custom

Alexander West Custom Cashmere Blend Shirts

Alexander West, a Manhattan-based clothier specializing in the finest custom-tailored shirts, ties and cufflinks for stylish swells, has debuted an ultra-luxurious new cashmere blend collection. With an extremely soft hand, the weight of the luxe fabric transitions perfectly from winter to spring. The bespoke shirts, available in three colors – stone (above), granite, and solid eggshell – feature a button-down collar and flap pocket, and retail for $295 apiece. Other West designs, available online and by appointment in New York City, are woven from premium cottons and feature luxe mother of pearl buttons, personal monogramming, and precise, detail-conscious craftsmanship. The company also offers a "Send Your Shirt" program, in which they will replicate the fit of a favorite worn-out shirt in the fabric of your choice.

Tags: Alexander West, apparel, bespoke, cashmere, clothing, custom, mens style, New York City, shirts

The $85,000 Custom Diamond & Alligator Guitar

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The $85,000 Custom Diamond & Alligator Guitar

Rock Royalty, a new Nashville-based luxury design house that manufactures one-of-a-kind, custom guitars, is offering the ultimate in rock star decadence: an $85,000 custom alligator skin, diamond and sterling silver Fender Telecaster. The eye-popping instrument comes wrapped in exquisite natural black alligator skin from Louisiana, and features black diamond and sterling silver volume knobs, a selector switch set with rubies, and six handmade diamond tuning keys set in sterling silver. They also have a custom Gibson Les Paul for $125,000, set with almost 50 carats of black and white diamonds if that's too cheap. The company promises never to duplicate a design so that each piece remains totally unique. The Telecaster and Les Paul are two of nine original designs created for the brand's debut; other models come wrapped in stingray skin and various other exotic finishes. The only question is whether to play them or hang them over the fireplace.

[via JustLuxe]

Gallery: Rock Royalty Custom Guitars

Tags: alligator, alligator+guitar, alligatorguitar, custom, diamond, guitars, music, Nashville, Rock Royalty, sterling silver

The Classicist: A Quarter Century of Style at Alan Flusser's New Custom Shop

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style, The Classicist

The Classicist: A Quarter Century of Style at Alan Flusser's New Custom Shop

Alan Flusser, author of 2002's Dressing the Man, is our foremost arbiter elegantiarum in matters sartorial; the book remains the reigning bible of men's style. In 1981 he published his first book Making the Man and opened his first custom tailoring shop in New York City in '86; a year later his Master of the Universe wardrobe created for Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street made him an instant icon. Now on the 25th anniversary of the original's debut, Flusser is re-launching the shop with a new look in the space on E. 48th St. it has inhabited since 2002. In recent years someone else handled the day-to-day operations of the shop for Flusser though he remained available for consultations. Now he's decided to take up the reigns once again and usher in a new era of elegance.

"My original vision for the shop had always been a kind of imaginary Savile Row tailor's shop–meets Park Avenue men's club–meets Gertrude Stein for a bullshot," Flusser tells us. "In other words, an environment suffused with Old World taste and totems." As a younger and more 'downtown' crowd has increasingly taken to the merits of fine tailoring, however, Flusser felt it was time for an update, both decor and clothes-wise. Having introduced a slimmer fitting, more body conscious silhouette – the "Vanderbilt" – to his repertoire in 2008, Flusser "wanted the look of the shop to more closely reflect that sleeker sartorial idiom." Enter silver walls, alligator skin tables, 1940s leather and chrome furniture, black lacquer fittings, and of course a cocktail bar. [cont'd]

Gallery: Alan Flusser Custom Shop

Tags: Alan Flusser, alan+flusser+custom, alanflussercustom, bespoke, clothing, custom, mens style, New York, Savile Row, suits, tailoring, the+classicist, theclassicist

Continue reading “The Classicist: A Quarter Century of Style at Alan Flusser's New Custom Shop”

Tiret Watch For Kanye West, With His Face On It

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Celebrity Shopping

Tiret Watch For Kanye West, With His Face On It

Tiret has a nice little thing going for itself when it comes to high-status celebs who want some of them, on their wrist. I previously wrote about a watch that Tiret made for Usher here. The same concept (but done differently) was applied to a watch for musician Kanye West. You have the same oblong "Second Chance" watch case design, in 18k yellow gold. Coming with a gold bracelet or reptile strap, Kanye seems to be enjoying his (as he seems to wear it a lot).

