going to keeping the pool filtered. The enormous pool uses a computer- controlled suction and filtration system to keep fresh seawater in permanent circulation, drawing it in from the ocean at one end and pumping it out at the other. The Guinness book of records acknowledged the pool as the largest in the world - 1,013 meters in length, covering 8 hectares. Many more photos after the jump. More on Luxury Real Estate - Swimming Pools

Mumbai is now not only for famous for its Fashion, Lifestyle and Glamour but also for its luxury real estate. The dominance of Big Builders in Mumbai attracts a lot of non-resident-Indians (NRIs) and corporate Buyers along with residents wanting to invest or buy a home in Mumbai. Buying a home is no longer just buying a mere apartment but it needs to have some character with luxurious features and amenities. Mumbai is the hub of the Indian housing industry and in the news more than any where in the country. Builders with Vision and its young population are taking the city to the next dimension. Real estate agents are promoting the idea of a guaranteed return on investment very heavily and aiming this pitch directly at the relatively-wealthy NRIs.

Indianground.com suggests:

For any NRI returning to India and making a property investment in a metro like Mumbai will be a wise decision as it’s one of the fast paced cities of India and is a haven for India’s wealthy industrialists, flashy film stars and internationally acclaimed artists. With a population of nearly thirteen million people, it’s the melting pot of diverse ethnic background and varied cultures.

More on Luxury Real Estate Trends in Mumbai