linen

Luxor Linens Wants to Make Your Private Life Blissful

Filed under: Decor

When Jack Nekhala and Mike Nusinkis decided to create personal and home textiles like no other, they started Luxor Linens. Nekhala, an Egyptian, sourced cotton from the Nile Delta and the two designed pieces like the Buonaparte Robe and Valentino Sheets to showcase what truly luxurious linens could feel like. But let's face it, Egyptian cotton is so popular that there could be more of the fine, white stuff in Iowa than in North Africa.

What makes Luxor special are the details and finish-work of its pieces, from the baby linens to the sheet sets, and the customer service: you can call their offices at hours normally reserved for police stations and get your questions and issues answered, or leave a message if they have really gone for the night. When we called at midnight and got an answering machine, we didn't leave a message. The next morning we checked our phone to find a voicemail from Jennifer in customer service saying she had a missed call from our number and inviting us to call back. That, friends, is customer service. And we're talking about linens...

When it comes to tailored and irregular orders like circular or yacht bedding, the owners themselves will take the call to make sure your goods are everything you expect. And once you place your order, everything else is done by hand: note cards, monogramming and packaging.

Luxor also makes private label linens for boutique hotels so there's a chance you've enjoyed them already. Dr. Phil, InStyle and Elle have all sung the praises, and we hear that singing continues even while you're sleeping between the company's Leonardo sheets. In Egyptian.

Gallery: Luxor Linens

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Tags: bedding, jack nekhala, linen, linens, luxor linens, mike nusinkis, robes, sheets

The Classicist: Dunhill Custom Tailoring for Spring & Summer

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

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

Back in March we reported that London luxury goods firm Dunhill was opening a new custom tailoring floor of its Madison Avenue flagship store in New York, the first of its kind in the U.S. Now we have more details of their custom tailoring program, featuring a selection of over 250 of the finest British and Italian cloths. Clients can create suits, jackets, trousers and shirts solely designed for their individual lifestyle or demands. Overseen by Bruno Cosentino, Dunhill's resident master tailor who personally hand makes every bespoke item, the space is entirely dedicated to the brand's exceptional tailoring service. A Dunhill custom suit undergoes 165 separate, meticulous operations performed by skilled artisans, with some 200 individual pieces going into making a jacket alone. Each jacket is expertly constructed using a floating canvas front allowing it to mold to the body over time. The Custom program offers a choice of two cuts – the House's signature St James' block, inspired by the archetypal Savile Row suit with several distinctive Dunhill touches, or the slimmer Belgravia fit defined by a suppressed waist, built up chest and sharper shoulders.

A suit can further be personalized by straight or slanted pockets, center or side vents and notch or peak lapels. Distinctive Dunhill silhouettes are enhanced by the introduction of a lightly 'roped' shoulder providing a typically English outline. This additional mark of luxury raises the crown of the sleeve slightly, ensuring the purest of lines from shoulder to sleeve. High performance fabrics are available including a 3-ply high twist super 130's wool and silk fabric in a range of blues and greys. The classic Dunhill custom blazer can be created in the finest of Camdeboo mohair (above) which is lightweight, boasts great performance properties and travels beautifully, keeping the wearer warm in the cold but cool in the heat. Each Dunhill custom item will be completed and presented within two months. Once the design of the pattern is complete, it then becomes part of the Alfred Dunhill archives, kept in reserve for returning clients seeking additional bespoke services. Dunhill's custom tailoring tradition includes a tuxedo made for Truman Capote to wear at his infamous Black & White Ball in the 1960s as well as bespoke suits made for Frank Sinatra.

Gallery: Dunhill Custom Tailoring in NYC

Tags: bespoke, Dunhill, English, fabric, jacket, linen, London, mens style, Savile Row, suits, tailoring

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American Fashion - The Book

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

If you are lover of books and fashion, then this is right up your alley. American Fashion is the visual celebration of fashion. Don't let it's minimally decorated cover fool you. There are over 300 pages of stunning and captivating photographs. Published in 2007 and Commissioned by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, author Charlie Scheips does an excellent job of showcasing iconic clothing spanning over 70 years (ending in the 1990s) and the journey of over 100 American designers into international stardom and becoming household names. The Limited Special Edition, available for $500, is featured to the right and is bounded and housed in a linen slipcase. Fortunately, there is another version available with a slightly more reasonable price tag of $50. Whichever version you choose, American Fashion is an ideal coffee table book for fashion lovers.

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Tags: assouline, books, coffee table books, fashion, linen

Cool Summer: Does Thread Count, Count?

by Alison Wellner (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Lux Tips

Now that Memorial Day has passed, and it's unofficially, officially summer, it's time to think about switching bed linens from winter coziness to summer crispness. If you're going to freshen your linen closet, the folks that make the fine linens at SFERRA have a message for you: stop obsessing about thread count.

Most of us use thread count -- that is, the number of threads per square inch of fabric -- as a proxy for quality. And it is definitely important -- just go to any good linen department and give the samples of different thread count a good stroke and scrunch. But it's not the only thing that matters, nor is it what matters most: the quality of the fiber matters more. (You could have a sheet of densely woven straw, for example, and you wouldn't want to sleep on it.) Egyptian cotton is most used in luxury linens because it produces a long fiber, or staple, which means it's easier to spin into smooth, fine yarn.

After that, the weave that's used influences the feel of the sheet. For summer consider linen, a loose weave of long flax fibers, like SFERRA's Classico line fitted queen sheet for $210, king flat sheet for $315. Or go with percale, a tight uniform cotton weave that results in a matte look and a smooth, crisp feel. For example, pictured here is SFERRA's Sereno line, fitted queen sheet for $410, king duvet for $1,080. But okay, just because you're not obsessing about thread count doesn't mean you have to forget it entirely: the Sereno line has a very luxey thread count of 800.

Learn more about SFERRA's "Lose Count" campaign by friending the company on Facebook.

Tags: bedroom, cool summer, CoolSummer, cotton, decor, linen, linens, sheets

Kara Ross Lizard, