Literally and metaphorically, luggage is the freight of air travel. It’s not just fees that deter fliers from checking bags; it’s the time and hassle involved in reclaiming them as well as the risk they’ll be lost, damaged or delayed. Nearly seven in 1,000 airline passengers globally experience mishandled bags, according to SITA, an airline technology provider. Promising to reduce travel friction, luggage-shipping services have flourished in recent years, offering unburdened transit and the delight of finding your bags waiting for you in your destination. The convenience often comes at a cost above a checked-bag fee. So, we wondered, is it worth it? How Shipping Works Shippable luggage ranges from carry-on bags to large items like golf clubs, skis, bikes, trunks and cardboard boxes. Travelers begin the process by scheduling a shipment online with details about the size and weight of the bag, and pickup and delivery dates, which will influence the price. The bigger the bag and the faster the shipment, the higher the cost. (Most companies advise scheduling a shipment to arrive one business day before you do.) Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Shipping distance and how you initiate the transit may also affect the price. Services such as Lugless and Ship&Play allow you to drop off your items at a shipment center like FedEx or UPS to save a little money, though pickup is also available. More premium offerings like Luggage Forward and Luggage Free specialize in door-to-door service, collecting bags from private addresses. Delivery destinations can include homes, hotels and offices. Most shipping services recommend that travelers let their hotels know about the shipment and its expected arrival date. Prices vary widely. On Luggage Free, I priced a carry-on-size bag shipped from a New York hotel to a San Francisco hotel at $94.99; a full-size suitcase would have cost $114.99. Standard golf clubs were $109.99, skis $139.99 and a bike $209.99. By comparison, airline fees for a checked bag start around $35 and often include standard sports equipment like skis and golf clubs. The same carry-on and full-size bags shipped with another luggage specialist, ShipGo, were about $70 and $80. On the same route, ShipGo priced a golf bag from about $80, skis from $95 and a bike from $180. Lugless came in cheapest, with the smallest suitcase starting at $38, if given a week to make the delivery. Pros and Cons Travelers who use shipping services generally praise their convenience. Sally Brooks, an actress based in New York and Los Angeles, has been using Lugless to ship bags since 2011. She said she usually pays less than $40 for a small case, making the service competitive with an airline. “The less distraction and stress at the airport, the better for me,” Ms. Brooks said. Stephanie Fisher, an agent in Key Largo, Fla., for Brickell Travel, has sent clients’ bags with Luggage Free, particularly on complicated trips. In one case, a client traveled to Paris and then on to a fishing trip in Spain that required different wardrobes. “If they have varied itineraries, it can be easier to ship bags and switch out gear,” Ms. Fisher said. Planning ahead is key. Shipping companies require travelers to have their bags ready well in advance of travel to get the best rates. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Jeremy Abelson, who works in finance, regularly uses Ship&Play for work trips. “You can save half an hour to 45 minutes on the way out of the airport because you don’t have to go to baggage claim,” he said. But packing in advance has made it harder for the Denver father of four to use it as regularly on family trips. Price is also a deterrent. But when multiple bags are involved — many airlines charge $150 for a third bag — shipping may be the cheaper way to go. Testing the Service I tried on numerous occasions over several months to ship a bag and found that I usually wasn’t organized enough to get it out in time. But for an April trip from Chicago to Aspen, Colo., I sent my ski bag ahead with Ship&Play. It was easy enough to stuff ski clothes, which I wouldn’t need until I arrived, around my skis, poles and helmet in a soft-sided case five days before its scheduled arrival (and six days before mine) to get the cheapest price. I would dedicate a carry-on to ski boots and other clothes. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT The ski bag weighed under the specified limit of 50 pounds for the lowest rate, $84.99. With taxes and fees, the total came to $98.97 and included up to $2,000 in insurance with delivery to my lodgings (in this case, my sister’s house). I opted to drop the bag at a local FedEx store. Normally, leaving a bag with an airline doesn’t induce anxiety. But somehow abandoning such a conspicuous object behind a retail counter did. Nonetheless, the bag arrived safely three days later, ahead of schedule, without damage. I appreciated the convenience of not having to haul the unwieldy bag to and from the airport on the way out. But on the return, I checked it with my airline, which was free to me as a holder of the airline’s branded credit card but otherwise would have cost $40, according to an airline employee at the airport. Paying an extra $60 to $100 for shipping seemed indulgent. But when I factored in a $50 cab ride, which I needed to help me manage the ski bag, a wheeled carry-on and backpack, compared with a $5 train fare, the equation evened out a bit. Still, the shipping payoff depends on how much you value convenience. I might ship ahead again, especially with multiple bags or an awkward item like skis.