The watch dial features two Swiss quartz chronograph movements. So you have two times, two chronographs, etc... The real allure is in all the jewel work. Tiret claims it took them over five months to create the dial. The dial itself is in gold toned mother-of-pearl, with a combo of white, yellow, brown, and black diamonds. The bezel is lined with very large diamonds as well. The watch is said to have a total of about 8 carats of stones. Kayne's face has been immortalized on the dial - complete with sunglasses. Retail price for this is said to be about $180,000, and is custom made specially for each client.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Tiret Watch For Kanye West

Tags: custom, kanye west, tired, watch, watchspotting, wears

Custom Tiret Watch For Usher, With Usher

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Hip-hop musical artist Usher commissioned a special one of a kind watch from New York based jeweler and watch maker Tiret. The Usher watch has an oblong oval shaped case (in an undisclosed material that is likely gold) with a diamond designed portrait of Usher on the dial. Containing two Swiss ETA chronograph quartz movements, the watch technically can tell the time in two places. Given the lack of indicators the chronograph mechanisms are more or less worthless, but the point of this pieces is giving Usher the ability to look at himself as though he were made up of diamonds. How many people really get that privilege?

Using all natural stones, the watch has almost 10 carats of diamonds on it and 1106 stones all over the watch. Look at the size of the diamonds on the bezel! Diamonds include white as well as naturally yellow diamonds. Tiret says that the watch was recently featured in a diamond exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London - where other high-end diamond decorated watches were displayed. While not mechanically complex, the special Tired watch for Usher is an interesting look into the life of Usher, and at the types of products that Tiret makes. According to them, the brand only makes custom timepieces and jewelry at this time. Usher is said to have paid $250,000 for the bespoke timepiece.

Usher, a known owner of several watches, does not claim to be a serious watch enthusiast. He prefers the showiness of timepieces as well as the jewelry component. Actually, given many of the watches that Usher has, this Tiret is of the most showy. Usher seems to prefer more classic mechanical timepieces with a masculine edge to them. The box that Tired supplied the Usher watch in doubles as a humidor for 78 cigars and also has a motif of Usher's face on it.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Custom Tiret Watch For Usher, With Usher

Tags: bespoke, custom, diamonds, new york, tiret, usher, watch, wears

Prada Launches World's First Customizable Sunglasses

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

In time for the holiday season Prada is introducing the world's first customizable sunglasses, providing fashionistas with the opportunity to transform a classic pair of Prada shades into a gift that is truly unique. The PradaPrivate collection sunglasses feature two removable plaques on each temple featuring letters, numbers and a variety of symbols including hearts, stars and skulls. Thanks to the uniquely engineered and patented system, one can substitute the detachable symbols on the arms of the glasses with others bought either at the same time or at a later date. The frames are available in black, white and tortoiseshell in both men's (above) and women's styles starting today exclusively at Sunglass Hut and Prada boutiques in Milan, Rome, Venice, London, Paris, New York, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Dusseldorf, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

Gallery: PradaPrivate Sunglasses

Tags: custom, Italian fashion, Milan, Prada, skull, Sunglass Hut, sunglasses

Montblanc Now Offering Bespoke Pen Making Service

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Writing Instruments, Luxury Shopping

A new service by traditional fine pen (among other goods) maker Montblanc will offer customers the experience and opportunity to order custom made pens suited to their particular writing style. Montblanc has always offered a number of pen nib sizes depending on a writer's preferences, but the new service will include a unique personalized writing evaluation to designed to identify how someone writes, what the best type of pen size is for them. It also involves the creation of a one-of-a-kind fountain pen nib made for you at the Montblanc pen manufacture in Hamburg, Germany.

I had the opportunity to experience the writing "exam" myself first-hand. The process is simple and informative. Montblanc sits you in front of a computer with a large digital writing tablet. You are given special paper sheets that are placed over the tablet and asked to write preselected text as you normally would. Your writing is digitized via software on the computer in real time, which tracks variables such as how hard you write, the angles you make with the pen, and when you lift a pen off the paper when writing. It is quite interesting to see an analysis of your own writing – the test feels a lot like a vision exam.

The computer makes a recommendation as to what type of Montblanc fountain pen nib is best suited for your penmanship style. A fountain pen nib is the tip of the pen that actually does the writing. At one time these tips were part of specially cut feathers, but have since been made out of metal. Montblanc is known for making the highest quality, most effective pen nibs around (and they look quite nice as well). Montblanc pen nibs are constructed from solid gold, with the ends of the tips being made from a complex metal alloy (that is actually more expensive than gold). This alloy is used because gold is a relatively soft metal, and Montblanc designs their pens to last decades, even with constant use.

Tags: bespoke, custom, instrument, montblanc, pens, writing

Continue reading “Montblanc Now Offering Bespoke Pen Making Service”

Fontenay Creates Wine Barrel Flooring

by Michael B. Dougherty (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Wine, Architecture & Design

There are certainly better ways to show off your oenophile passions and good design sense than a wine cork board, namely, Fontenay's flooring made from vintage wine barrels.

Selling itself as the "the only provider of reclaimed wine barrel flooring and countertops in the world," Fontenay offers three types of wood choices in its Vintage Barrel Collection. The Cooperage line takes its wood from the barrel heads, leaving intact the cooper stamps, various marking and an aged patina. For the Wine Infusion line, material from the barrel's inside is used. Naturally stained due to contact with the wine, the effect is a mosaic of juice-soaked colors. Finally, the Stave collection consist of the barrel's exterior wood strips, straightened to form boards, and then engineered to create flooring. These floors display the grains, age marks and a rustic distressing. Since no two planks are the same, in any of the lines, installation creates a unique finish best suited for wine cellars, tasting/dining rooms or kitchens. Fontenay also offers furniture, including wine racks, created from barrels.

With reclaimed wood being the au courant, green-minded design material of choice these days it's nice to see a product that has such a recognizable provenance being used in such an innovative way.

Gallery: Fontenay Wine Barrel Flooring

Tags: custom, flooring, reclaimed, wine, wine barrel, wood, wood floors

Rolls-Royce Custom Picnic Set Highlights Bespoke Program

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Cars & Autos

Special orders. We'd take that to mean anything out of the ordinary, off the menu, right? What if the majority of products produced by a company were "special orders"? That's what Rolls-Royce is looking at these days.

Globally last year, 75% of Phantom saloons, Coupes and Drophead Coupes were sold with some sort of Bespoke elements, be they custom colors, luggage, or anything in between. Like this picnic set, for example, crafted of aluminum, leather and wood veneers, and packing enough crystal and fine china for four to dine out wherever their chauffeur takes them.

Gallery: Rolls-Royce Bespoke Picnic Set

Tags: bespoke, custom, rolls royce, rolls-royce, Rolls-Royce Bespoke, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collection, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Picnic, Rolls-Royce Bespoke Picnic Set, rolls-royce phantom

Fantastic Black: Custom Made Rolex Watches By Project X Designs

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Men's Style

What is more exclusive and pleasing than having a world respected and desired Rolex wrist watch? Having a brand new, highest quality made aftermarket custom Rolex wrist watch. Welcome to the world of Rolex watch modification and an easy choice for the leader in the industry. The key here is customizing Rolex watches with "manufacture grade quality." The idea is that the customization is so good, it is on par with the extremely high quality standards you get with a Rolex watch right out of the factory.

Project X Designs isn't related to Rolex. What they do is take brand new Rolex watches and offer you three easy options. 1) you can get a Rolex watch customized personally just how you like it. This involves a personal consultation with Project X to choose the Rolex watch model you want customized, and what you want done to it. 2) You can get a number of Rolex watches customized with a very high quality DLC black coating. Many people want black colored Rolex watches. Rolex themselves won't make one, so companies like Project X come in and do this for you. This option has the Rolex watch exactly like it comes from Rolex, but now in black. 3) Project X offers exclusive limited edition models with various levels of customizations ready made for 24 lucky people with each edition. These all sell out very quickly and are extremely beautiful. Modifications can be extensive from changing colors, to special engravings, and other appealing modifications that retain the look you love from Rolex with a designer touch you can't find anywhere else. These limited edition offerings from Project X are the 'cream of the crop' in terms of limited edition customized Rolex watches.

