asprey

Asprey Gets Back To Basics

A few months ago, my colleague Jared Paul Stern mentioned that British luxury brand Asprey had strayed far from their roots and over expanded into more fashionable realms. It seems the company is ready to change course. Asprey has announced it will discontinue its ready-to-wear collections as of December 31, 2008 and will focus on three area that have supported the brand over the many years it has been in business: jewelry, silver, and leather. The ready-to-wear angle was short lived, as Fashion Week Daily reports, the brand had expanded its ready-to-wear under creative director Hakan Rosenius, who is no longer with the company. This means we will likely see more jewelry pieces like the amethyst earrings from the Windsor collection shown at right, as well as a return to classic Asprey handbags and briefcases. It seems a smart move for a company seeking to protect the intrinsic value of its name.

Tags: asprey

St. Regis Sponsors Major New Polo Trophy

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports

One of the world's most famous luxury hotel brands is getting into the polo game in a big way this summer with the first annual St. Regis International Cup. England and Italy will compete for the prestigious trophy in the inaugural match, taking place this Sunday (the 31st) at the historic Cowdray Park Polo Club in West Sussex, surrounded by the ruins of Cowdray Castle.

Of course, St. Regis isn't about to slack off when it comes to hospitality either. They've partnered with Asprey, Veuve Clicquot and Audi to create the ultimate VIP tent at Cowdray, where a crack regiment of St. Regis butlers brought in from the hotels will cater to the toffs' every need. Even the general public will be able to avail themselves of a bar serving the signature St. Regis Bloody Mary. Damned democratic of them, no?

Tags: Asprey, Cowdray Park Polo Club, CowdrayParkPoloClub, England, Equestrian, Polo, St. Regis, St.Regis, veuve clicquot, VeuveClicquot

Bonhams' Fine Sporting Gun Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

If you missed out on one of those $100,000 Asprey shotguns we told you about that were auctioned off at Christie's in May, not to worry - Bonhams is holding its own Sporting Guns sale in London on July 30 where you can bid on some extremely fine pieces at a fraction of the cost. In actual fact, the highest priced guns at the Christie's sale were made by Holland & Holland, and there are several fine examples of their craft in the Bonhams sale. For instance, a 1947 12-bore 'Royal de Luxe' sidelock ejector shotgun with foliate-scroll engraving and gold inlays (above), est. $32,000 - $40,000, in its original leather case.

Also on offer: A fine lightweight 1934 12-bore over-and-under shotgun by J. Woodward, in a leather case, est. $40,000 - $50,000; a 10-bore 'Premiere' single-trigger over-and-under shotgun by E.J. Churchill, est. $20,000 - $30,000; a 1905 12-bore self-opening sidelock ejector gun by Purdey, est. only $10,000 - $14,000; and several fine vintage guncases including one stunning example executed in crocodile skin, est. only $400 - $800. See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Bonhams Summer Sporting Guns

Holland & Holland 12-bore 'Royal' sidelock ejector

Churchill 10-bore 'Premiere' single-trigger over-and-under

Purdey 12-bore self-opening sidelock ejector

Tags: Asprey, Bonhams, Holland Holland, HollandHolland, Hunting, London, Purdey, Shooting, Shotguns, Sporting guns, SportingGuns

Asprey Shifts Focus, Ditches Clothing Line

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Asprey, the 200-year-old London luxury goods firm, is dropping its clothing and footwear lines to concentrate on core businesses like jewelry, silver and leathergoods. WWD reports the move is part of an initiative by the company's new President and CEO Robert Procop to shore up the historic brand. As we reported previously, Asprey changed direction in 1996 when the company was sold to Prince Jefri of Brunei. Its gunrooms were shuttered and additional clothing and accessory lines launched in an attempt to make the firm more fashionable. Gorgeous actress Keira Knightley (above, in Asprey designs) was subsequently hired on as spokesmodel.

Gallery: Asprey of London

Tags: Asprey, Brunei, keira knightley, KeiraKnightley, London, Luxury goods, LuxuryGoods

The Classicist: Bamford's New Fall Favorites

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cosmetics and Fragrance, Men's Style, The Classicist

Bamford & Sons, the bastion of top-drawer British style whose killer custom Rolex we wrote about a couple months back, has come out with a stunning fall collection that actually has us looking forward to the end of summer. In addition, the company is launching a new Bath & Body line to add to their already impressive lineup of clothing and accessories, which includes everything from cashmere blankets to limited edition sterling silver iPods.

Bamford's sporty classics with a bit of a natty twist - check out this cashmere shooting jacket paired with a purple cashmere sweater - are known for being extremely comfortable and well made. The company's motto is "A man's life should determine his clothes; not vice versa." Their craftsmanship and blend of "innovation and heritage" calls to mind a classic British sportscar with beautiful burled walnut inlays, chrome gauges and hand-stitched leather seats.

For fall, traditional items such as this shooting jacket, the classic pea coat, tweeds and trench coats are given a lighter, more contemporary feel. Organic, sustainable and natural fibers are used, never synthetics. It may surprise you to know that not only is this shooting jacket water-resistant, but it is treated with a natural moisture repellent derived from the lotus flower rather than any nasty chemicals. If you bought one of those beautiful $100,000 Asprey shotguns we wrote about, this is the jacket to do it justice.

Gallery: Bamford & Sons for Fall

Dark navy wool/cashmere 'lotus finish' pea coat.

Tags: Asprey, Bamford, Bamford Sons, BamfordSons, British style, BritishStyle, Cashmere, London, Rolex

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The Classicist: Land Rover Celebrates 60 Years at the Top

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, The Classicist

2008 is the 60th anniversary of storied British SUV manufacturer Land Rover, and to mark the occasion the company has embarked on a "Choice of Experts" tour showcasing its capabilities. The other day we caught up with them at the historic Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, N.Y, designed by Stanford White as a country retreat for John Jacob Astor IV in 1902. It was the perfect setting for a brand that has come to signify rugged elegance and luxurious rusticity, and while there we got the opportunity to drive a new Range Rover Sport on a hazardous off-road course that showed style and comfort needn't sacrifice anything in the way of practical ability.

We've owned both Land Rovers and Range Rovers over the years, and though these days we don't particularly miss pulling up to the gas pump we certainly pine for them whenever the weather turns particularly nasty or we're called upon to do even the slightest bit of off-roading, so it was something of a treat. Land Rover and especially the Range Rover is the automotive embodiment of a distinctly English aesthetic - regular readers of The Classicist will recognize this as a recurring motif - as portrayed in books like Bernhard Roetzel's British Tradition. The luxe Range Rover was first introduced in 1970, expanding upon the utilitarian Land Rover first designed by the Wilks Brothers in 1948.

The Queen of England drives a Range Rover in the country, and Prince Charles is a longtime enthusiast. His 1978 Range Rover was auctioned off on eBay in 2005. While out for sport in inclement weather he is said to have simply opened a special "huntsman" sunroof, stood on the back seat and poked his Asprey shotgun out to shoot from the comfort of the cabin. We can't say we've ever tried that maneuver and we daresay it isn't the sort of thing encouraged by the company these days. In any case there was unfortunately no shooting to be had at Astor Courts, only demonstrations about cooking and decorating and so forth, but such are the depredations of the modern era.

Gallery: Land Rover's 60th Anniversary

Tags: Asprey, Astor Courts, Astor family, AstorCourts, AstorFamily, G4 Challenge, G4Challenge, Land Rover, LandRover, Prince Charles, PrinceCharles, Queen of England, QueenOfEngland, Range Rover, RangeRover, Rhinebeck, Stanford White, StanfordWhite, The Equinox, TheEquinox

Continue reading “The Classicist: Land Rover Celebrates 60 Years at the Top”

Veuve Clicquot Stages First NYC Polo Match in 70 Years

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, Events, Sports

On Saturday, renowned French champagne house Veuve Clicquot staged the first polo match in Manhattan in 70 years. The match, between two North American Polo League (NAPL) teams - Ralph Lauren's Black Watch, captained by Polo model Nacho Figueras, and Asprey's Skeeterville, captained by Will Johnston - was played on Governor's Island, the 172-acre former Army base on Manhattan's southern tip. New York is often cited as the birthplace of American polo c.1876, and Army officers played the sport on Governor's Island until just before the onset of World War II in 1941. Black Watch bested Asprey 10 - 6 in the inaugural match of the Veuve Cliquot Manhattan Polo Classic. Veuve Clicquot has long supported polo in Europe, and since last year other parts of the U.S. as well, such as the Greenwich Polo Club in Connecticut.

