Inside Fashion Designer Max Azria's L.A. Mansion

There are 60 rooms in the mansion. It was built in the 1930s in the style of an 18th-century French chateau. There are Japanese, English and French gardens, as well as a Moroccan-style poolhouse with a hammam Photo: SEAN LEE DAVIES

Inside Fashion Designer Max Azria's Los Angeles Mansion -- The Telegraph

Spectacular custom-made furnishings and a palette of silver and gold make the fashion designer Max Azria’s Los Angeles mansion a glamorous retreat.

The Tunisian-born fashion designer Max Azria moved with his family to Paris at the age of 14. There, in his early 20s, he discovered a talent for making money in the fashion industry. He designed clothes that took high-

fashion accents and channelled them into something wearable, desirable and hugely commercial.

With a decade of experience under his belt he moved to LA in 1981, drawn to the glamour of the world’s entertainment capital and a clientele that favoured haute Parisian style, but with a more youthful and accessibly priced approach. When

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My Comment: A finished home that only a designer would appreciate.

America's Biggest (And Gaudiest) Family Home For Sale

Under construction: The Siegel's 30-bedroom mansion in Windermere near Orlando, Florida, is modelled after France's Palace of Versailles

At Home With The King And Queen Of Versailles: America's Biggest (And Gaudiest) Family Home Which Still Costs $65Million Even Though It Isn't Finished -- Daily Mail

* Owners David Siegel, 77, and his former beauty queen wife Jackie, 46, are the subjects of new documentary film Queen Of Versailles
* Movie was to chronicle the building of the largest family home in the U.S.
* It instead showed how the economic downturn forced them to stop building their dream home, a Las Vegas-style version of French palace Versailles


Times are tough in the property market with prices tumbling everywhere - and the biggest house in America is no exception.

The 30-bedroom mansion in Windermere near Orlando, Florida, which is modelled after France's Palace of Versailles, has had its price slashed by $10million to $65million.

You might think for that money, you would be ready to move in at a moment's notice.

But the gaudy mansion is only two-thirds finished and there is an estimated $30million (£17million) of work still to do.

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My Comment: Gaudy is too polite a term to describe this train wreck. Here is an easy prediction .... they are not going to get their asking price.

Al Capone's Palm Beach Mansion Goes On The Market

The good life: Al Capone originally bought this waterfront property for $40,000 in 1928

Live Like A True American Gangster: Al Capone's Palm Beach Mansion Goes On The Market For Nearly $10Million -- Daily Mail

Gangsters may make their business by knowing the ins-and-outs of the criminal world, but Al Capone clearly had an eye for real estate as well.

The Palm Beach mansion that once belonged to the best known American gangster is due to be put on sale for a wealthy history buff who enjoys the sun.

The mansion has changed hands several times since 'Scarface' died there in 1947, and the latest owner dedicated a significant amount of cash to restore the property to its former glory - or notoriety.

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My Comment: There must be a lot of bad karma in that place.

A Look At The Syrian 'Presidential Palace'

Foreclosure Sale: Syrian Presidential Palace -- Michael Rubin, Commentary

My former Pentagon colleague David Schenker points me to this excellent photo essay compiled by Martin Kramer, who provides great commentary as well. Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words.

Now, many American officials convinced themselves that Bashar al-Assad wasn’t such a bad guy; rather, he was the eminently reasonable Western-educated doctor. They argued ferociously in the halls of Congress and in the corridors of the State Department that the problem in U.S.-Syrian relations was simply a lack of dialogue, and that the United States was too shy about doing business with Bashar.

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Editor: The photo gallery starts here.

Drake Spends $7.7Million On Luxurious Los Angeles Mansion

A bargain at double the price: Drake has just splashed out $7.7m on a Los Angeles home that was originally on the market for 27m in 2009

You Fancy, Huh? Drake Spends $7.7Million On Luxurious Los Angeles Mansion -- Daily Mail

It seems Drake is enjoying the fruits of being Successful.

For the hitmaker has just splashed out a whopping $7.7m on a luxurious mansion in Los Angeles.

And it seems he is intent on living somewhere with plenty of privacy, as the property sits in the Hidden Hills locale.

And it seems partying was the main thing on the 25-year-old rapper's mind when he splashed out on the property, as it boasts a mechanical bull, fake lagoons, cave and 80-foot waterside.

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My Comment: The quality of the picture is so-so .... but I love the look of the wine cellar and the pool.

A Sneak Peek Inside One57

Julie Zeveloff/Business Insider

A Sneak Peek Inside One57, The Super Expensive Apartment Building That's Being Built Near Central Park -- Business Insider

When it opens next year, One57 will be the tallest residential building in New York City. It will also be one of the most expensive and luxurious properties to come on the market in recent history.

The still-under-construction, 90-story apartment building is already making news. One of the building's two penthouse was rumored to have been bought by the Prime Minister of Qatar for around $100 million (though developer Extell has denied those rumors). And One57's basement storage bins alone will cost as much as $200,000—more than a Mercedes.

