Animal lovers, close your eyes : Hermes has released a $150,000 Crocodile peacoat !
That eternally classic item of military-inspired menswear, the peacoat, has been interpreted in myriad different ways and fabrics over the years since it was first adopted by European navies some 250 years ago.
Mens designer Veronique Nichanian released this elite item at the famed fashion house’s Fall / Winter 2008-09 collection show. The luxurious jacket is made entirely from top-grade crocodile skin.
There are currently two navy blue coats at the flagship store on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Other coats may be special ordered for a finished product that will arrive in 3-4 months.
French luxury products group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton said Monday it has signed an exclusive agreement with Dutch investment company Egeria to acquire Royal van Lent, the Dutch designer and builder of luxury custom mega-yachts sold under the Feadship brand.
The talks with owner Egeria, a Dutch investment firm, are based on an acquisition price worth approximately 11 times net profit. The estimated price equates to a transaction value of less than 500 million euros, a source familiar with the talks said.
This acquisition will enable LVMH to enlarge its scope of activities and to expand its presence in products and services at the top of the luxury market.
Royal van Lent’s yachts target an ultra-exclusive clientele and are built to the highest quality standards using specific know-how. Feadship’s attributes of creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, quality and exclusive positioning are shared by all the luxury businesses operated by LVMH.
Founded 160 years ago, Royal van Lent enjoys a leading market position. It designs and builds custom mega-yachts under the Feadship brand, one of the most exclusive and prestigious brands in the world for motor-yachts measuring over 50 meters.
The custom-built ultra-luxury mega-yacht sector offers strong global growth prospects. By targeting exclusively ultra-high net worth individuals, Royal van Lent offers an outstanding growth opportunity that is resistant to economic cycles. Since 2000, the worldwide order book for custom-built luxury yachts measuring over 50 meters has grown by more than 20% per annum.
Those luxury watch sell for an average 30 million euros ($44 million) each. (source)
Searching for a stylish luxury pen? Grab yourself a sterling-silver Maserati-branded pen. Designed by Armando Simoni, the OMAS (Officina Meccanica Armando Simoni, named after its founder) is a standing evidence of the luxury that Italy is famous for.
The Maserati pen comes in roller ball ($2,500) and fountain ($2,750) styles. Each features a Maserati trident and Maserati signature fender vents etched into the body and cap. There are going to be 1914 pens (1914 is the year when the company was established) : 1,200 of the fountain pens and 714 roller balls are to be made.
I would love to show off this elegant pen in my office, but I have got the distinction of being the world’s foremost loser of pens. I buy pens by the dozen, and they disappear at the rate of one per day so I think I am going to keep buying those luxury BIC Pens.
The UR-202 Hammerhead, designed by Urwerk, brings a bunch of innovative features to an accessory that hasn’t changed that much in about a century.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the time on the UR-202 is displayed using telescopic minute hands operating through the middle of three orbiting and revolving hour satellites.
The telescopic minute hands precisely adjust their length to follow the three vectors marking the minutes: 0 -14, 15 – 44, 45 – 60. Extended, they enable the UR-202 to display the time across a large easy-to-read, dial. Retracted, they allow for a very wearable and comfortably sized case; thus providing the wearer with the best of both worlds.
The watch is powered by kinetic energy; it winds itself as you move your wrist around. Kinetic watches work best when they’re wound with gentle and consistent motion.
The UR-202 is also the world’s first wristwatch featuring an innovative new winding system regulated by compressing air utilizing minature turbines. The turbines act as shock absorbers, using air pressure to cushion the movements of the rotor. A switch on the back of the watch lets you adjust the air pressure passing through the turbines to compensate for “vigorous†and “extreme†activity.
The UR-202 available in red gold, white gold, black PE-CVD platinum and ALTiN. No pricing info yet.
The bouquet, called “Thien hoa bach ngoc†(Thousands of flowers, hundreds of gemstones)was created by craftsmen from DOJI Gems & Trade JSC and LyLy Flower Supermarket in Hanoi.
It consists of white roses, white lilies, white orchids, moonflowers, the root of a 100-year-old ficus, several kinds of stones, paints, feathers and gemstones, including 90 two-carat red ruby facets, nine one-carat diamonds, and a 21.6-carat star ruby. The 100 gemstones are meant to symbolise 100 happy years of the couple.
Many people have asked about hiring or buying the bouquet to use in their weddings but DOJI refused. The firm wanted to keep the special bouquet for display.
Though, it has set a record to the Vietnamese Guinness Book of records for being the most expensive set of gemstone flowers with a price tag of VND2 billion ($125,000).
But I guess the only thing you could see now is a faded petal from this beautiful bouquet… Indeed, the bouquet was on display last summer at the Ruby Plaza in Hanoi, a recently erected retail and office building that offers six levels of high-end retailers, a luxury day spa, and a rooftop bar restaurant. It is expected to be one of the most sophisticated marketplaces in Vietnam
“H.Stern began building its international reputation as an influential and leading jewelry house in 1945, when Hans Stern founded the company in Rio de Janeiro. For over six decades, H.Stern has continuously surprised the industry and media with its exquisite creative philosophy, becoming not only a reference in the world of design, but also an innovative avant-garde jeweler for the modern woman. Today, H.Stern is often seen on the most renowned celebrities of our time and on the pages of the top international fashion and lifestyle magazines.”
Feathers are very popular for fall. But, have you ever heard of a feather bracelet and earrings? H.Stern has taken the step to create a unique jewelry by introducing the Feather Collection.
It recently releases a 7″ bold, heavy and chunky bracelet. The bracelet is made of 18-karat brushed yellow gold (weighing a total of 123.05 gram). It also incorporates a locking bar closure. To complement the bracelet, H.Stern also releases a matching dainty earrings from the same collection. Again, it is made of 18-karat brushed yellow gold (but this time weighing a total of only 19.49 gram). To add the bling, it is accented with two diamonds (weighing a total of 0.05 carat). It uses post backs and is 2 1/2″ in length.
The bracelet retails at $21,000 whereas the earrings at $4,900.
Russian pop sensation duo T.A.T.U. has been summoned by Marc Jacobs to be the new faces of Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2008/Winter 2009 fashion ad campaign.
Do you remember these girls? They had the hit song, “Not Gonna Get Us,†back in 2002, which propagated their band’s lesbian image, but the girls – Moscow natives Lena Katina and Yulia Volkova – turned out to be straight.
The singers replace Victoria Beckham, who starred in Jacobs’ spring/summer collection.
Animal lovers, close your eyes : Hermes has released a $150,000 Crocodile peacoat ! 
