Bruce Oldfield is a celebrated British couturier that has risen to fame by dressing royalty for weddings. He's mostly worked with women (Queens and princesses) and he seems to be staying with that trend even as he expands his horizons into the Islamic realm and has designed what is being hailed as the world's most expensive abaya.
The demand for designer luxury apparel for the Islamic community is growing, although only a privileged few will be able to afford this garment. Featuring bespoke Crosley diamonds on the collar and cuff, fine black silk, and taffeta, the abaya is valued at about $364,000.
Wow, this story is hilarious. I love fruit but I'm not so sure I'm interested in trying Durian (a fruit growing ever more popular with Southeast Asians and Chinese) because not only does it cost upwards of $200 a piece but apparently it smells like gasoline. Or garbage. Or manure. Or stinky socks. Take your pick, none of the descriptors are good.
So why do people prize this fruit so much? I guess once you cut them open you can separate the stinky part from the edible part, which is reportedly very sweet, nutty, and almost custard-like, and it's quite tasty. $200 tasty.
Champagne is always considered a fairly luxurious drink (even when it's the cheap stuff) but any champagne, cheap or not, is sure to get a class upgrade when it gets served in one of these two glasses. Valued at $400,000 and blinged out with 1,700 white and pink diamonds the glasses were chiseled out of 8kg blocks of rock quartz crystal and it took 5 jewelers 3 months to put them all together.
Of all the restaurants that might offer a $200 truffle-laden burger on their menu Burger King is probably one of the last ones, if not the last one, that comes to mind. But believe it or not Burger King has launched a $200 hamburger called simply "The Burger" that features Wagyu beef, white truffles, Pata Negra ham slices, Cristal onion straws, Modena balsamic vinegar, lambs lettuce, pink Himalayan rock salt, organic white wine, and shallot-infused mayonnaise all served up on an Iranian saffron and white truffle dusted bun.
That's quite a list of ingredients.
"The Burger" will be on sale once per week in London and proceeds go to benefit the Help a London Child charity.
I can't believe that a handbag made of platinum, over 2,000 diamonds, and valued at almost $2 million doesn't have a name other than "diamond and platinum handbag." We first mentioned this beauty of a bag about a year ago when it was on display in Tokyo and now it seems it will be making it's way around London in honor of London Jewelry Week.
Designed by Ginza Tanaka, the bag features a diamond shoulder strap that can be removed and worn as a necklace, plus the large (8ct) pear-shaped diamond decorating the front of the bag can be removed and worn as a brooch.
The bag is available for sale but due to security concerns the locations where it will appear will not be given to the public ahead of time -- I guess it's just a lucky "right place at the right time" kind of guessing situation if you want to see it!
Watermelon is one of the signature fruits of summer, and although (considering today's economy) I'm willing to pay more for it than I used to I'm not so sure I'd be willing to pay upwards of $6,000 for a single melon! But at least one man in Japan was as he bid on and won an auction for a 17lb Densuke watermelon for a whopping $6,100. Despite the fact that watermelon is considered a luxury in Japan and that this particular kind of melon only grows in one place (on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan), this auction marks the highest selling price ever for a watermelon in Japan, and most likely the world.
Our friends at Aisledash recently did a post on some of the world's most expensive shoes but they didn't mention the pair I actually got to see last week. At the Le Vian party in Las Vegas one of the displays included these $2 million shoes from Stuart Weitzman. The silver leather heels feature over 185 carats of tanzanite and 28 carats of diamonds. The front strap features a slim strap of diamonds but the heavy gemstones are designed to curve around the ankle with a 16 carat pear-shaped tanzanite drop surrounded by diamonds that dangles down over the top of the foot. The shoes were behind glass so I didn't get to examine them up close but the stones do seem to be mounted directly onto the leather rather than being immediately removable.