With her wavy red hair scrunched up high in a ponytail, Chloe Humphries applies collagen patches by the Korean beauty brand Abib under her eyes before grooming her brows with an Anastasia Beverly Hills serum and layering her face with a multitude of skincare products: a peptide-infused essence by Sunday Riley, a vitamin C-infused sunscreen from Garnier and lip balm by Sol de Janeiro. It’s a process shared with her 634,000 followers on Instagram. “I’m going to be doing more runs than ever, so I need to make sure I’m taking care of my skin,” Humphries wrote in the video’s accompanying caption, adding that she will be running the London Marathon on April 27. “I’ve decided to treat each pre-run skincare routine like a warm-up and try to make sure I’m doing it every time,” she said. For Humphries, who has been running since 2020 and is based in the UK’s West Midlands, an effective beauty regime is increasingly as important as training ahead of a race. “When I do my makeup, it’s part of the ritual of getting ready, and having that time to myself (helps me to) decompress and distract from what’s coming up,” she told CNN in a phone call, recounting the pep talk she gives herself: “Get in the zone. You’ve got 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) or more to do. You’re going to be OK. Your makeup feels nice, and you’ll be running good when you’re out there.” ‘Looking my best’ Humphries is not alone in turning to grooming and beauty routines before a race to feel confident and prepared. London-based healthcare worker Intisar Abdul-Kader took up running in 2014 and has since participated in marathons globally (she completed the Tokyo Marathon in March and is now training for a half marathon in Amsterdam in May). Abdul-Kader emphasized the importance of skincare and makeup that ideally “will stay on for four hours.” (Her current go-to brands are Merit and Glossier.) “It’s about taking pride in showing up to a race that I’ve prepared for months,” Abdul-Kader told CNN by phone. “I’m not going to show up not looking my best. Feeling good, looking good — that’s outside as well as inside.” Charlotte Purdue, another UK-based runner, shared a similar sentiment: “It’s like going to work,” she said over a phone call. “You wouldn’t go to work without looking kind-of presentable. So, when you’re on the world stage — if you’re running a major marathon, you could be on TV — you just want to look good.” For some runners, beauty can extend beyond simple skincare to more elaborate treatments including tanning, manicures and intricate hairstyling. Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson is known as not only one of history’s fastest women, but also for the ornately designed nails that has become a core part of her personal style. As she dashed across the track in the women’s 100-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, her long custom acrylics — shipped to her from Brooklyn-based manicurist Angie Aguirre — were visible to all. Elite marathoner Anya Culling’s beauty regime takes place both before and after a run. The latter, which includes “an all-body moisturizer that feels like a massage, or a good hair mask, after my hair has been matted from a track session in the rain,” is vital because “it feels like self-care, which is important after I have pushed my body so hard,” she wrote to CNN over email. Investing in beauty prep — such as fake tan, eyebrow dying and gel manicures — ahead of time means that “I don’t have to do it every morning and can get straight up and train,” Culling explained. Among her favored products are the Bondi Sands one-hour express self-tanning foam, Eylure’s permanent eyebrow tint and BIAB nails. “I wouldn’t normally wear makeup for training, but for a race, the E.l.f. power grip primer and setting spray means my makeup doesn’t budge, and then a quick lick of Benefit’s BadGal Bang! mascara makes me feel exactly like the name suggests,” she added. Challenging misconceptions The growing significance of beauty in sports marks a shift in athletes’ attitudes. Historically, athletes, particularly female ones, have focused primarily on their performance, with anything else viewed as a distraction, said Andrea Geurin, a professor of sports business at New York University’s Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport. This is, she explained, partly due to a largely male-dominated sports culture, where athletics is characterized by stereotypically masculine qualities, such as strength or competitiveness, resulting in female participation in sports being less appreciated. “Men’s sports have overshadowed women’s sports for so long that women athletes felt like they couldn’t focus on beauty, or on aspects of their femininity, while also being seen as a serious sportsperson,” she said on a call. American track and field athlete Florence Griffith Joyner (known as Flo Jo) captured the public’s attention in the 1980s, not only for her running prowess while setting 100-meter and 200-meter world records at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, but also for her beauty regime, which included nails around four to six inches long, in bright colors or animal prints. Her fingernails were viewed as “both a source of intrigue and revulsion,” wrote Lynchburg College sport management professor Lindsay Pieper in a 2015 essay. “Because she preferred long, colorful nails, the runner was depicted as abnormal, deviant, and different.” Joyner’s femininity — or perceived lack thereof — was often the source of controversy: Because of her deep voice and muscled physique, her career was mired by unproven allegations of performance-enhancing drug use. (She consistently passed drug tests during the 1988 games, including 11 tests that year, and an autopsy carried out after her death in 1998 found no conclusive proof of drug use.) Grappling with body image and stereotypes has long been a point of contention for Culling. “There was always this unspoken idea that if you were a girl who played sports, you either had to sacrifice your femininity or constantly prove that you could still be ‘girly’ enough off the field,” she said. “I remember feeling like I had to make an effort to dress a certain way or wear makeup just to remind people that I was still girly — even though I was just as passionate and competitive as any male counterpart.” “As a young girl, this sent the message that strength and femininity can’t co-exist, which isn’t true at all,” Culling added. That sentiment, however, appears to be changing as Culling and a new generation of athletes become more comfortable with expressing their authentic selves. “Now, I embrace the