Gallery: Veuve Cliquot & Polo

Tags: Asprey, Champagne, Connecticut, Greenwich, Greenwich Polo Club, GreenwichPoloClub, Manhattan, North American Polo League, NorthAmericanPoloLeague, Polo, Ralph Lauren, RalphLauren, veuve clicquot, VeuveClicquot

The Classicist: Memories of Motoring's Golden Age

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, The Classicist

As a side note to Bonhams' classic car auction at the annual Greenwich Concours d'Elegance in Connecticut this weekend, the sale also includes some reminders of a more elegant age of motoring. In addition to the amazing automobiles on offer, there are a few rare examples of perfectly-preserved traveling cocktail, picnic and tea sets in leather cases from the 1910s and '20s.

More elegant and elaborate antecedents of the kind of picnic sets still produced by the likes of Dunhill - such as the one my colleague Rigel Gregg wrote about the other day - these are the sort of cases one's servants would put into the boot of the Rolls for a day's motoring along with a hamper of delectables from Fortnum & Mason (which are still available today - see the gallery for a picture of their $200 Regent hamper featuring champagne, truffles, paté and port).

Included in the Greenwich auction is this gorgeous Dunhill traveling cocktail set from the 1920s featuring a nickel cocktail shaker, four stacking tumblers, a glass bitters bottle with a silver plated top and three silver plated spirit flasks, in a monogrammed honey leather carrying case, est. $3,000 - $4,000. If these days it seems a bit odd that so much thought and effort went into ways of drinking and driving, remember that as often as not one's chauffeur did the actual work behind the wheel.

Gallery: Traveling in Style

Suitcased teaset by J C Vickery of Regent Street, London, 1909.

Two person picnic set by Drew & Sons, c.1909.

Tags: Asprey, Bonhams, Classic cars, ClassicCars, Cocktails, Concours dElegance, ConcoursDelegance, Dunhill, Fortnum Mason, FortnumMason, London, Luggage, Rolls-Royce

Continue reading “The Classicist: Memories of Motoring's Golden Age”

Last Shotguns Ever Made by Asprey Fetch Over $100,000

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

Two of the very last shotguns ever produced by 200-year-old London luxury goods firm Asprey were sold at Christie's in London Wednesday for over $120,000. The exceptionally exquisite firearms, included in the auction house's Fine Sporting Guns and Rifles sale, "mark the end of a tradition of impeccably executed gun craft," Christie's notes. Asprey, supplier to the aristocracy and longtime holder of Royal Warrants, closed its gunrooms for good in 1996 shortly after these final pieces were made when the company was acquired by Prince Jefri of Brunei. Prince Charles and George Bush both own Asprey shotguns similar to the ones featured in the sale.

Although Asprey guns are a thing of the past, Asprey scion William Asprey is carrying on the family's sporting tradition at his new firm, William & Son. As we reported previously, he is not allowed to use the Asprey name in trade. William opened his own gunroom at his company's Mayfair premises and is now selling equally impressive pieces. Also hammered down in the Christie's sale were a pair of 12-bore double-barreled shotguns made by Holland & Holland in 1976, for $118,000; a 1969 .375 magnum double-barreled rifle, also by Holland & Holland, for $94,000; a double-barreled 1906 sporting rifle by Purdey, for $31,000; and a modern 12-bore Beretta shotgun, $16,000, all with beautiful engraving and woodwork.

Gallery: Sporting Guns Sale

Holland & Holland double-barreled .375 magnum rifle.

A pair of 12-bore double-barreled Holland & Holland shotguns.

Source

Tags: Asprey, Beretta, Brunei, Christies, Holland Holland, HollandHolland, Hunting, London, Prince Charles, PrinceCharles, Purdey, Royal warrant, RoyalWarrant, Safari, Shooting, Shotguns, Sporting guns, SportingGuns, William Son, WilliamSon

Will the Real Asprey Please Stand Up?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Jewelry, Sports, Men's Style

It's one of the economic vagaries of the business that storied British luxury goods firm Asprey of London no longer has any connection (save an historical one) with the actual Asprey family. After the 200-year-old company was sold to Prince Jeffri of Brunei in the '90s, family scion William Asprey decided to start his own firm catering to the aristocratic trade (Asprey had long held royal warrants). However, he discovered to his dismay that he was no longer entitled to the use of his own last name; while Prince Jefri subsequently unloaded Asprey to a hedge fund, William opened a beautiful shop in London's Mayfair under the name William & Son.

