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Napoleon Bonaparte’s iconic hat showcased for auction

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A newly discovered hat that once belonged to European statesman and general Napoleon Bonaparte has been showcased at an auction house in Hong Kong. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hat contains DNA of the esteemed general, proving it was once in his possession. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Described by Bonhams auction house as the “first hat to bear the emperor’s DNA”, the item is currently on display in Hong Kong, before it will be relocated to Paris for a showing and then passed on to London, where it will be auctioned off. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hat is one of the most iconic images of Napoleon’s reign during the French Revolution, and a highly sought after item for history buffs and collectors of unique items.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Napoleon’s hat was bought by its current owner at a small auction house in Germany, with the owner not realising that it once belonged to the emperor. </span></p> <p><br /><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843847/napoleon-hat.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/c67f28fc696e47899a509c07949bbc0a" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Bonhams Auctions</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"It was purely a chance encounter," said Simon Cottle, managing director for Bonhams Europe.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The buyer became interested in the hat when he realised it had unique inscriptions and other unusual characteristics that suggested it could have belonged to Napoleon.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The hat was then extensively tested using various methods, which recovered five hairs that carried the General’s DNA. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most other Napoleon collectors' items were handed down by noble families or from soldiers who picked them up off the battlefield, whereas this hat holds a very different story. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The estimated price for the hat is currently between $185,000 and $270,000 with interested buyers remaining skeptical of that hat’s authenticity. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other Napoleon items that have gone through global auction circuits have been sold for as much as $3.3million. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images/Bonhams Auctions</span></em></p>

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Napoleon Perdis’ beauty empire on the brink of collapse again

<div> <div class="replay"> <div class="reply_body body linkify"> <div class="reply_body"> <div class="body_text "> <p>Napoleon Perdis has stood down from his own cosmetics empire Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics.</p> <p>Makeup fans were shocked when it was revealed earlier this year that Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics had appointed administrators after racking up debts of $22.8 million.</p> <p>However, after a stocktake sale, as well as the closure of dozens of stores, the company was saved after being rescued by “daigou queen” Livia Wang and ex-Witchery box Henry Lee.</p> <p>According to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/makeup-mogul-napoleon-perdiss-shock-departure-from-beauty-empire-revealed/news-story/1b851275cfc37e3e56fe5f72cf6f513f" target="_blank">news.com.au</a>, Wang and Lee’s Kuba Investments took over the company and saved it from liquidation, as well as keeping on Mr Perdis and his wife Soula-Marie Perdis as creative consultants.</p> <p>Creditors were quick to approve the deal, but it seems to have already turned sour.</p> <p><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.afr.com/business/retail/napoleon-perdis-severs-ties-with-napoleon-perdis-cosmetics-20190617-p51ye6" target="_blank">The<span> </span><em>Australian Financial Review</em></a> said that Kuba employees were informed late last week that the relationship with the couple has been “severed”.</p> <p>The publication has cited that “sources” who claimed “the consultancy agreement ended because Mr and Mrs Perdis now live in Athens and the relationship had proved unwieldy”.</p> <p>However, other sources claimed that the business relationship was cut after “Mr Perdis attempted to regain a seat on the board and tried to establish a new brand and products for his daughter Lianna”.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQfyEMHJlt/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BnQfyEMHJlt/" target="_blank">#BTS #lipstick @mbffbrisbane NPxx</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/napoleonperdis/" target="_blank"> Napoleon Perdis Cosmetics</a> (@napoleonperdis) on Sep 3, 2018 at 1:46am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The<span> </span><em>Australian Financial Review</em><span> </span>also claimed that Mr Perdis had complained about the “pathetic” situation on Instagram and vowed to “never give up”.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div>

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Travel guide to the island where Napoleon was exiled

<p>In 1814, and following a disastrous campaign in Russia, a battered Emperor Napoleon was forced into exile on the Italian island of Elba. He stayed less than a year before escaping and returning to Europe with dreams of victory, but that too would end in defeat at Waterloo. Looking at the gorgeous island today, it’s hard to imagine why he would have wanted to leave…</p> <p><strong>Where is it?</strong></p> <p>Elba is part of the Tuscany region and sits in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It’s around 10 kilometres off the west coast of Italy and flanked on the opposite side by the French island of Corsica. It is the third largest of Italy’s islands (behind Sardinia and Sicily) and the largest island of the Tuscan archipelago.</p> <p><strong>What should I do?</strong></p> <p>As much or as little as you like! The island’s 147 kilometres of coastline are dotted with some of the most gorgeous beaches in Italy. There are almost 200 of them, ranging from long sandy arcs to white pebbled coves and tiny bays accessible only by boat, where you can swim, snorkel or dive in the startling blue ocean. On land, the island’s rugged terrain makes it a paradise for hiking and mountain biking, or you can take a chairlift to the top of Mount Capanne, the highest peak.</p> <p>The island is also rich in history. You can visit Napoleon’s two villas, which have been beautifully maintained with impressive art collections and manicured formal gardens. But Elba was on the map long before his arrival and has been occupied by the Etruscans, Ligurians, Greeks, Romans, French, Spanish, English and more, who have all left their own unique stamp on the island. Finish your days with a glass (or two) of the very good local wine and a seafood feast pulled straight from the ocean.</p> <p><strong>When should I go?</strong></p> <p>Avoid August when the island can be completely packed with Italian tourists – you’ll be lucky to find a hotel room. For the rest of the year, it’s blissfully quiet and you can find yourself pottering around deserted beaches and driving winding coastal roads without another visitor in sight.</p> <p><strong>How can I get there?</strong></p> <p>Take a ferry from the mainland town of Piombino and arrive in the charming capital of Portoferraio. The journey takes around an hour and must be one of the most beautiful ferry crossings in the world. There is also a small airport on the island and you can fly from Florence, Pisa, Milan, Lugano, Bern or Zurich.</p> <p>Have you ever visited the Italian island of Elba? Let us know in the comments below. </p>

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