You've eaten in his restaurants and sat on his chairs, now you can drape yourself in Philippe Starck. The prolific French designer is working with cashmere brand Ballantyne to create a collection for men and woman. The new project and brand, Starck With Ballantyne will feature a combination of multi function garments, with new ergonomics and contemporary fittings. The modern take on cashmere will be done in 30 pieces for men and women in both cashmere and modern and technical fabrics. I haven''t been able to find any pictures but Glam describes a collection that includes fluorescent silk linings for lighter garments, hoods on knitwear and outerwear and teddy bear detachable waistcoats. The line will be on sale this fall in Ballantyne flagship stores and selected multi-brand stores. This isn't Starck's first foray into fashion, he has also created a line of bodywear (Starck Naked) with Puma.

Italian luxury clothing brand Isaia, makers of the $2,000 crocodile skin sneakers we wrote about last year, has launched an exclusive new limited edition collection with high-end men's boutique Jeffrey. Designed by fashion icon Jeffrey Kalinsky, the collection combines his contemporary flair with the hand-tailoring, workmanship and luxurious fabrics Isaia is famed for. Kalinsky's modern-fit "J-body" suiting design is available in Isaia's exclusive grey and navy Aquaspider water-and-wrinkle resistant wool, and a tan 90% cashmere, 10% wool glen plaid. The made-to-measure garments feature hand-sewn buttonholes, pockets, floating chest piece and linings. There are also solid blue and white Sea Island cotton shirts as well as silk ties in a custom width.

Riva Yachts, the iconic Italian motorboat maker that epitomizes Dolce Vita style, has just launched a chic new Home Couture Collection of furnishings and design accents for outfitting a luxury yacht or owner's villa. Pure and precious materials such as cashmere, silk, saddle leather, linen, silver and brass are the main elements of the luxe new line, available by special order only. The collection includes a pure cashmere blanket with stitching designed to look like the wake of a classic Riva motorboat; a leather beach bag with an inner lining in linen printed with archival Riva images from the golden era of the Italian Riviera, when Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot owned Rivas; and woven cashmere cushions with mother of pearl buttons and metal Riva logos (above).

[via JustLuxe]

Holland & Sherry, the world famous fabric weaver and cloth merchant founded in Scotland in 1836, is offering an extremely limited edition range of bespoke suits cut from the world's most luxurious and expensive cloth. The firm, which has premises on Savile Row, has woven the world's first 100 per cent worsted spun Vicuna fabric, the most expensive in the world at over $4,000 per yard. The material (above) comes from the wool of the elusive wild Vicuna, a relative of the llama that lives high in the Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia.

The Vicuna can only be shorn every three years and yields an extremely small amount of fine wool. It took Holland & Sherry five years to gather enough of the exclusive yarn, and another year and a half to develop the unique cloth, which is much finer than cashmere. There is only enough of the precious fabric to make 18 suits, each of which will cost about $50,000. Customers will have only three colors to choose from – black, midnight and natural. The King of Morocco is among the first to place an order for one of the gorgeous garments.

Take cashmere and bamboo and you end up with camboo®, a new fabric from pur brands that is designed to be soft, durable and eco-friendly. The blend of cashmere and bamboo uses cashmere from the combed fleece of Mongolian goats and bamboo pulp. The camboo is grown, harvested, spun, knitted, and woven on the grasslands of Mongolia. The ruffled shawl shown here retails for $250.

No matter how hard to shop for, any valentine appreciates a heartfelt gesture -- from a savory meal to a classic sterling key ring with a set of keys to your place. Ideas in the gallery range from classic corkscrews from Hermes (perfect for a romantic, secluded picnic) to everyday luxuries that will keep you in mind and heart. And each choice should inspire you to do even more -- find the perfect wine to go along with the corkscrew, pack up that stylish weekender bag for a surprise getaway.