Under its new owners Asprey has gone in an increasingly fashionable direction, and while producing some beautiful things it has suffered financial setbacks from over-enthusiastic expansion. William & Son by contrast hearkens back to Asprey's traditional roots, and still maintains an air of clubby exclusivity in its Mayfair premises (pictured above), which stocks high-end jewelry, silver, watches, leathergoods, china and crystal. A key facet of the business is its bespoke service, which will basically fashion anything you like in whatever precious material strikes your fancy as long as you can afford it. More recently William added an adjacent gun room, where beautiful silver-inlaid shotguns can now be had for $100,000 and up. He is certainly following through on his promise to "maintain his family's reputation in the historic splendour of No. 10 Mount Street." And what's in a name, after all?

Gallery: William & Son, London

20 bore William & Son Sidelock Ejector shotgun.

A selection of sporting attire and accessories.

Tags: Asprey, Brunei, Leathergoods, London, Luxury goods, LuxuryGoods, Royal Warrant, RoyalWarrant, Sporting guns, SportingGuns, Wiliiam Asprey, WiliiamAsprey, William Son, WilliamSon

Superchef to Publish Superbook

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Heston Blumenthal from world-renowned The Fat Duck in Bray, England is known for his expensive and innovative cuisine and now one of the world's best chef is creating one of the world's priciest cookbooks. He is partnering with the jewelry company Asprey to created a limited edition £1,000 luxury leather-bound book. The book will also come with two surprise 'silver gifts' from Asprey. The Independent reports that in spite of a weakening global economy luxury books are still big business. We've certainly seen more than a few, check out some examples in the gallery below.

Gallery: The Pricey Tomes

Source

Tags: asprey, book, cookbook, expire-images2009-4-19, fat duck, FatDuck, heston blumenthal, superbook

Asprey Christmas Crackers

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

British jewelry and luxury goods company, Asprey has created a 2006 Christmas cracker. Christmas crackers are a classic British Christmas dinner tradition, tubes of paper containing gifts and goodies which are pulled apart at the dinner table. The Asprey crackers are available with a variety of surprises inside including a small red leather notebook and pen, heart necklace, keychain, cufflinks or a purse atomizer. Each cracker also contains a paper crown, balloon and a quotation. The crackers sells for £125 each but are also available in packs of six or twelve.

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Tags: asprey, christmas crackers, holiday gifts

Posh's Pre-World Cup Party and Auction

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Celebrity Shopping

Victoria Beckham is hosting a huge auction at her pre-World Cup, "Full Length and Fabulous" party on May 21. She has managed to get together over £2 million of luxury items for the sale, the profits from which will all be donated to Unicef. The items up for sale include a £1million diamond necklace from Asprey, his-and-her diamond-encrusted watches from Jacob & Co., valued at £600,000, and a £300,000 limited edition Bentley.

The bash will be hosted at the Beckhams home, dubbed Beckingham Palace. James Brown and Robbie Williams are performing for the 400 A-list guests, while top chef Gordon Ramsey will be doing the cooking. The guest list includes Prince Charles, Elton John, Liz Hurley, Tom Cruise and, of course, the rest of the English World Cup football team.

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Tags: asprey, auction, beckham, bentley, charity, david beckham, full length and fabulous, jacob and co, party, posh, unicef, victoria beckham, world cup

Brighter Days Ahead For Asprey Jewelers?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

When Kiera Knightley, the spokesperson for Asprey, wore Bulgari to the Oscars, rumors began to swirl that the English luxury jeweler had hit hard times. According to this article in the Times, Donald Trump knew before that, when the jeweler changed the look of their distinctive purple bags. Either way, Apsrey has lost a bit of sparkle lately, recently pulling out of a $1million lease at Trump Tower. Edgar Bronfman Jr,a Warner Music chief executive, and three other shareholders lost their investment of about $500 million in Asprey.The retailer seemed to be on a roll in recent years, bringing in Jade Jagger and splashing out on big ads in major fashion mags. But the losses didn't scare off Sciens Capital, a New York private-equity firm, and the American hedge fund Plainfield Asset Management who will invest $80million-$100million in the company. What will it take to get Asprey back in the spotlight? They've already tried the luxe store route and the celebrity ad campaign, maybe some movie placement ala Chopard?

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Tags: asprey, bulgari, jewelers, jewelry

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