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A river runs through the entire homeToday's luxury homes feature lazy rivers, reef aquariums and water slides.
Subterranean spaces of the superrichSome wealthy homeowners hide parts of their manses underground.
McMansion makeundersThe rich makes homes appear modest by burrowing below.
Peek inside a modern Portland homeThis house was designed with change in mind after its owner's divorce.
The anti-ski houseMany homeowners shun the traditional chalet for a modern alternative.
Off-the-grid mansionsThese often-spectacular homes are self-sustaining.
Fabulous built-in fish tanksWho needs an aquarium when you have one of these in your home?
Inside a real-life spy lairThe world's foremost collector of spy memorabilia shows off his house.
The kitchen that ate the houseAs floor plans open, food-prep areas are creeping into other rooms.
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Homes of fashion moguls
By Colleen Kane of CNBC
During the two weeks each year known in New York as Fashion Week, it's hard to avoid hearing fashion-design organizations referred to as fashion houses: the house of Armani, the house of Fendi and so on. But what types of homes are worthy of being the actual domiciles of these taste-making designers?
Unlike actors' mansions, which always seem to be going on and off the real-estate market, turnover isn't quite so high among homes of fashion designers. In fact, renowned wrap-dress designer Diane von Furstenberg loves her Connecticut estate, Cloudwalk, so much that last year she made arrangements to be buried on the property.
Many of the most famous fashion moguls' handsomely appointed homes and estates are showcased in glossy magazines, but when they are up for sale or rent and are listed online — or, in one case, open to the public as a museum — they becomes virtual catwalks that anyone can peruse. Here's a sampling.
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Homes of fashion moguls
Vera Wang
- Location: Beverly Hills, Calif.
- Price: Wang purchased it last year for approximately $10 million
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 4
- Square footage: 4,394
Vera Wang is renowned for her couture wedding gowns. Her designs have been worn in the weddings of celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Victoria Beckham. Wang is also a former figure skater and was the senior fashion editor at Vogue.
A lifelong New Yorker, Wang bought this glass-walled, midcentury modern last year because she had been spending more time in Los Angeles, according to The Wall Street Journal. It was built in 1967 and renovated to add modern conveniences such as a home theater. The last owner bought the house for $5 million and spent more than $3 million on renovations.
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Homes of fashion moguls
Christian Audigier
- Location: Los Angeles
- Price: No longer for sale
- Bedrooms: 7
- Bathrooms: 7
- Square footage: 8,276
Christian Audigier is the French-born designer behind the Ed Hardy brand, which gave the world the tattoo-art-inspired T-shirts favored by the men of "Jersey Shore." In addition to that, his work can be seen in brands such as American Eagle Outfitters, Lee and Levi's.
Last year, Audigier relisted his 1920s-era house for $8.265 million after buying it in 2007 for $4.78 million, according to the Realtor.com blog. Audigier's stamp was apparent on home décor in the listing photos, especially in the living room, where a large crown tops the mantel and fur throws and pillows adorn the hot-pink velvet sofas. Elsewhere is a table formed by slicing a life-sized sculpture of a hippo horizontally.
- On our blog, 'Listed': Peek at work of famed house photographer
Homes of fashion moguls
Marc Jacobs
- Location: New York
- Price: Being rented for $23,000 a month
- Bedrooms: 3
- Bathrooms: 3
- Square footage: 2,066
Native New Yorker Marc Jacobs is known for his eponymous line and Marc by Marc Jacobs. He is the creative director for the French fashion house Louis Vuitton, where he created its first ready-to-wear line in 1997.
Around the time of the last Fashion Week, Jacobs parted with his penthouse loft, appropriately located in the Chelsea Mercantile, a converted fabric-making building from 1908. Curbed reported that he was paying $20,000 a month in rent. Once Jacobs was out, the rent rose to $23,000 a month. And, hey, someone liked the 11-foot ceilings, "abundant closet space," views of the Hudson River and downtown Manhattan and its fashion pedigree enough to bite. It's now rented.
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Homes of fashion moguls
Donald J. Pliner
- Location: Miami Beach, Fla.
- Price: Recently sold for $14.325 million
- Bedrooms: 5
- Bathrooms: 9
- Square footage: 10,160
Donald J. Pliner is a New York-based designer of casual luxury shoes sold in department stores and five concept shops. His Moroccan-style mansion on star-studded Star Island recently sold. Neighbors include Shaquille O'Neal, Will Smith, Rosie O'Donnell and Madonna, according to Curbed.