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Editor: The photo gallery starts here.

DreamWorks Founder David Geffen Has Bought Denise Rich's NYC Penthouse

Panoramic views: Looking out the window, one can see the Plaza Hotel, left, and the southern entrance to Central Park, with Columbus Circle to the west

DreamWorks Founder David Geffen Buying Citizenship-Renouncing Socialite Denise Rich's NYC Penthouse Apartment For Paltry $54 Million (It Was Listed For $65million) -- Daily Mail

* David Geffen, 69, is said to have purchased duplex penthouse listed by Grammy-nominated songwriter and socialite Denise Rich
* Rich recently renounced her American passport and will now live in London
* Sold 12,000 square-foot Fifth Avenue co-op for $11m less than asking price

Media magnate David Geffen is moving on up – literally – to the extraordinary Fifth Avenue penthouse once owned by wealthy socialite Denise Rich.

Rich, 68, the Grammy-nominated songwriter, top Democratic donor, and glamorous figure in European royalty circles, renounced her American passport in November, according to her lawyer, and has now sold her main home in the states for a paltry $54million.

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My Comment: Talk about a view of Central park

A Wine Estate For Sale In Malibu

Rosenthal Wine Estate in Malibu Is Listed for $59.5 Million -- Wall Street Journal

A 235-acre Malibu, Calif., wine estate has listed for $59.5 million. The seller is George I. Rosenthal, the chairman of Raleigh Enterprise, which owns and operates commercial real estate, hotels, and movie and TV studio complexes.

Mr. Rosenthal assembled the Rosenthal Wine Estate beginning in 1977. The property includes a 12,000-square-foot hacienda-style main residence with two swimming pools. There are also horse stables and two guesthouses, including one with an additional pool.

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My Comment: A wine estate in Malibu .... who would have known.

Mariah Carey Puts Beachfront Bahamas Villa On the Market For $5.5 Million

Private property: The quiet gated community would have provided Mariah with lots of privacy

Fit For A Diva! Mariah Carey Puts Beachfront Bahamas Villa Where She Wed Nick Cannon On The Market For $5.5Million -- Daily Mail

Mariah Carey has put her Bahamas villa on the market for a whopping $5.5million.

The property is more than just a holiday spot for the singer, who tied the knot with Nick Cannon at the location in 2008.

The luxurious house sits on the beach and has direct access to the white sands with plenty of outdoor space to look out over the water.

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My Comment: Great place to stay during the winter months .... but I guess her eyes are somewhere else.

Gianni Versace’s Sumptuous Mansion Is Back On The Market

Fashion house: Gianni Versace’s Miami mansion was as flamboyant as the clothes which still bear his name

Would You Buy The House Where Gianni Versace Was Shot? -- The Telegraph

The Miami mansion where Gianni Versace died is on the market. But will the history of the house help or hinder its sale? Emma Rowley investigates the price of infamy.

Russian oligarchs, Middle Eastern royalty and Ecclestone sisters, get out your wallets. Gianni Versace’s sumptuous mansion is back on the market. Now used as a boutique hotel, Casa Casuarina in Miami Beach, Florida, has been put up for sale with a hefty £80 million price tag.

Whoever buys it will need to share the tastes of Versace, that is certain. The couturier spent millions transforming the 10-bedroom South Beach property into an Italian villa, complete with frescoes, statues and stained glass, ever ready for a visit from Elton and the like.

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Editor: A photo gallery of Versace's home is here.

A Look At Liz Hurley's New Home

Love nest: Liz Hurley and Shane Warne have allegedly bought Donnington Hall for £6million

Lady Of The Manor: Liz Hurley To Leave Cotswold Farm As She As 'Buys £6Million Love Nest' With Fiancé Shane Warne -- Daily Mail

They fell in love in December 2010 and less than a year later they were engaged.

Taking their relationship to the next level, Liz Hurley and Shane Warne have allegedly purchased a love nest on the edge of the Forest of Dean.

The English beauty could be saying goodbye to her Cotswold farm home and hello to the magnificent Donnington Hall which is said to have set them back £6million.

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My Comment: She is upgrading.

Malibu Homeowner Made This Hollywood-Style Movie Trailer To Sell Her $35 Million Home

A Malibu Homeowner Made This Hollywood-Style Movie Trailer To Sell Her $35 Million Home -- Business Insider

You might think the video below is the trailer for Hollywood's next big summer blockbuster.

But it's actually the listing for one woman's $35 million Malibu house.

DeeAnna Staats hired Hollywood movie director Graham Henman to shoot the three-minute film, called "The Spider and the Fly," with Hans Zimmer Studios (which produced the musical score of "The Lion King," "Gladiator" and "True Romance") as the masterminds behind the soundtrack.

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My Comment: I love the video .... and what a smart way to sell your overpriced home.