Italian

Don't call it a comeback ... well, because the bar's been lowered. At the post-war and contemporary art sales last Friday, both Christie's and Sotheby's nearly hit the high end of presale estimates. This marks a distinct turn from earlier this year, when the auction houses couldn't even reach the lowest ends of reduced expectations. Any comparison to last year is made difficult by the fact that both houses combined their auctions with Italian art sales. So, they open with "close to the top end of the range" and can't really be evaluated on anything else.

Values for the pieces are off -- that's pretty well known (especially to anyone trying to sell right now). Sotheby's brought in $32.8 million at the sale -- which also had Arab and Iranian art on top of the contemporary and Italian lots. Christie's picked up $27.7 million, with more U.S. buyers than expected.

We're again seeing an engineered reality that's driven by performance relative to presale estimates -- this is all the hint we nee to know that the art market is still pretty far from recovery. But, as we know, it could have been much worse. Hell, we saw how bad it could be for most of this year.

Perfect for those who love their Maserati, wish they had a Maserati to love, or are just all about all high-end sports cars, the latest writing instrument from OMAS is a silver, sleek Maserati pen. The inspiration from the Italian auto can be seen in the aerodynamic design, in the grille pattern on the upper half of the case, and of course by the Maserati logo engraved on the pen's silver nib. Made of sterling silver the pen will be issued in a limited edition of only 1,914 in honor of the year Maserati was founded, 1914. Available in fountain or rollerball styles, $2,750

Via Bornrich

Cittadini, founded 18 years ago, specializes in high-end, luxury linens. Made in the region of Florence, Italy, the styles are detailed and feature much embroidery. You can order custom bed or table linens, as well as towels. Select from 10 flange styles, 50 towel colors, 100 sateen colors, and 200 embroideries (0 up charges). If you're in the NYC or Long Island area, there's a showroom on Fifth Avenue (by appointment) and a boutique in Manhasset. For more info and prices, contact the company.

Talk about bizarre, Lamborghini recently enlisted the help of the Italian military (don't they have anything better to do?) to fly one of their rare and uber-expensive Lamborghini Reventon cars over the town of Turin and land it on the roof of the Lingotto building, where they were having a conference titled "Lamborghini and speed, a project in record time." And record money too I bet.

The only explanation Lamborghini gave to curious onlookers was "all 20 units (of the Reventon) have been sold worldwide." I guess that since they were each priced at over $1.5 million that is a big deal, but who came up with this idea?

While researching something for Luxist, I came across Styledrops, a fashion site for men, women and children that sells upscale Italian designer goods. For women, select from shoes, handbags, clothing and accessories. Same for men, minus the handbags. Kids get shoes and clothing. The site boasts "the best price you have ever seen on the Internet!"

A sampling of brands: Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Tod's, Hogan, Dior, Fratelli Rossetti, Ferragamo, Cesare Paciotti, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Frankie Morello. Check here for the whole list for women, men and kids. Choose by type of item, designer or price.

I haven't purchased from the site so I can't vouch for service or quality, but the site itself is easy to navigate and has some very high-end items.

I've seen plenty of Italian fakes in the form of Gucci and Prada knock-offs sold on the streets but this is the first I've heard of a faux Ferrari. Italian police have busted a ring of mechanics who have been building fake Ferraris. Like some of the people who buy fake purses, most of the purchasers of these cars knew they weren't purchasing real Ferraris. The flashy fakes were made from a combination of body parts from other types of automobiles along with a few genuine Ferrari parts strung together to form sham versions of Ferrari classics. Some of them sold for around $30,000 which is about a tenth of what you'd spend for the real deal.

If you're looking for a unique and humorous stocking stuffer gift for a loved one that's still somewhat useful, perhaps a designer fly swatter would fit the bill? These swatters available from Charles & Marie are pretty basic in material (being made of typical plastic) but the unique angle is noticed when you look closer: the design of the swatter is modeled after a mini street map of Milan, Italy. Created by designer Nicoletta as part of her Pandora Design line these would make a great gift for someone crazy into fashion, crazy into European travel, or just crazy into killing flies. $15

Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree! Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.



via DailyCandy

I get to see articles on all kinds of fancy and luxurious hotel rooms on a pretty regular basis, but I have to say this "Honey Room" at L'Albereta in Italy appeals to me more than all the others. I don't think you even have to be an outdoorsy type to appreciate the experience and unique luxury that a room like this, with a retractable roof, provides. Sleeping under the stars usually brings to mind fresh air and a beautiful view, yes, but a comfy 4-poster bed and all the accommodations of a luxury suite? No, not so much.