This property's price was on its own version of a South Beach diet. It went from $24 million to $20 million, then back up to $22.5 million before selling for $14.325 million. Pliner purchased the mansion in 2004 for $11.8 million, according to the listing on Realtor.com. The colorful spread has soaring ceilings and internationally inspired exotic decor.
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Homes of fashion moguls
Christian Dior
- Location: Granville, France
- Price: Not for sale
- Bedrooms: Not available
- Bathrooms: Not available
- Square footage: Not available
Christian Dior introduced the small-waisted New Look that defined femininity in the middle of the 20th century. Although he died in 1957, his name remains a titan in the fashion world as the founder of the Christian Dior fashion house.
Villa Les Rhumbs is Dior's childhood home, and for the past decade, it has been a museum. In a country so associated with fashion, this is the only Musée de France dedicated to a couturier. A key attraction at this 19th-century Belle Epoque estate is the artists' garden designed by Dior's mother, Madeline, one of the few remaining examples dating to the early 20th century.
- On our blog, 'Listed': Peek at work of famed house photographer
Homes of fashion moguls
Lauren Conrad
- Location: Los Angeles
- Price: No longer for sale
- Bedrooms: 4
- Bathrooms: 4
- Square footage: 3,009
Lauren Conrad is a celebutante who made forays into the fashion world while starring in the MTV reality series "The Hills," which ran from 2006-2010. She started with the Lauren Conrad Line, then moved on to LC by Lauren Conrad at Kohl's stores, and most recently started the Paper Crown line.
Her Spanish-style house dates to the 1920s, much like many other Hollywood homes, except that this one was the setting for scenes in the "The Hills." As the Realtor blog points out, this property, which was listed for $2.25 million but is no longer on the market, includes the guest house where Audrina Patridge lived and the pool where she swam with Justin Bobby. (In MTV terms, this amounts to ancient history.)
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Homes of fashion moguls
Coco Chanel
- Location: Cap Martin, France
- Price: $50.732 million
- Bedrooms: 7
- Bathrooms: Not available
- Square footage: 10,000
One of the biggest icons in fashion, Coco Chanel invented the little black dress. Recently, her former home overlooking the Mediterranean, Villa La Pausa, went up for sale.
Chanel supervised the building of the estate, and her hand can be seen in the simple yet chic interiors, among the first to use a neutral palette. The stone staircase in the grand hall was modeled after the one in the Cistercian convent orphanage where she grew up.
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Homes of fashion moguls
James Perse
- Location: Los Angeles
- Price: $3.75 million
- Bedrooms: 1
- Bathrooms: 1 full, 1 partial
- Square footage: 2,235
The son of the owner of the Los Angeles boutique Maxfield, James Perse got into the fashion game when he set out to design the ideal cap. Its success eventually led him to sell his T-shirts and other casual clothing in his own store, as well as at retailers such as Barneys New York and Saks Fifth Avenue.
At the end of 2011, Perse put his 1953 Hollywood Hills, midcentury-modern house on the market. The asking price of $3.75 million is rather steep for a one-bedroom house, so what's the allure? Its minimal, laid-back aesthetic and floor-to-ceiling windows bring the outdoors in, much like Perse's designs. The master suite has a fireplace and walk-in closet. The kitchen is updated and there are numerous show-biz neighbors, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew Perry and Larry Flynt.
- On our blog, 'Listed': Peek at work of famed house photographer
Homes of fashion moguls
Donna Karan
- Location: East Hampton, N.Y.
- Price: Purchased by Karan for $3.775 million
- Bedrooms: Not available
- Bathrooms: Not available
- Square footage: 4,203
The woman behind the labels Donna Karan and Donna Karan New York (DKNY) designed for Anne Klein before starting her own label. Since 1990, another main occupation seems to be collecting a line of beach houses in the Hamptons, where she has four in adjacent lots.
The Daily Mail reported that Karan purchased the property in the compound just before last summer's season. Karan's daughter Gabby lives in the 7,969 square-foot house next door, which the paper says is worth more than $6 million (it was purchased for $2.45 million). The other two houses cost about $1 million and $1.5 million, respectively.
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