fact that I can be competitive and athletic,” she said, adding that “I love the antithesis of being a girly girl who is also running faster than most guys out there.” “For so many years, it seemed like women weren’t allowed to fully express themselves. Now, we’re seeing this old notion turned on its head (as female athletes) take control and ownership of their image, and it’s actually empowering for them to talk about these other aspects of who they are beyond sports,” observed Geurin. “There’s no longer this contradiction; you can be strong and fast and also feminine.” ‘The marathon is a catwalk’ Female participation in running competitions is growing: At the 2024 New York City Marathon, which is regarded as the largest in the world, 24,731 women completed the race — marking the highest number of female participants in its history. Women athletes are also increasingly visible thanks to the amplification of social media platforms, where people share their training journeys and race experiences. On TikTok, there has been a recent flood of videos with tags such as “how to look pretty while running” and “makeup for marathon.” For some amateur runners, the sport offers the potential for romance — leading some observers to dub run clubs as “the new dating apps” — which may explain a heightened interest in maintaining one’s appearance and looking good. “I know girls in my run club that have got run club crushes,” laughed Humphries. “Park runs and races are a really good way for people to meet. I think that for a long time, run clubs felt like something for the older generation, but with social media, younger people are (getting more involved).” Humphries added that the sport has helped her form new friendships: “I have a friend group from my run club. We see each other outside of runs, and when we do go for runs, we message each other beforehand saying, ‘What are you going to wear? Will you have matching socks on today?’ I love that it’s become a way to meet people.” Rising interest in running has also proven attractive for brands. Last summer, beauty label Charlotte Tilbury partnered with Purdue, who counts over 51,500 followers on Instagram and 32,000 on TikTok, on video content showing off the products the runner uses in her routine. “They sent me loads of stuff, and I also got to go to their Covent Garden store (in London) and get a full glam look.” Purdue said. In 2024, Maybelline New York became the first-ever cosmetics sponsor of the New York City Marathon. Ahead of the upcoming London Marathon, companies including the self-tanning label Three Warriors and facial brand FaceGym have partnered with athletes and influencers, offering treatments that promote their products and services. “I think back to the London Marathon in the ‘80s and ‘90s, where people would run in their slops or casual clothes,” James Harknett, global creative artist at Three Warriors, told CNN over a call. “Now, the marathon is like a catwalk, where people are (considered about) what they’re choosing to wear and the skin they’re showing off.” Asked why he is now collaborating with runners, Harknett said he hoped to grow brand awareness and to “educate people and make them feel good in their skin.” A former avid runner herself, FaceGym founder Inge Theron started offering facial massages, as part of a quick break, to runners taking part in the Los Angeles Marathon about seven years ago. “The marathon (route goes) directly past Sunset Boulevard, where our shop is, and I saw a lot of people running and grinding (their teeth) from the stress,” she recalled. “It creates tension within their jaw.” Theron continued: “I’m seeing a lot more people get out and participate in (runs) — what’s changed is that instead of going on their own, people are coming together.” But whether people engage in athletics professionally or as a hobby, protective measures need to be taken, she warned. “It’s not just micro injuries that can be caused from the repeat repetition on the ground, but there’s also the sun and other things that can impact your skin and body,” she said.

Homes in the DC region were listed at a median sale price of $630K, according to real estate agency "For sale" signs are popping up everywhere near Washington, D.C., following the Trump administration’s federal shakeup. Compared to this time last year, the number of active home listings in the nation’s capital shot up by almost 47%, according to FOX5 DC, citing data from real estate agency Bright MLS. In March alone, records tracked 6,000 new listings and almost 5,000 new pending contracts in the D.C. area, according to Bright MLS Chief Economist Lisa Sturtevan, the outlet reported. Sturtevan told the outlet that the rise in inventory has been great for the real estate market as listings were previously at "historically low levels." "Inventory has just been so tight here in the Washington area," Sturtevant said. "More inventory coming onto the market is a good thing for the market." Median sale prices last week in the D.C. region were listed at $630,000, according to Bright MLS. While prices may remain high, FOX5 reported one home that was only on the market for 41 days saw a price drop of $45,000. The rise in new listings has been fueled by the area’s high concentration of federal employees impacted by the Trump administration’s new policies, FOX Business previously reported, citing Redfin agents. The Department of Government Efficiency, which aimed to eliminate wasteful government spending by trimming the federal workforce, has slashed thousands of jobs across agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Internal Revenue Service. In addition, buyout offers were accepted by nearly 75,000 employees, Fox News Digital previously reported. Return-to-office mandates have also affected the real estate market. FOX Business previously reported that a D.C.-area couple who had to return to the office sought to list their home in the hopes of finding another home closer to public transportation. The abundance of homes for sale presents an opportunistic moment for buyers. While new listings have increased dramatically, the housing market is still performing below pre-pandemic levels, Sturtevant said. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also said she believes the capital’s real estate market still has room to grow, according to the outlet. "I remain very optimistic about the downtown, very bullish about the future of the District of Columbia," Bowser said. "We have laid out a plan, we’ve delivered on the plan, we continue to have people come forward with ideas. We continue to attract partners and continue to make investments."