But in this case you really can have it all. I think if I went to stay there they'd never get me to leave! (Unless, of course, the weather didn't cooperate...)

Puma and Schedoni are joining forces. I know what you're thinking, Puma and who? Schedoni is a small family owned company out of Italy that has been hand-crafting leather goods for almost 100 years. They may be tiny in size, and you may not be familiar with their name, but they are by no means "small timers." In addition to making high-end shoes and purses, Schedoni handcrafting graces everything from the optional fitted luggage ordered with an Audi or Ferrari to the bomb-resistant leather briefcases used by the Secret Service. And now they're hooking up with the giant Puma for two lines of new shoes.

Introduce Puma by Schedoni. The first of the two new styles, called Autodromo, will be made in Schedoni's trademark golden tan color and will come with the new owner's initials branded right into the leather. The second will allow the customer to personalize their shoes even more by using a "Puzzle Kit" to choose leather color combinations. Both models are limited addition as no more than 500 of each will be made.

I've always had a soft spot for Puma shoes, and I love it when companies get together for new ideas. Plus, it would be really cool to say your shoes are made by the same company that outfits the United States Secret Service.

In the world of expensive cars, there are always a few that stand above the rest. It's a subjective issue, to be sure, but if you're into Ferraris with a history then the upcoming "Leggenda e Passione" auction in Italy is somewhere you're going to want to be.

One of the Ferraris with the best history is going up on the block -- the one-of-a-kind 1962 Ferrari 330 TRI/LM Testa Rossa. The one and only Testa Rossa with a 4L engine, the last Testa Rossa ever built, and (as if that weren't enough already) it's the car that won at Le Mans in 1962 driven by Phil Hill and Olivier Gendebien.

The auction is on May 20th and will include a number of other historic Ferrari's, although valued at up to $10 million the Testa Rossa is by far the biggest attraction.

No (before you get too excited), there won't be a car dealership with a showroom full of gorgeous Lamborghini's available for window shopping on a Saturday afternoon. There just might be, however, a Lamborghini retail store selling brand items -- so you can have your own more affordable piece of the famous Italian name.

At this point it's just an idea in the works, as Lamborghini is looking for new ways to boost public awareness of its exclusive brand. Previously they've hooked up with Versace and Nokia for different promotions, and now are considering a chain of merchandise stores as part of a bigger plan for controlled growth. Don't look for a sudden flood of Lamborghini's in your neighborhood though, because the newest $170,000+ Gallardo Superleggera model has at least a 1 year waiting list -- and Lamborghini wants to keep it that way.

They may look like dinnerware, but the Adam and Eve Plates by Piero Fornasetti are more than that. The plates are handcrafted in Italy and painted with gold. They would look more appropriate on the wall, than on the table, creating the sort of atmosphere that you would expect to see in a gallery of art from centuries ago. The price for the complete set of 24 plates is $5,406.

[via Luxury Reviewer]

As they say, what goes around comes around. And if you’re a fashion designer who has gone, come and gone around again by the time your label is 60 years old, then that’s a birthday well-worth celebrating. The Italian design house, Emilio Pucci, has issued a tank top in celebration of the milestone birthday. Pucci was first made famous by his swirling mid-century silk scarves, which were donned by the likes of Italian film queens such as Claudia Cardinale and Sophia Loren. The white and black top features a stylized screen print of a chic mademoiselle – the very vision of the lady of leisure and sunshine that once typified the “Pucci girl” in the early days of the label. Understated and simple, the stretch cotton jersey tee is matches anything from basic denim to a wilder Pucci print. This tank top is Pucci print for women who worry that they can’t pull off Pucci prints.  Price: $245.

Our friends at Autoblog found a company that produces "the perfect fusion between sport and jewels." The company is called Circuiti and, with designer Gianfranco Quartaroli, they make jewelery in the shape of internationally known motorcycle and auto racecourses.

Each piece in their collection can be made of steel or of gold, and are available with diamonds and without. A diamond is a popular way to mark the starting point of the course. The steel option might be the best choice of adornment for an everyday key chain, but the tracks set in gold with diamonds or other precious stones are the flashiest way for a fan to support his (or her) team. The stones can even be chosen to ensure that your pendant or cuff links will reflect your team affiliation. Prices start at around €64, depending up course and materials.