Starting in 1996, Alexa Internet has been donating their crawl data to the Internet Archive. Flowing in every day, these data are added to the Wayback Machine after an embargo period.
Every year it's a challenge to see how Victoria's Secret will top themselves with their latest Fantasy Bra. They couldn't possibly put any more diamonds on the bra itself so this year's selection is a full set. The 2007 Fantasy Bra, modeled by Selita Ebanks includes a thong, garter, cuff bracelet and matching barrette with a holly and poinsettia theme. The entire collection is composed of $4.5 million worth of diamonds, rubies, emeralds and yellow sapphires embroidered into a push-up bra created by jeweler Mouawad.
In case just having an iPhone isn't good enough of a statement for you, soon you'll be able to have an iPhone plated in 24 carat gold. I'm not going to say it looks bad, because it doesn't (it is an iPhone, after all!), but I will say the concept is a little over the top and a bit ridiculous -- especially once people realize it is in fact real gold.
There's not much space to put the gold on an iPhone so not sure if the price (which is still TBA) will reflect that or not. Just don't add any diamonds anywhere, please (although I'm sure that's next...).
Put a drawstring on anything and it instantly becomes casual. Such is the case with this stitched up Dior bag. Soft brown leather is patterned with tonal stitching and pulled together with a slim drawstring strap threaded through antiqued brass rings. The large "D" charm hanging from one of three key fobs leaves no doubt whose bag you are carrying. The flap closes with a snap and the interior is finished with Dior logo lining, zip, cell and open pockets. The bag measures 8"H x 19"W x 6"D and sells for $1790.
London's Selfridges store dazzled the world recently with the announcement of the Wonder Room. The Wonder Room is actually a 19,000 square-foot space that is dedicated to luxury items, fine jewelry, watches, wine and other precious gifts from top brands such as Hermes, Chrome Hearts, Tiffany & Co and Bulgari which are located in boutiques hugging the perimeter of the room. It's not just a shopping experience, you can also visit the Wonder Bar, which features one of my favorite gadgets of all time an Enomatic Wine System stocked with 52 selections for true taste indulgence. Shown here are some the the pieces including the Ostrich Departure Bag (£10,150) made of ostrich leather and Swarovski Crystals, Theo Fennel's new line of fine jewelry called "Quiver" featuring pieces made of yellow and black diamonds and a Hermes saddle. Bigger versions of the pics are in the gallery below.
What makes the watches from Saro-Gem interesting is that they go further than just using sapphire crystals on the watch front and pack, the bracelet is also sapphire-coated. The Saro-Gem Chronograph shown here has a 43mm case of Inox stainless steel. It uses the ETA Valjoux 7750, 25 jewel movement with a 48-hour power reserve. The midnight blue dial is accented with eight small diamond. The bracelet is Inox stainless steel overlaid with gold crescent filets which are then overlaid with .75mm clear sapphire. The watch is a limited edition of 999 and sells for $8,685.
Wow. These Dragon BBQ Grills are one of those things you either love or hate right from the get-go. They're a combination of functional grill and artistic sculpture, with amazing detail. "Intense" is a word that comes to mind, and a definite requirement for owning one is being into dragons in a big way. There are three dragon grills in the collection so far, with the first one already sold for $65,000, the second premiers in Nevada in January and will be listed for $90,000, and the third remains TBA.
It's far from being the most expensive home in Rumson, New Jersey but there's just something appealing about it. The home was built in the 1980s and is tucked onto a quiet street on around 1.5 acres. The two-story custom home has large palladium windows and a great room with ceiling skylights, a marble fireplace and a bar. The kitchen is a recent remodel with granite countertops and newer appliances. The exterior includes a brick-covered patio and a fenced-in gunite pool. The home has four bedrooms total and it looks like the renovations haven't hit the bedrooms yet although there is a hugely lavish master bath. It is listed at $2.25 million and for once Zillow's zestimate seems to be on target, they have it at $2.086 million.
The latest company going pink to help fight breast cancer is Kyocera Advanced Ceramics. Known for their light-weight, balanced ceramic knives, Kyocera has created a Special Edition 5.5" Santoku Ceramic Knife to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. For each of the ergonomically designed, pink-handled knives sold, Kyocera will donate $5.00 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. So far, the company has donated over $90,000.
Available at Williams Sonoma and other specialty kitchen retailers for about $70, the knife is perfect for cutting fruits, vegetables and boneless meats. The ceramic blade will never rust or alter the flavor of foods and the pink handle is just plain cute.
Cleavage Creek is a pretty clever name for wines that raise money for breast cancer research. Owner Budge Brown lost his wife of 48 years to breast cancer in 2005 and is donating 10% of the gross profits to fund research to find an end to the disease. The line consists of eight wines to start with: 2005 Reserve Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2005 Reserve Napa Petite Sirah, a 2005 Cabernet-Syrah, a 2004 Merlot, a 2004 Merlot-Syrah, and a 2006 Reserve Chardonnay a 2003 Secret Red and a 2006 Secret White. There are 200 cases for sale the first year. Each bottle features a breast cancer survivor whose story is told on the bottle. Budge Brown plans to also create a tasting room nad wine shop in the Cleavage Creek vineyards in Napa. The wines are in the $18 to $50 range.