Before you are images I took while meeting with Project X owner Daniel Bourn. It was my sincere pleasure (and joy) to check out these DLC (diamond like carbon) black coated versions of sexy Rolex watches such a the GMT Master II, DeepSea Sea-Dweller, and Milgauss models. These are the second option I mentioned above, of standard factory new Rolex watches that have been modified with the very scratch resistant black coating (chemically bonded to the steel) by Project X.

Notice how wonderfully the DLC black metal matches the new black ceramic bezels on the watches, as well as the dials. These are an obvious choice for real Rolex watch lovers, and the prices aren't that much more that new Rolex watches would be otherwise. Important is that Project X gives you a special warranty on all the watches, so you go to them for any after sales service that you may need. Stay tuned for updates on interesting new modified Rolex watches from Project X in the near future.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: Project X black Rolex watches

Tags: black, custom, customized, DeepSea, DLC, GMT Master, GmtMaster, Milgauss, modified, Project X, ProjectX, Rolex, Sea-Dweller

Customized Rolex Watches With Black DLC

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

The used Rolex watch market is robust and maybe even a bit crowded. Why? Because pre-owned Rolex watches are big business given the fact that Rolex watches have such an incredible ability to retain value. Still, it is sometimes hard to justify buying an older model when new models exist. One good way to breathe life into older, good condition Rolex watches is to modify or customize them. That way you aren't one of legions of people who have the exact same Rolex watch.

Rolex modification is a growing segment in the watch market with retailers offering everything from brand new Rolex watches that have been modified, to performing such modifications on used models. Many of these modifications have been around for years. Often involving the addition of extra gold or precious jewels such as diamonds to the watch. Recently such modifications have taken a less "blingy" route to offering modified Rolex models that have altered colors and materials. Opinions vary as to the desirability of modified Rolex watches - the same way people argue against the modification of luxury cars. Keep the Mercedes Benz stock, or take it to Brabus for a hot horsepower injection?

Of the most popular trends in Rolex watch modding is the "all black look." Never has there been a factory black Rolex watch (to my knowledge). Thus, the market has met (assumed) demand and offering everything from high priced new Rolex watches with all sorts of black colored modifications, to doing the same to pre-owned Rolex watches. The latter being a better value than the highly limited new modified Rolex watches that are tough to get by all (except a host of celebrities who are gobbling up customized Rolex watches fast enough to make you think Rolex is suddenly shifting to making wallpaper). Producers of new stock Rolex watches can charge double or more than retail for the timepieces.

Modified Rolex watches (new or used) are only as good as the work put into them. The process is harder than it seems. So look carefully, and know what you are looking for. The most popular forms of black color treatment are either PVD or DLC coatings (the latter being more modern, but not as well refined in all instances as the much more common PVD treatment) Time and Gems, an outfit located in Los Angeles offers a host of modified or otherwise custom altered Rolex watches. Time and Gems is not an authorized Rolex dealer, but instead specializes in the sale of used Rolex timepieces. They have recently got into the modded Rolex game and offer up a growing selection of DLC (and PVD) black Rolex Submariners, Sea-Dwellers, GMT Masters, Explorers, Milgausses, and more. The image above is of a Time and Gems DLC black Rolex Submariner watch (priced at $6,500). While modified pre-owned Rolex watches cost more than unmodified Rolex watches, they are arguably more interesting, and clearly involve a good deal of work. You can see black DLC Rolex watches from Time and Gems here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: black, custom, DLC, modified, pvd, Rolex, submariner, time and gems, TimeAndGems, watch

Fluid Forms Custom Made Streets Clock

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Holiday Guides

This custom clock would certainly make a good gift. Why? Well for one anything that is "custom" implies that you inserted that appreciated degree of personal touch. Which instantly makes a gift emotional and unique. At the same time it is functional. I mean who doesn't have space for just one more wall clock. Then, you can make the clock sentimental to the recipient, by choosing a city streets map that means something to them. Whether it is of a city live in, a city they miss, or where they were from. All good choices.

Fluid Forms is a site where you can get all sorts of custom made things, and this clock is one of them. I am not totally sure how it works, but you choose not only the city, but the proper segment of the map that you want to have as the backdrop to the clock. You then choose the material (wood or acrylic), one of many colors available. About $181 later (plus shipping) you can get the clock. It is made in Austria, and the quartz movement is apparently German. Designer John Briscella will go over the final design in detail with you before it gets made.