The Fleur de Lys restaurant in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay may serve French cuisine but that hasn't stopped them from adapting their own version of an American classic: the hamburger. Called the "Fleurburger 5000" it's no Plain Jane either, featuring a juicy Kobe beef patty topped with a rich truffle sauce and served on a brioche truffle bun. And this burger comes with its own beverage, a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus, that is served in Ichendorf Brunello stemware that you get to keep.
It sounds (and looks) delicious -- as well it should for the whopping price tag of $5000. And if you do decide to indulge no worries about bragging rights: you can bring a friend (they get a free burger when you order yours) and you'll also get a certificate in the mail (along with your keepsake glass) so you'll have both a witness and paper proof.
So what does a thousand dollars look like in the form of sushi? Well, it starts with marinated and poached fois gras that is covered with succulent Langoustine (lobster). Then the roll is brushed with saffron/vanilla bean butter and encrusted with caviar. Finally, when the roll is served the Chef comes tableside to shave white Alba truffles and drizzle them with 100 year balsamic.
It's a dream of mine to go up in a hot air balloon someday, but something tells me my first trip will probably not be via the "Krug is in the Air" program. Krug has come up with a new way to attract luxury consumers by offering the world's most expensive balloon rides, available in locations all over the world for a price tag of €50,000 for a group of up to 8 people. Besides the obvious trip up in a luxury balloon (gleaming hardware, basket lined with premium white leather) you also get gourmet dining complete with champagne and butler service while you're in the air.
We've seen expensive bottles of champagne before but this is a new record. The combination of a once-in-a-lifetime offer with a personalized box of twelve champagne bottles may be the most amazing bubbly offer ever -- but you will have to dig deep into your pockets to pay for it. For €50,000, a limited-edition box set of Perrier-Jouet 2000 Belle Epoque, with a unique twist of liquor added, you can have your own personalized champagne and even store it in their famous cellars for a short time. These pricey bottles o' bubbly will go on sale this Thursday and will only be available for customization to one-hundred people.
The cost of a good education is notoriously expensive, and whether you're after the best possible edge in your career of choice or simply the prestige of having graduated from a big name school there's no doubt that the sky's the limit when it comes to how much you may end up paying. So how much do the richest of the rich pay? The most expensive 4 year university in the world appears to be George Washington University in Washington D.C. -- tuition per year runs just under $40,000 (which doesn't even include extras like room & board and books).
I admittedly know very little on the topic, but if I had to guess which was the richest county in America I would probably go with somewhere over in California, where all the celebrities, TV producers, and directors have their beach homes and mansions. According to Forbes, though, that guess would be way off. On their list of the richest counties in America the top 3 are all in the suburbs of Washington D.C., populated with wealthy government officials and government-related businessmen, and all but 1 of the top 10 are located in the eastern part of the country.
People who are serious about music -- piano music -- have most certainly heard the name Fazioli. It's a brand that's been quietly but steadily building a reputation for itself in the most exclusive of circles since the 1970s, and daring to give the well-established Steinway name a run for its money. The Fazioli line, which includes some of the most expensive pianos in the world, starts with an entry level 5'1" grand piano priced at $86,000 and tops out with their priciest creation, the Brunei, priced at $409,000. They also proudly sell the largest piano in the world, and many others with unique features and appearances. Great sounds meets great design? You be the judge.
Since my father is quite the avid wino I have certainly seen my share of interesting gadgets with which to open bottles of wine. But Frank Sveid's corkscrew made of aviation titanium and 18K gold (or platinum if you prefer) definitely takes the cake. Presented in a beautiful cigar-esque box and handcrafted to perfection when ordered it is a work of art. The video of its exquisite movement suggests the reason behind its luxury-level price tag of £36,000.
Bruce Oldfield is a celebrated British couturier that has risen to fame by dressing royalty for weddings. He's mostly worked with women (Queens and princesses) and he seems to be staying with that trend even as he expands his horizons into the Islamic realm and has designed what is being hailed as the world's most expensive abaya.