The asking price of the home stands at $11,988,000 A multimillion-dollar home owned by the man behind Starbucks’ Frappuccino recently went up for sale in Washington State. The property, nestled on Lake Washington in Kirkland, has an asking price of $11,988,000, per its listing with Windermere Real Estate Northeast’s Bryan Loveless, and Realogics Sotheby’s International Realty’s Brian Hopper. Kirkland is located across Lake Washington from Seattle. According to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, it has a population of 91,000. Property records list Bill Moore as the current owner. The former Starbucks executive was behind the coffee house chain’s Frappuccino drink, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported. It has a "chef’s kitchen" with a "caterer’s wing," according to the listing. A rec room, wine cellar and a guest suite featuring a kitchenette are among some of its other rooms. The main house provides plenty of indoor and outdoor "entertaining areas," as well as decks with stunning views of the surrounding scenery, according to the listing. There is an outdoor patio that includes a pizza oven. According to the listing, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom detached guest house on the property is included. That building is replete with "cathedral ceilings, walls of windows & rooftop deck," it said. The property spans over 14,200 square feet. On its grounds, there is a private upper garden where raised beds are installed and fruit trees are planted, per the listing. The Kirkland home going up for sale last week came after it had previously spent some time on the market last year. Homes in Kirkland had median asking prices of $1.4 million in February, according to Realtor.com. They sold for a median of $1.3 million.

Property located northeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico The large estate that the late Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa called home in the Santa Fe area could be worth millions if it hits the market. The 12-acre property is located northeast of Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico. In late February, police discovered the actor and his wife, a classical pianist, deceased. They were ages 95 and 65, respectively, at the time of their deaths. A realtor recently told the Daily Mail the Hackman property could go for $5 million should it get listed. The agent said the home "is big, stylish and has great bones, so there will be interest." Its ties to a Hollywood star could help its price, according to the outlet. The sprawling Santa Fe property has two homes on it, one of which existed when Hackman bought it and another he built about 25 years ago, Realtor.com reported in February. The actor told Architectural Digest in 1990 that he put the property’s original home through a significant revamping. He turned to architects Harry Daple and Stephen Samuelson for that endeavor, according to the outlet. "Because Hackman and Arakawa were so fiercely private about their home life, it’s difficult to know exactly how many updates and upgrades they made to the property during the 20-plus years that they lived there," Realtor.com executive editor Charlie Lankston told FOX Business on Thursday. "In 1990, Hackman revealed he had made extensive changes to the home, which was in a state of disrepair when he purchased it," Lankston said. "In 2000, he built another home on the same land, and in the 25 years since then, he’s added a number of external structures, including the garages where rodent activity was discovered. There were only four bedrooms and one bathroom in the home when Hackman bought it. However, he and his wife added many more rooms during their ownership, all of which would add to the value." The massive renovation that Hackman detailed in 1990 involved tearing down walls, creating a living area and making the ceilings significantly taller, according to Architectural Digest. The actor reportedly incorporated multiple styles, such as Pueblo, colonial New Mexico and Spanish Baroque, into the home during the remodel. Lankston said estimates have put the home’s value "anywhere between $3.8 million and $4.5 million, with many headlines placing it at $4 million exactly." The Santa Fe ranch has belonged to Hackman since the 1980s. New Mexico officials said Arakawa died around Feb. 12 and the Oscar-winning actor passed about a week after her. Her cause of death was the result of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. Hackman died of hypertensive atherosclerosis cardiovascular disease with Alzheimer’s disease as a contributing factor, Fox News Digital previously reported. The New Mexico Department of Public Health found dead rodents and nests in eight detached outbuildings on the couple’s estate during an assessment in early March. "When it comes to putting an asking price on the home, the couple’s death should not have an impact," Lankston told FOX Business, noting factors like home size, acreage, condition, amenities and decor are typically used to determine that. "While the home’s connection to Hackman and Arakawa’s passings may impede its ability to sell, I would not expect it to negatively impact the price initially," he said. "It’s also highly likely that many prospective buyers will not be turned away by the fact that its former owners passed away there. If anything, I think the huge public scrutiny over the future of the home may be the biggest deterrent." That, he said, could make some privacy-focused buyers less interested in it if it went on the market. Homes within the same ZIP code as Hackman’s ranch varied in value. Asking prices in the area ran the gambit from $70,000 to $19.5 million, data on Realtor.com’s website showed. In March, homes in the ZIP code had median prices of $893,000 and square footage of 1,700, Realtor.com Senior Economic Research Analyst Hannah Jones told FOX Business. "The median listing price per square foot in this ZIP was 528 in March 2025, which would translate to a listing price around $4 million for the Hackman home," she said. A nearly 11,500-square-foot house with a 3.41-acre lot up for sale not far from the Hackman property carried a $7.5 million asking price, a listing on Zillow showed. A private funeral service for Hackman and Arakawa was held recently, People reported on April 15.

Set in a sleek, lacquered rectangular casing and adorned with 20 baguette-cut yellow beryls — set in gold, to match the opulent golden chain from which it dangles — Chanel’s latest launch looks like a lipstick at first sight. But there’s more to it. With a click, the lipstick case opens to reveal a watch dial at its center. Named “Kiss Me,” the timepiece is part of the French luxury house’s capsule collection, which was unveiled at the Watches and Wonders trade fair in Geneva in April. Fusing beauty and horology, the collection also includes “Protect Me,” an amulet-like pendant that reimagines the evil eye as founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s own kohl-lined gaze, and “Give Me Luck,” a talismanic necklace featuring rubellite cabochons and five pink tourmalines arranged in a Byzantine motif that Chanel herself loved. Twist either pendant and, again, a hidden watch is revealed. Creating timepieces that bear little resemblance to ordinary wristwatches (which traditionally feature a dial plate and hands, and attached by a strap, designed to be worn around the wrist) may seem like an unexpected move for Chanel, known for its classic styles. But it’s part of a broader growing trend that has also extended to the red carpet: See the custom Lorraine Schwartz watch choker that Taylor Swift wore around her neck to the Grammy Awards last year. “It’s a new way to wear time — one that celebrates uniqueness and individuality,” said Manon Hagie, sales director of watches at Sotheby’s, on a phone call with CNN. ‘It’s not immediately clear it’s a watch’ Timepieces in unlikely shapes and sizes featured across the Watches and Wonders fair, which concluded on Monday. Van Cleef & Arpels unveiled a new diamond-studded edition of the Cadenas — a bold, padlock-inspired design with a shackle-like clasp that looks more like a bracelet than a watch — marking the 90th anniversary of one of its most beloved styles. “When you look at it, it’s not immediately clear it’s a watch — and that’s what makes it modern and intriguing,” said Rainer Bernard, head of research and development at Van Cleef & Arpels, attributing the design’s enduring appeal to its dual identity as both a jewel and timepiece Similarly, the diamond-studded open cuff featuring Cartier’s iconic panther — caught mid-leap, paw outstretched, prowling over its prey — may initially look like a daring adornment. Upon closer inspection, however, the feline sits opposite a discreet watch dial that is only revealed when the piece is tilted by the wearer. These newly introduced Panthère jewelry watches — which also include a pared-down version in gold — play on the silhouette of last year’s Réflection de Cartier. (That model featured a mirrored finish in place of the panther, allowing the time to be read through its reflection, as the name subtly suggests.) Cartier’s appetite for no-watch watches also extends to the men’s department with its revival of the Tank à Guichets. Deceptively minimalist, the new model features neither a dial nor hands — just two tiny apertures, or “guichets” (French for ticket windows), showing the hour and minutes as digits at the top and bottom, respectively. First introduced in 1928 as a reinterpretation of the classic Tank, the limited-edition style returns in 2025 in yellow gold, rose gold and platinum. Unusual-looking timepieces also took center stage at a special Sotheby’s sale in April. Titled Area 51 — a playful nod to the US military site in the Nevada desert, long associated with UFOs and conspiracy theories about alien technology — the auction spotlighted 51 timepieces with uncommon case shapes or made with materials rarely used in watchmaking. Ranging from vintage Patek Philippe models to futuristic creations by independent brands like Urwerk, the lots fetched a combined $1.6 million. For Sotheby’s Hagie, the result reflects “how the watch audience is evolving, with more women and Gen Z collectors entering the space.” Pendant and brooch watches Customers looking for less risqué styles may be drawn to pendant watches. All the rage during the Roaring Twenties, when they swung from the lithe frames of bob-haired flapper girls in fringed dresses and lowered waistlines, the style is enjoying a revival amid newfound interest in unusual watch forms, Hagie observed. She linked the trend to nostalgia, but also watchmakers’ growing focus on female clients and their heterogeneous tastes. Indeed, in recent years, Jaeger-LeCoultre and even the sportier Richard Mille have introduced watches designed to swing from one’s neck. Meanwhile, Chanel’s playful new take on its signature octagonal-dial Première watch features an extra-long gold and leather chain designed to wrap not only around the wrist but also the neck. At Piaget — where pendant watches have long been part of the brand’s repertoire — they’re back in the spotlight: This year, the Swiss watchmaker unveiled a model featuring a rope-like gold chain and ruby-root beads, with a ruby-root dial framed by a festoon of spinels and yellow sapphires arranged as a fan. A more pared-down version highlights a trapeze-shaped dial, the core design element of the newly launched Sixtie collection. At Watches and Wonders, they were intentionally displayed next to “patrimony” timepieces from Piaget’s archive that are not for sale, explained Stéphanie Sivrière, the brand’s jewelry and watch artistic director. “We create a fluid narrative where past and present collide — until you forget which is which,” she said, adding that, as of late, pendant watches have “been so successful we can barely keep up with demand.” At more accessible price points, Van Cleef & Arpels has reimagined its signature Alhambra, Perlée and Ludo designs as pendant watches featuring juicy colored gems like turquoise, lapis lazuli and carnelian. Meanwhile, Dior’s jewelry division has introduced pendant versions of its Gem Dior watch — one with jazzy malachite, the other with delicate aragonite — dangling from a thread-thin link-bar chain. “I love the idea of jewelry that tells time,” Victoire de Castellane, Dior Joaillerie’s creative director, wrote to CNN over email. “And I find wearing a watch as a pendant amusing.” A lighthearted approach was also taken by Philippe Delhotal, creative director of Hermès Horloger, who turned the house’s iconic anchor chain motif into a brooch watch, rimmed with diamonds and adorned with a pink tourmaline, as part of the Maillon Libre collection unveiled at the fair. “Historically, watches have also been carried in pockets, worn on ties or styled as brooches. So rather than designing a brooch to hold a watch, we first created the watch itself — then the idea of the brooch came naturally,” Delhotal explained. “It’s a nomadic piece that can be shared or styled differently — pinned as a brooch or worn as a pendant on a sautoir. In doing so, it offers the wearer a spectrum of possibilities.”

Victims of sophisticated online scams are often dealt a double whammy. Not only is their money forever gone, but these stolen sums often generate giant tax bills when the funds are emptied from taxable retirement accounts. Many of these victims are often left wondering what sort of recourse they may have. Tax regulators recently provided some answers, clearing the way for more victims to seek a tax break on more solid footing. In a memorandum released on March 14, the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Chief Counsel described which types of scams might qualify for tax relief, including many investment schemes and some types of impersonation fraud. But it still excludes other widespread digital crimes, including kidnapping schemes, for example, and romance-related fraud that did not involve investing. “We are aware that taxpayers have suffered losses from various scams perpetrated by unknown individuals operating domestically and internationally,” the memo said. “However, the actual scam may vary, and the application of this advice is dependent on the taxpayer’s specific facts.” Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT There used to be a more equitable way for people with the largest fraud losses to deduct them from their income, using a tax deduction for victims of personal casualties, disasters and theft. But that and many other individual breaks were eliminated or narrowed as part of the Republican-led tax overhaul known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which helped to pay for broader tax cuts, including a reduced corporate tax rate. The current structure of the deduction, effective from 2018 through 2025, treats victims unevenly. It can be used only in certain situations, even though many of these fraudsters are operating out of the same playbook. The tax deduction, in its pared-down form, says personal casualty and theft losses can be claimed only in situations like federally declared disasters or “transactions entered into for profit.” That means deductibility is an option only if the victims had a goal of profiting when they entered into transactions with scammers — but that definition wasn’t etched into the law. The new guidance provides taxpayers with parameters by laying out several different situations that qualify and a couple that don’t. This includes taxpayers deceived by impersonators who claim to be fraud specialists at the victim’s financial institution, who then urge them to move their money to safer accounts because their existing ones have been compromised. Since the victim intended to safeguard and later reinvest the money, the I.R.S. deems this “a transaction entered into for profit.” In other words, the guidance recognizes that the preservation of the assets qualifies as a profit motive (and is eligible for tax deduction). “That opens the door a bit for more taxpayers to take theft loss deductions,” said James Creech, a director at the tax advocacy and controversy practice at Baker Tilly, a large accounting and advisory firm in San Francisco. “Practically what this means is that if you are audited you can take the memo, show it to the auditor, and most likely that will resolve the question of if the transaction was entered into for profit.” Other qualifying situations include so-called pig butchering investment schemes, which direct unsuspecting people to seemingly legitimate mobile apps or websites where they can buy cryptocurrencies and have the opportunity to earn large profits. As their account value increases, they invest more money — but when they try to cash out, the money vanishes. This, too, is deemed a profit-driven transaction by the I.R.S. In another situation, taxpayers get a phishing email from an impersonator, urging them to call a fraud analyst to ensure their money is safeguarded. The impersonator instructs the victim to click on a link in an email, which gives the impersonator control over the victim’s computer, eventually enabling the thief to empty the victim’s investment account without permission. In all three cases, the taxpayers had contacted their financial institutions and law enforcement and were informed they had little to no chance of recovering the money. The memo also outlines situations that would not qualify, in large part because there is no profit motive. So if an individual was deceived into paying medical bills for a scammer posing as a romantic interest, that would not be eligible for the tax deduction. The same goes for victims who sent ransom money to criminals who had claimed to have kidnapped their grandchild using artificial intelligence to clone the child’s voice. The guidance also clarifies that none of these situations would be eligible for the tax breaks provided to victims of Ponzi schemes, which can be used when an investment fraud meets certain conditions. Regardless of your specific situation, it helps to document everything as soon as you realize you’ve been victimized. File a police report with local officials and federal ones, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Take screenshots of any online platforms or apps that you used to communicate with the criminals, including online conversations, photos or anything related. Create a timeline or narrative of the events. The casualty and theft loss deduction is set to revert to its original form at the end of this year if the sweeping 2017 tax law expires. But Republicans are trying to extend that package. The original federal casualty loss deduction was limited in different ways. It could be claimed only by taxpayers who itemized deductions on their returns, which means the total amount of those deductions had to exceed the standard deduction for it to be worth it. And the deduction applied only to losses that exceeded 10 percent of their adjusted gross income. Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Lawmakers, including Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, have drafted legislation to offer more comprehensive relief dating back to 2018. when the deduction was curtailed. But that hasn’t been passed into law. “This I.R.S. guidance provides a good deal of clarity and relief to a lot of scam victims, including a constituent of mine who would have owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes,” Mr. Raskin said in a statement. He added, “But we still have important bipartisan work to do in Congress to make the tax code fairer for all scam victims.” The way the states treat these situations can amplify victims’ federal losses, too, generating significant tax liabilities of their own, tax experts said. But some states are trying to address that. Joseph Vogel, a Democratic state legislator in Maryland, said he had recently introduced a bill with bipartisan support that would make these losses generally deductible at the state level. “The scams are getting better and better,” he said. “These people need some relief.”

Antoni Gaudí, the celebrated Catalan long nicknamed “God’s architect” for designing Barcelona’s Sagrada Família, has been put on the path to sainthood by the Vatican. In a statement released on Monday, the Vatican said Pope Francis recognized Gaudí’s “heroic virtues,” which is a step on the path to sainthood. Becoming a saint is a complex process that can take hundreds of years, however, since a candidate normally needs two miracles to be attributed to their intercession. Finding those miracles will be the next step if Gaudí is to beatified and then canonized. Commissions of doctors and theologians then examine the miracles before the pope makes the ultimate decision to canonize someone. Gaudí is a rare case. Few artists become saints and no architect, in the modern understanding of the profession, has ever been canonized. Gaudí’s legacy is intrinsically linked with Catholicism as he dedicated much of his career to the Sagrada Família – a church of such awesome splendor that it remains unfinished more than 140 years after construction began. He envisioned the church to be “a Bible in stone” and designed a monumental structure with 18 huge, spindle-shaped towers, each symbolizing a different biblical figure – the 12 apostles, the four evangelists, the Virgin Mary and Jesus. When it is finally completed in 2026, the tower of Jesus Christ will stand at 172.5 meters (566 feet) tall and will be finished with a 17-meter-tall (56-foot) four-armed cross, making it the world’s tallest church. Inside, the nave is bathed in multicolored light that streams in from every direction through ornately decorated stained-glass windows. Gaudí never saw the church anywhere near completion. He died in 1926, when only an estimated 10%-15% of the project had been built, including one transept, a crypt and some of the apse wall. Although Gaudí dedicated the remaining few years of his life and career exclusively to the Sagrada Família, other buildings bearing his distinctive style are dotted all over Barcelona, lending the city much of its character. For decades, there has been a movement calling for Gaudí’s beatification, known as the Association for the Beatification of Antoni Gaudí. The Archbishop of Barcelona took up that cause in 2023 and submitted the positio, or key argument, for Gaudí’s beatification to the Vatican.

Twenty-five years ago, in his pristine but sparse Manhattan apartment, viewers got ready with Patrick Bateman for the first time, meeting the often suited and sometimes blood-drenched fictional character through his intensive morning routine. In the 2000 film adaptation of “American Psycho,” Christian Bale plays the yuppie investment banker — and nighttime serial killer, depending on your interpretation — who, upon waking, dons a cooling gel eye mask for his puffy eyelids while doing 1,000 crunches in his white briefs. He details his subsequent nine-step skincare routine at length with added pointers. (Alcohol-based products are drying and “make you look older,” he offers). When his glistening herb-mint facial mask peels off, his real mask slips, revealing his unsettling stare. “There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory,” he monologues. “And though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable, I simply am not there.” Throughout the film — and even more so in the book, published in 1991 by Bret Easton Ellis — Bateman is obsessive over brands and consumer goods, rattling off his knowledge and judging others on their tastes. Today, his specter lurks online through the hyper-consumerist attitudes on social media that almost makes his character’s obsessive behaviors seem normal. Influencers chronicle their minute-by-minute early morning fitness and wellness routines or multistep nighttime skincare regimen that appear to involve a never-ending array of products. The “morning shed,” popularized on TikTok, can involve peeling off or discarding multiple hydrating skincare masks, wrinkle patches, chin straps, mouth tape, LED masks, hair rollers and body wraps, all apparently worn overnight, to start the day. (Last year, Allure called the trend “the prison of being perpetually hot.”) “It’s a very relevant film for now, and of course, it was (released) way before social media,” said Jaap Kooijman, an associate professor in Media Studies and American Studies at the University of Amsterdam, who has written and taught on the book and film versions of “American Psycho,” in a phone interview. “But it’s based on the same principle of the outside appearance (and) consumer goods masking being empty inside.” Pure performance The film may depict a serial killer, but it’s the display of the “serial consumerism” of the era — then limited to traditional media like print and TV ads — that has become a fascinating harbinger as consumers’ aspiration for products that align with self-worth has only seemed to grow. The film’s themes converge most directly in the “manosphere,” the increasingly persuasive corner of the internet pushing narrow and problematic views of masculinity. Bateman has often been held up as a cult symbol of the “sigma male,” an archetype for someone introverted and attractive who works hard, works out, has a good skincare routine, and also harbors contempt for women. Ellis’ original intentions with his novel have been continually debated, with many critics believing the book to be inherently misogynistic. But director Mary Harron’s take on Bateman, co-written with screenwriter Guinevere Turner, has been considered feminist by some, including Kooijman, in its critiques. “We’re still watching a serial killer, but it’s so over the top, and so well played by Christian Bale