Learn more or get one at Fluid Forms here.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: christmas gifts, ChristmasGifts, city, clock, custom, Fuild Forms, FuildForms, gift ideas, GiftIdeas, holiday gifts, HolidayGifts, map, streets, wall

MojaMix Premium Custom-Mixed Cereals

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Rare is the brand of trail mix or cereal that you really wouldn't change a single thing about, right? Even if you have a favorite brand at the very least you'd probably like the option to add a little something new every now and then, or leave something out if you've gotten tired of the same old flavors.

MojaMix lets you do just that -- not only can you order single bags of cereal that you custom mix for yourself (you get to choose the cereal base you want then add the specific fruit and nuts of your choice) but you can even name your cereal and personalize the packaging.

I want all the mixes! Seriously.

Source

Tags: cereal, custom, granola, moja, mojamix, snacks

The Classicist: The $100,000 Panama Hat

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

Click above for a high-res image gallery.

Brent Black, renowned authority and preeminent purveyor of handwoven straw hats, is now offering the world's finest Montecristi Panama for $100,000. Known simply as "The Hat", Black calls the exquisite creation the most finely woven Montecristi Panama the world has ever known. Authentic Montecristi Panamas, the world's greatest, are made from extremely fine toquilla straw and woven only in Ecuador; a handful of master weavers produce the best of the best, which sell for tens of thousands of dollars apiece. The Hat was commissioned by Black from the king of the master weavers - Black calls him the best weaver in history - Simón Espinal, who lives in the village of Píle in Montecristi Canton. It took him five full months to complete.

After Espinal completed the weaving, five other artisans spent several more weeks preparing and finishing The Hat. An incredible amount of handwork goes into Montecristis; hence the price. You can see some of it in the gallery and a more detailed exposition here. The Hat has not been blocked into a style or sized yet, and is awaiting the purchaser's final instructions. Black offers dozens of different styles and bespoke finishes, some based on vintage patterns such as the dashing Optimo design, above. The Hat is so incredibly fine it weighs less than one ounce. "It is as thin as my stationery," Black tells The Classicist. "When I handle The Hat, I do not worry that it might fall to the floor if I drop it; I worry that it might float away."

While Espinal could theoretically create another one equal to The Hat's fineness, it's not a given that he could replicate the feat. "I have been obsessed with the very finest hats for more than 20 years," Black notes. "I have researched the finest hats woven during the 20th century. There is simply no hat that is comparable to this one." At first Black says he did not want to part with The Hat. However, "if someone were serious enough to pay $100,000 I think I'd have to give it up," he concedes. "I represent the interests of the artist as a gallery does. Simón would be pleased for me to sell it." If that's out of your range, don't worry - Black's best hats, other than this unique work of art, sell for $5,000 to $30,000. You can work your way up.

Gallery: Brent Black Panama Hats

Tags: Arnold Schwarzenegger, ArnoldSchwarzenegger, bespoke, Brent Black, BrentBlack, custom, Ecuador, Harrison Ford, HarrisonFord, hats, Hawaii, Panama hat, PanamaHat, Pierce Brosnan, PierceBrosnan, weaving

Continue reading “The Classicist: The $100,000 Panama Hat”

Unique Autosports Pool Table by Hurricane Custom Billiards

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Cars & Autos

Taste is subjective, and one man's dream is another man's nightmare. Take for example this custom pool table. It was crafted by Florida's Hurricane Custom Billiards specially for Unique Autosports South, the Miami showroom of the purveyor of custom rides for Hollywood's finest. Since Unique's whips are all about big wheels and bling, Hurricane built this table out of chromed steel and mounted it on four giant rims with ultra-low-profile tires. They topped it off with black leather trim and a black felt table top, and mounted a custom lighting kit capable of reproducing 1000 colors, just for good measure. And while this may not be your proverbial slice of pie, Hurricane Custom Billiards is capable of crafting a table to suit your taste, no matter how outlandish.

Source

Tags: billiard, billiards, custom, hurricane, hurricane custom billiards, HurricaneCustomBilliards, pool, pool table, PoolTable, unique, unique autosports, unique autosports south, UniqueAutosports, UniqueAutosportsSouth, whips

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