Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana
Stefano Gabbana came close to buying a $60 million penthouse at the Mark Hotel in Manhattan, New York.
Gabbana - who has recently faced legal troubles with business partner Domenico Dolce - has been keen to acquire a property in the city and only opted out of the eye-watering deal after deciding that a land lease made the transaction too complicated.
An insider told the New York Post newspaper: "Stefano has been searching for an apartment in New York this year. He was looking at apartments in the range of $60 million, but nothing south of 57th Street."
Another twist to the story is Gabbana's apparent eagerness to ensure there is some distance between himself and Domenico Dolce.
The source added: "Stefano wants to be nowhere near Domenico."
In 2009, Dolce bought two penthouses in the Sky Garage tower in New York City for $29 million.
It was recently reported that Dolce & Gabbana threatened to pull $20 million of magazine advertising over a planned expose.
The design duo were upset US publication Vanity Fair were planning a feature on their financial woes, which saw them fined $470 million and sentenced to 18 months in jail after being found guilty of tax fraud in 2013.
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