Month: May 2026

Frank Sinatra caroused by the pool. Marilyn Monroe held court upstairs. And the Beatles passed through during the frenzy of their 1964 U.S. tour — even amongst the colorful history of Miami Beach, the Shelborne By Proper Hotel, as it’s now called, has led an interesting and glamorous life, and its next chapter promises to be even more intriguing. Originally opened as The Shelborne in 1941 on Collins Avenue, the oceanfront property arrived during Miami Beach’s first true golden age, when the city transformed from a kitschy tropical escape into America’s winter playground for celebrities, socialites, and moneyed East Coast types. Over the decades, the Shelborne became one of the fixtures of South Beach’s mid-century style, though like many historic Miami hotels, it eventually lost its footing thanks to uneven renovations, oddball redesigns, and constantly shifting ownership.

Last May, the landmark reopened as The Shelborne By Proper following a reported $100 million restoration led by California-based Proper Hospitality. The relaunch marks Proper’s first Miami project and one of its most ambitious projects yet. Thankfully it also moves away from the loud nightclub-heavy version of South Beach hospitality that dominated the area for years. Walking through the property now, with its muted palette, softened interiors, and distinctly international crowd, it feels closer to a boutique hotel in Milan or Madrid than the stereotypical portrayal of modern Miami Beach.

The hotel sits on one of the best-known stretches of Collins Avenue, surrounded by landmarks from Miami Beach’s Art Deco and Modernist eras. The original building was designed by architect Igor Polevitzky, who helped shape South Florida’s early tropical modern style. Then in the 1950s, famed architect Morris Lapidus — known for the Fontainebleau and Eden Roc — added the sweeping curves and grand public spaces associated with mid-century Miami Beach. You can still see those different eras throughout the hotel today, from the original Art Deco bones to Lapidus’s more dramatic mid-century additions.

By the late 1990s and early 2000s The Shelborne had become a familiar South Beach story: a slightly shabby landmark struggling to compete with newer luxury developments. Brad Korzen, who founded Santa Monica-based Proper Hospitality, and his team recognized its potential though. The brand built its reputation restoring historic hotels without flattening their identity, and their properties are known for a design-forward, residential-style approach to luxury hospitality; like a penthouse owned by someone with impeccable taste and very expensive luggage.

The Shelborne feels quieter and more understated than some of Proper’s other hotels, which speaks to their individuality. Here, the mood is softer, quieter, and European. Walking through the lobby and public spaces, it becomes surprisingly easy to forget you are smack in the middle of South Beach. The atmosphere feels more like Madrid or Milan Design Week than Miami Beach, which is exactly the point. 

There is also something Prada-adjacent about the interiors in the way every surface, color, and material works together in a super-stylish and intellectually interesting, but not pretentious, way. Light peach, soft pink, seafoam green, cream upholstery, grained wood tables, and marble floors are all within the same palette. Even the restaurant staff uniforms and teapots seem to follow the same visual code. Tropical greenery appears throughout as well, but is never intrusive. The woven textile pieces in the lobby are especially good, adding warmth and texture without overwhelming the space.

The suites carry over the same soft peach, cream, and seafoam tones found throughout the rest of the hotel, along with marble bathrooms, separate sitting areas, and a noticeably more relaxed layout than many standard hotel rooms. Like the rest of the property, the rooms avoid the generic beige-luxury look common in modern hospitality, instead feeling polished but comfortable and actually pleasant to spend time in.

The Shelborne’s pool remains one of the property’s iconic spaces, with its classic curving mid-century shape, surrounded by the same soft peach, cream, and seafoam palette found throughout the rest of the hotel. Unlike many South Beach hotel pools with head-thumping soundtracks, the atmosphere stays relatively subdued, with more lounging, reading, and quiet cocktails. Framed by palms, striped loungers, and the hotel’s softened vintage aesthetic, it’s an on-brand idyll where guests actually want to spend an entire afternoon.

The relaunch also introduces Proper’s new ‘By Proper’ concept, which lets outside designers put their own stamp on different properties rather than making every hotel look the same. The Shelborne redesign was led by ADC Atelier, which approached the project less as a flashy reinvention than a careful recalibration. There are no conspicuous vintage furniture pieces here or collectible-design moments begging for Instagram attention—which gives the hotel a sense of confidence. It never appears desperate to convince guests how tasteful it is.

Even the luggage carts look like they were custom-designed, functional and attractive at the same time. Bathrooms feature the best Aesop amenities, perfectly aligned with the hotel’s low-key luxury approach. Food and drink play a major role in The Shelborne’s revival as well. Michelin-recognized chef Abram Bissell oversees the culinary program, including Pauline, the hotel’s gorgeous restaurant, and Little Torch, a cocktail lounge that channels old Miami’s tropical drink-and-late-night culture without tipping into parody. The menus pull heavily from Caribbean and Latin American influences rooted in South Florida’s culinary identity rather than generic luxury-resort cuisine. 

The overall food-and-beverage approach mirrors the hotel itself, with none of the louder hospitality clichés that once dominated Collins Avenue. Many of the city’s newer high-end projects seem increasingly interested in architecture, restoration, and old-school glamour; The Shelborne is leading the way, but in its own fashion. It doesn’t feel like an attempt to reinvent Miami Beach so much as a reminder of what made it so attractive in the first place.

Seven decades after a Porsche 356—the pride of Stuttgart’s first production car—became the German marque’s inaugural export to the Middle East, the then-burgeoning Behbehani Motors dealership has stood the test of time. In addition to being one of the first 10 Porsche dealerships in the world, it remains Kuwait’s sole official importer of 911s, Taycans, Cayennes, 718 Cayman, and other vehicles badged with the automotive world’s most famous coat of arms.

To commemorate the anniversary, Porsche has unleashed a special-edition variant of the apex 911 Turbo S adorned with motifs that pay homage to Al Sadu, a form of boldly colored wool weaving patterns traditionally used to make tents. The distinctive geometric patterns historically carried both symbolic meaning and decorative value. As a testament to the significance of the ancient craft, Al Sadu was placed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2020.

In the Porsche 911 Turbo S, the Sadu pattern appears in Bordeaux Red, Guards Red, GT Silver and Black on the centers of the door panels and the seats, the headrests of which are emobssed wiht “70 Years” in Arabic. The interior is further distinguished with a hand-stitched cross-stitch in GT Silver (cross) and Bordeaux Red (rows) on the upper parts of the dashboard, doors, rear compartment, seats and center console—the pattern can be extended to the frunk and the glove box’s lining at the owner’s request.

Meanwhile, the GT sports steering wheel is finished in smooth-finish leather in Black with a Bordeaux Red 12 o’clock marking, stitching in GT Silver and a coloured Porsche crest. The center console storage lid, featuring an Exclusive Manufaktur logo, is upholstered in Bordeaux Red leather with hand-stitched cross-stitch in GT Silver.The black brushed aluminium door sill guards feature 20 square elements illuminated in White, with the seventh square illuminated in Red. Seat belts are rendered in Silver Grey to contrast the predominantly red interior. A Burmester High-End Surround Sound System is fitted, along with a Sports Chrono stopwatch instrument dial with a digital tachometer in Black.

The exterior’s only obvious Al Sadu-inspired elements appear on the lower sections of the doors and the underside of the rear wing, where the pattern is applied as a decal in the colors Bordeaux Red, Guards Red, GT Silver, and Black to match the interior and provide contrast against the Cremewhite base color. The Sport Classic wheels are specially painted in Cremewhite and Black (high-gloss) and show the colored Porsche Crest instead of Turbonite.

If any Porsche were worthy of the Al Sadu makeover, it’s the 911 Turbo S. With 701-horsepower developed by the combined efforts of a 3.6-liter flat-six and the T-Hybrid system featuring two electric turbochargers and an electric motor integrated into the eight-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission, the Turbo S launches the 911 into the supercar echelon with a 2.5-second 60 mph time and a 200 mph top speed.

The Porsche 911 Turbo S Sadu Edition is limited to 20 examples that will be sold exclusively in Kuwait. While no prices were released, the vehicle will almost certainly push well past the $270,000 base price into the $300,000 range.