that it’s, you cannot take it fully seriously,” Kooijman explained. The same can be said of engagement-baiting online, where every trend is taken to extremes and context can be lost. Is it satire when a six-hour morning routine goes viral for dunking one’s face in iced sparkling water at 5 a.m. after pushups on the balcony? Or does it only become that when someone else responds with their version dipping their face into the bowl with each push-up? Bateman may have taken notes and ditched his gel mask. In any case, it’s all performance, something that “American Psycho” toes the line with as Bateman is increasingly revealed as an unreliable narrator. Bateman obsesses over the symbols of status — his business card typeface, the ever-elusive reservation at the notoriously exclusive restaurant Dorsia — but the reality of his day-to-day activities is unclear. His peers misidentify him, his outbursts to fiancé (played by Reese Witherspoon) and secretary (Chloë Sevigny) aren’t met with responses, and his chainsaw-wielding murders are cleaned up like they never happened at all. “His persona as a serial killer is just as real — or not real — as his persona as a consumer and his persona as a (banker),” Kooijman said. “They become interchangeable, and that’s the terror, or the dystopian factor of ‘American Psycho.’” Yet, while Ellis’ novel can be interpreted as a critique of the wealth and consumerism of New York in the ‘80s, a period of significant economic growth, it’s also presenting it, Kooijman said. “You could also read it as a celebration.” Because of that, Bateman’s purpose may have been lost on the fans who could benefit from the film’s point. After all, by the end he is a pathetic figure, confessing his most depraved actions only to be called the wrong name and ignored once again (not so much a hero of masculinity after all). Instead, many young men are circling around the same preoccupations that Bateman did, “looksmaxxing” to improve one’s jawline or skin but to an echo chamber of like-minded disaffected internet users, much like investment bankers showing off new business cards to one another to inflate their self-worth. The manosphere, after all, is intended for itself. “You can always be thinner, look better,” Bateman tells his secretary when he invites her over for the evening. Online, that message continues to resonate, as social media drives the insatiable hunger for more. In “American Psycho,” Bateman’s identity is a hollow assemblage of labels, products and condescending monologues — a blueprint for the experience of being online today. Like and subscribe to watch the mask slip.

LVMH lost its position on Tuesday as Europe’s largest luxury company in terms of market capitalization after being overtaken by rival Hermès due to investor pessimism after disappointing first-quarter revenue from the sector bellwether. LVMH, whose high-end brands include Louis Vuitton and Dior, jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. and beauty chain Sephora, missed expectations for first-quarter sales as US shoppers curbed purchases of beauty products and cognac while sales in China remained weak. LVMH shares dropped 7%, bringing its market capitalization down to €246 billion, compared to €247 billion for Hermès. While market valuations tend to fluctuate, Tuesday’s trading “does reflect diverging performance and investor sentiment about the two companies,” said Jelena Sokolova, senior equity analyst at Morningstar. Sokolova pointed to LVMH’s larger exposure to the lower end of the luxury spectrum, whereas the wealthier client base of Hermes allowed it to better weather an industry downturn. Hermès, which sells $10,000 Birkin and Kelly handbags, is known for its tight hold on production, sticking to a 6-7% increase each year. The overtaking in market cap is “quite telling of the post, post-Covid world,” with LVMH fashion labels enjoying a far greater market share than in the past, having gained ground on rivals during the post-pandemic boom, noted Flavio Cereda, who manages GAM’s Luxury Brands investment strategy. There will be “short term pain for sure” said Cereda, noting Vuitton’s focus more on middle-range luxury goods was an “the area of concern.” LVMH, down 7.2%, led share declines across the sector, with Gucci-owner Kering and Hermès down 2% and 0.3% respectively. Swiss-based Richemont, which owns Cartier, was down 0.7% while Italy’s Prada was down 4.2%. A 3% decline in LVMH’s first-quarter sales — well below analyst expectations for 2% growth — pointed to another difficult year for luxury companies following US President Donald Trump’s recent tariff announcements, which have sparked fears of a recession. The performance signaled “a more difficult trading environment for the broader luxury sector,” said RBC analyst Piral Dadhania, who lowered his organic sales forecast for LVMH this year to flat from growth of 3% expected previously, citing the first-quarter sales miss. Investors had been hoping the luxury sector would pull out of its slump this year, but trade tensions have raised concerns of a global recession. Improvement seen at the end of 2024 now seems an anomaly as LVMH’s key fashion and leather goods business, home to the Louis Vuitton and Dior brands, reverted to 5% sales declines, noted Deutsche Bank. Shares of luxury companies have traded lower since the end of March, with LVMH, Kering and Burberry all down 14%, Richemont down 13% and Hermès down 5%. Bernstein analysts recently lowered their sales forecast for the sector this year to a decline of 2%, against a previous forecast for 5% growth, a drop that would mark the industry’s longest downturn in over two decades.