The news last week of a $10 gold coin that sold for $5 million is particularly interesting because the date on the coin is not the date it was minted. The Eagle coin is stamped 1804 but was created in 1834 at the Philadelphia Mint for Andrew Jackson as a diplomatic gift. This coin has some pretty fast appreciation, it sold for $1 million in 2003 and then for $2.47 million in 2005. There are just four of them out in the world.
I wonder what is it about coins that makes the prices rise. In part it is because they are a tangible record of history but I suspect the real reason is something else. As David Albanese, the president of Albanese Rare Coins, the dealer of the coin, reported both the buyer and seller are "northeastern United States entrepreneurs who have been collecting coins since they were young boys." I think this is why some coins sell for such high prices. Many other collecting hobbies take root after one is established in the world, wine, art, jewelry and watches, the love of those often develop later in life. But so many young boys and girls are given coins as gifts, thereby establishing a lifelong love of numismatics.
I want to be outside in the freezing cold, sipping on my triple grande white chocolate mocha and wearing this unbelievably beautiful cashmere bomber jacket by Richard Chari. It features a front zipper and a cute little front pocket to store your iPod. It would have been a bonus to have the zipper run to the top of the collar - what a cozy and snugly feel that would be - but wrap a colorful scarf around you and your set. Wear alone or if you are feeling extra cold, wear with a vest. Price: $980.
The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating piece on the world of watch collecting and in specific the Antiquorum auctions. I've covered these auctions a lot here on Luxist, they feature some of the most expensive and impressive collectibles from names like Rolex, Omega, Patek Philippe and Audemars Piguet. As the Journal reports, the watch makers themselves are often the buyers of the watches, buying back older pieces at exorbitant prices to set the prices of collectibles. The co-founder of Antiquorum, Osvaldo Patrizzi, shown here, is quoted in the article as saying that auctions are much stronger than advertising when it comes to promoting a brand. Patrizzi's view is controversial and raises some ethical questions about whether this is price fixing. In fact, Patrizzi is no longer chairman and chief exec of Antiquorum. He was booted a couple of months ago and Antiquorum is currently going over their books. Patrizzi's ouster is not said to be connected to the single-brand auctions.
Watchmakers do often buy back certain watches for their archives much as certain jewelers do with rare pieces they want to hold on to but in the case of Omega it seems that something more might be going on. Omega was seeking to restore its reputation for fine mechanical watches after years of making quartz timepieces. Turning to Antiquorum was part of a multi-tiered campaign that included celebrity spokespeople. Patrizzi thought an Omega-only auction could help give the brand new cachet. One interesting detail though, Antiquorum couldn't vouch for the authenticity of watches that are mass-produced so Omega agreed to guarantee the authenticity of all watches sold at the auction and supplied vintage timepieces from its own collection for the sale. The sale, which was promoted in 11 cities, brought in $5.5 million last April, of 300 lots, Patrizzi says Omega bid on around 80. Did this artificially inflate the prices on some lots? That's the major concern.
Price fixing allegations on collectibles are nothing new. Perhaps the most dramatic example is the Sotheby's-Christies auction house scandal memorably detailed in The Art of the Steal by Christopher Mason. In the world of collectibles where value is determined by what people will pay, greed often takes over.
Juicier than any Hollywood scuffle is what recently went down in the Hermes boutique in London recently. It was the battle of the Russian billionaires as Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich got into a scuffle. The Daily Mail says that Berezovsky, shown above on the right, was shopping in Dolce & Gabbana when he spotted Abramovich, shown above on the left, in the nearby Hermes store and he ordered one of his bodyguards to bring him a $10 billion legal writ for Abramovich. When Berezovsky tried to go the Hermes shop, Abramovich's set of bodyguards tried to keep him out.
Words were exchanged, Berezovsky shoved to documents at Abramovich who let them fall to the floor and then according to witnesses the two groups went off in opposite directions. Why the bad blood? The two were once business partners, but Berezovksy says that Abramovich had pressured him into selling his stakes in the Sibneft oil firm, Russian Aluminium and the television channel ORT at bargain prices. Poor Berezovsky told ABC News that he made less than $1 billion from the sale of these assets which he could have sold for far more. He also says that Abramovich did this on the orders of Vladimir Putin.
Abramovich, for his part is remaining silent on the episode. For a man who values his privacy, Abramovich manages to get his name in the news a lot. But when you are one of the world's richest men and one of the spendiest too folks are bound to talk. How do we suggest these two resolve their differences: a friendly game of chess, hot oil wrestling, pistols at dawn?
Although a cardigan, wouldn't it look just as gorgeous as a fall dress? Of course it would! It may be a bit transparent given the stitching, but that could easily be taken care of. You could pair it with opaque tights and a pair of mary janes for a sexy look or with tall brown boots for a trendy feel. Missoni's Long Wrap Cardigan features kimono-style tie and funky flared sleeves. If you decide to wear it as a cardigan, you could wear open or tied. I am getting excited just thinking about all the outfits that Missoni's Cardigan could produce. This is a piece that is versatile and stylish, without being ultra trendy, to last you for years. Price: $695.
Something about this metallic leather bag makes me think of marzipan. Maybe it is the sheen or the wedding-cake color, but this bag looks delicious. The large gold-tone buckle and strap hardware complement the light gold color of the bag and the wide adjustable shoulder strap looks comfortable. Under the large, magnetic flap closure is an expandable patch pocket and another pocket lies flat on the reverse side. Lined in fabric with an interior zip pocket, the bag measures 10" at its widest point and is 5" tall by 2" deep. $956.