If you're looking for a soft and warm gift for a little one, visit Hummingbird Lane, makers of Cashmere Baby Blankets. These hand-loomed blankets are made from the highest quality 100% cashmere and are designed for newborns, toddlers and kids (though I could see Mom or Dad snuggling in one as well). The blankets are reversible, completely knit and finished with a special crocheted scallop trim. Hummingbird Lane uses imported, pure virgin cashmere, dyed using eco-friendly Swiss dyes.

Check out the gallery for some of the adorable patterns. If you're buying a gift and can't choose, you can let the new parents make a selection with a gift certificate.

Each blanket is 26" x 35" and costs $248, gift wrapping included, with free ground shipping. Wish I had known about these when my nephew was born!

It is cold here in the Midwest this week (-18º F last night, brrr!) so even though these cashmere scarves by Franco Ferrari are meant for men they're looking pretty darn inviting. Soft, cozy, and reversible, the scarves come in a few different designs that are all interesting and stylish but still versatile enough to justify the expense. The multi-colored stripes/polka dot design is my favorite because it's bright enough to add a punch of color to your winter style but the colors are toned down just enough. $245

Quirky French knitwear label Lucien Pellat-Finet has a luxurious option to show someone you care. You can by have a custom image of your choice woven in a cashmere or cotton blanket. Each blanket is unique and available in a range of colors. Prices start at £849.

[via Vogue UK]

October is breast cancer awareness month and White+ Warren has some pink cashmere pieces that are so cute you'd want to buy them even if they weren't benefiting Columbia Presbyterian's Women at Risk charity. And they aren't just doting the often obligatory 10 or 15%, White + Warren is donation 50% to women at risk. The little wristlet gloves in pink and black color combinations sell for $65. The cashmere slippers in a pouch are $145, the pink city scarf is $165 and the luxurious travel wrap is $275.

Fashion stylist Phillip Bloch is moving on from simply fixing people's clothes to designing them from the ground up. He's teaming up with the contemporary Emma & Posh to come up with an all-cashmere collection for this year's holiday season. And if you're excited about this first attempt you'll be happy to know that both sides say this is only the beginning of what looks to be a long-term partnership. Look for the Phillip Bloch for Emma & Posh collection in stores like Henri Bendel and Fred Segal with price points around $108-$188.

Luxury department store Henri Bendel has partnered with an art school to create a new offering for fall. Henri Bendel and the Savannah College of Art and Design's Working Class Studio have created a floral printed cashmere sweater for the Fall 2008 limited edition cashmere collection. The ¾ length scoop neck sweater gets its design from a painting of poppies by a SCAD artist and will available it two jewel tones--purple and pink.The "SCAD Working Class Studio for Henri Bendel" sweater will sell for $248 and be available in late August.

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.

There are certain sensations in life that can only be expressed by a deep sigh. The taste of a particularly rich dessert, an ice cold lemonade on a scorching day, sinking in to a warm bath and the feeling of quality cashmere on your skin are just some of the sensations that elicit this response which is why I'm happy to announce a special giveaway from White + Warren. This week I am giving away their First Class Travel wrap, shown at right. Why cashmere in the middle of summer? Because even in the summer there are places that are too cold, the airplane, the movie theater, out on the boat at night. How comforting to have this soft 81 by 36 inch wrap to cover bare shoulders. It's just delicious enough to make you actually start wishing for fall.

This week's comment starting question is: How do you keep cool in the summer months?

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below before 5:00PM Eastern, Friday, June 27, 2008. We'll randomly choose one winner amongst the eligible entries and announce the winner on June 28, 2008.

Some other important details:

* To enter, leave a confirmed comment below answering the question above.
* The comment must be left and confirmed before Friday, June 27, 2008 at 5:00PM Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
* One winner will receive the White + Warren First Class Cashmere Travel Wrap, electric blue, valued at approximately $275..
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.

See complete contest rules here.

This contest is now closed, thank you for your participation.

I'm not sure you'd want to subject it to grass stains or beach sand but D. Porthault, the French company famed for their luxurious sheets, have created the first-ever cashmere picnic blanket. The 51" x 71" cashmere picnic blanket by D. Porthault is decorated with their signature Hounds & Rope design. The blanket retails for $3,600, and is also available with a tiger print design for $3,400.