D’USSÉ Cognac is marking the 30th anniversary of Jay-Z‘s classic debut album, Reasonable Doubt, with a limited-edition box set and a series of high-profile concert activations. The multi-city campaign, dubbed JAŸ-Z30, honors three decades since the 1996 release of the landmark hip-hop debut. The timing also coincides with another major milestone for the billionaire hip-hop artist and entrepreneur, as this year also marks the 25th anniversary of his 2001 acclaimed record,The Blueprint.

Central to the rollout is a limited-edition JAŸ-Z30 D’USSÉ VSOP box set, which will be available at select retailers across the U.S., with a price yet to be announced.The high-end cognac brand also created a signature cocktail called the CODE30 featuring a blend of D’USSÉ, lemon, amaretto, pineapple juice, and soda water to commemorate the collectible release. D’USSÉ plans to integrate the anniversary into several major events this summer, serving the signature cocktail at The Roots Picnic in Philadelphia—featuring Jay-Z, The Roots, and Erykah Badu—and at Jay-Z’s upcoming sold-out concert residency at Yankee Stadium in July.

Reasonable Doubt launched Carter’s music career and established the foundation for his far-ranging business empire, which later made him rap’s first billionaire artist. The album is widely regarded by music critics as one of the greatest hip-hop records of all time. Reasonable Doubt produced two top 10 Rap Songs hits and reached No. 23 on the Billboard 200. Not too shabby for a then-relatively unknown Brooklyn rapper, but he wasn’t yet doing Biggie or Tupac numbers, points out Billboard. Jay-Z’s third album, 1998’s Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life, skyrocketed him to a new level of success and hit No. 1 on the charts, as did his nine records that followed.

“Mr. Shawn Carter’s codes of ambition, craftsmanship, and excellence are woven into the DNA of D’USSÉ, and JAŸ-Z30 is a powerful reflection of that legacy,” declared Gigi DaDan, General Manager of D’USSÉ, in a statement. “For 30 years, he has shaped culture through music, art, style, and philanthropy, and as a brand built as an extension of his innovation. There’s no better way to mark 30 years than raising a glass to community, legacy, and what comes next.” Check out the brand’s Jay-Z-approved cognac cocktail recipe below.

CODE30 Cocktail Recipe

• 1.5 oz D’USSÉ VSOP
• 0.75 oz Amaretto
• 1.5 oz Pineapple Juice
• 0.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• Soda Water, to top

Dua Lipa recently surprised fans by releasing her full-length concert film, Dua Lipa – Live From Mexico, entirely for free on YouTube.The documentary captures the final performance of her massive “Radical Optimism Tour,” offering viewers a front-row seat to the culmination of a two-year global journey that spanned 92 shows.

Dua Lipa – Live From Mexico blends high-energy live tracks from her latest studio album, Radical Optimism, with intimate, behind-the-scenes monologues. In the documentary-style segments, Lipa shares bittersweet reflections on the realities of touring and the raw adrenaline of performing for stadium-sized crowds.

Alongside the requisite visual spectacle, the film’s setlist features explosive, full-length live renditions of the Grammy winner’s career-defining hits, including “Levitating,” “Break My Heart,” and “One Kiss,” as well as a massive crowd-sing-along of her breakout track, “Be the One.”

The two-hour film showcases 21 tracks, including a duet with Maná’s Fher Olvera of the band’s classic 1992 hit “Oye Mi Amor.” Throughout the tour, Dua Lipa notably performed covers and duets in the local language to honor each city. She ultimately performed in nine different languages, including Spanish, Italian, French, Czech, Dutch, German, Portuguese, and Albanian.

“This was my idea. It came about purely because I had done a song for the American Country Music Awards with Chris Stapleton, and it was so much fun that I proposed it to the band and to the team: How fun would it be if every night we do a different song?” Lipa previously said of the covers idea, per Rolling Stone. “And everyone was like, well that’s quite ambitious.”

The release marks a growing trend of major musical artists bypassing traditional streaming platforms to offer premium concert content directly to fans. Dua Lipa – Live From Mexico is available to stream now on the singer’s official YouTube channel. Watch the full documentary below.