Renowned French champagne house
Veuve Clicquot has teamed up with luxury Italian motoryacht maker
Riva to produce an amazing new
Grande Dame Cruise Collection of coolers and accessories for discerning yachtsmen. It's nothing short of a match made in style heaven of two very chic European marques. The top offering from the collaboration is an $80,000 made-to-order cruising trunk that resembles a small boat in itself and harks back to the golden age of traveling in style which we
reminisced about recently. For something done on such a grand scale it's rather refined, a luxurious design without resorting to odious "bling" to attract those with more money than sense.
The trunk comes packed with four bottles (1988) and two magnums (1998) of Clicquot's coveted
La Grande Dame champagne, six
Riedel crystal champagne flutes and elegant table settings for six people. A smaller limited edition Cruiser Bag comes with a single bottle of Grande Dame and two flutes for more intimate occasions, and a matching ice bucket is crafted with marine flair to spare. All pieces feature the same lacquer work, mahogany inlay, chrome detailing and leather trim found on Riva's beautiful boats.
Riva, which dates from the 1800s, is an icon of the Italian Riviera's
Dolce Vita style. The company first captured the attention of movie stars and the international jet set in the '50s. Its classic wooden craft, which inspired the Cruise Collection, have been owned by the likes of
Brigitte Bardot, Richard Burton,
Sophia Loren, Aristotle Onassis and Prince Ranier of
Monaco. Their yachts, including
more modern designs, can be seen at the chic European seaside resorts where the
bon ton gather, and they have their own line of elegant
nautical-inspired clothing as well.
