In honor of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, Johnnie Walker and Baccarat teamed up to produce an edition of 60 diamond decanters. They come complete with sterling and diamond collars and a box carved from the oak that this has been aging in since Elizabeth’s coronation in 1952. Yours for $160,000 thank you very much.
I don’t know why I’m even surprised, considering a crocodile Birkin bag went for auction this week for over $200,000 complete with solid gold and diamond-encrusted hardware and locks. This, however, looks like a great weapon for $69,500.
An interesting post-atomic-age vase (with a matching bowl and centerpiece.)
http://www.christofle.com/us/8-haute-orfevrerie/778-vase-ho-atomes-d-argent
For ONE James Bond enthusiast, and no one else. Asprey’s bookbinding department got their hands on a complete set of 1st edition James Bond novels, rebound them in leather and added platinum-gilt pages. Yours for 21,000 Pounds, or about $33,600 give or take. 🙂
http://www.asprey.com/assets/pdf/catalogues/Asprey_Catalogue_LR.pdf
To understand mass hysteria, one only needs to search for iPhone accessories. Everyone’s jumped on the bandwagon, including the high-end dealers. Most of the fancy lot, like Vuitton or Gucci, offer flat, snug-fitting slip cases where the entire device must be removed for use.
Enter Valextra, aka the Italian Hermes. They’ve produced a “Star Trek communicator” in their signature leather with black piping. This one is $320 and there are others, as well. Barney’s New York has the rights in the U.S. otherwise you need to waltz into one of their showrooms in Italy, drat the luck!
http://www.barneys.com/Barneys-New-York/BARNEYS,default,sc.html?q=valextra&start=0&sz=195
You’re an adult. Too old for Hello Kitty, but not old enough to abandon Lego. But you’re also a professional Blackberry whore and things need to be more efficient! In the USA we call it anal retentive. Overseas, it is simply Japanese efficiency. If only it had a few dividers inside… 🙂
Hermès just launched a new website to showcase their new documentary that recently premiered on The Sundance Channel, “Hearts and Crafts: The People That Make Hermès. It’s 45 minutes long and focuses on some of their top craftsmen and how they got where they are. It also shows how only one person starts and finishes their saddles and bags, some of which have waiting lists ranging from several months to several years in the case of certain Birkin and Kelly bags. Also covered is the silkscreen process for their 36” scarves, most of which are elaborate enough to justify framing.
http://www.lesmainsdhermes.com/en/
Louis Vuitton canvases and leathers look a LOT better when used to create animals. 🙂
Billie Achilleos’ Leather Goods Animals at Deyrolle – YouTube.
From the new store at http://www.panam.com comes the first dual time zone watch that got my attention. It seems Pan Am’s original pilots invented the first dual time zone watch to begin with.
Below is the complete museum program for “The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor” by Christie’s. I picked this up on the last of the 4 dates in Los Angeles at MOCA at the Pacific Design Center this past Saturday. Please note this is NOT the actual auction catalog, this is only what is currently touring before the big auction in December. There are 5 complete auction catalogs available at the bottom and they go up to $75 each or the complete boxed set for $300.
This is an 8 page touring catalog printed on card stock. The original scanned size is 8 3/4″ x 11 1/2″ and aside from cropping a few scanned edges, no further alterations were done to these pages. These are basically color thumbnails and not high resolution pics, so I’m afraid this is as good as it gets at 1,200 dpi. I have some better photos elsewhere on this blog, site is at the bottom.
Cover
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Back Cover
Catalogs and other official Christie’s info:
http://www.christies.com/elizabethtaylor/catalogues.aspx
Eight of the better pictures I took on 10/15/11:
The Hardyman Files 