bristol

Frosdick of London Offers World's Most Expensive Bespoke Wardrobe

Filed under: Apparel, Luxury Cars & Autos, Men's Style

Frosdick of London, makers of the beautiful bespoke safari boots we wrote about back in April, is offering a unique opportunity to acquire "the most expensive wardrobe in the history of tailoring" - complete with a custom luxury car to match - for $1 million. The one-of-a-kind "Million-Dollar Dandy" package includes 14 bespoke Savile Row suits, made from the purchaser's choice of the world's finest fabrics; 28 custom-tailored dress shirts; 28 custom-made silk ties; and 14 pairs of bespoke shoes and boots created from exotic leathers. The suits, shirts and ties will all be handmade by Henry Poole of Savile Row, the famed tailor favored by British royalty. The shoes and boots will be crafted by another royal favorite, London's Schnieder of Clifford Street. Complementing the more formal attire will be a selection of elegant smoking jackets and dressing gowns.

The latter will be made by Prince Charles' tailor Turnbull & Asser, enhanced by discreet accents in diamonds and precious metals, along with the Million-Dollar Dandy crest. All measurements and subsequent fittings prior to actual completion will be carried out in London. Frosdick of London will then commission the Queen of England's nephew, furniture designer Viscount David Linley, to craft a bespoke wardrobe in precious woods to house it all. Finally, the Million-Dollar Dandy will receive a bespoke motorcar hand built by Bristol, the last wholly British-owned luxury car builder in existence. The truly unique vehicles are not sold through any dealers or distributors, maintaining the note of ultimate exclusivity conveyed by the custom clothing. Email david@frosdickoflondon.com for more info.

[via JustLuxe]

Tags: bespoke, Bristol, British royalty, David Linley, Frosdick of London, London, mens style, most expensive, Prince Charles, Queen of England, Savile Row, suit, tailoring, UK

In an Art Slump, Graffiti is Free

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

When times are tough, you don't spend when you don't have to. There's sufficient graffiti in London to keep art collectors entertained, which is causing them to shy away from works by Banksy. Larger auction houses have cut down on the Banksy works they are carrying, and some of the regional auction houses are canceling their urban art specialist sales.

It's hard to tell if Banksy is disappointed. The artist, who was born in Bristol (west England) keeps his (her?) identity a secret. So, if you see some weirdo crying in a corner over the next few weeks at a pub in Bristol (or, maybe, London), ask if it's Banksy. It could be cooler than finding Waldo.

Prices for pieces by Banksy have plunged this year, with failure rates on the rise. Auction houses are now sufficiently nervous to hedge their bets, carrying little (or no) inventory by the artist and canceling auctions that may not deliver.

In general, contemporary art auction selling points are down 30 percent to 50 percent – about as much as your 401(k). The top houses – Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams and Phillips de Pury – didn't carrying any of Banksy's work in their June or early July auctions. This year, 76 Banksy paintings and prints have come under the gavel, with 30 of them (almost half) not selling. The highest price reached was $230,500 at a New York Sotheby's event. Last year, the top price for a Banksy piece was $1.9 million at Sotheby's RED charity auction in February.

Source

Tags: art, art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, auction, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, banksy, banksy graffiti, BanksyGraffiti, bonhams, bonhams auction, bonhamsauction, bristol, christies, england, london, phillips de pury, PhillipsDePury, sothebys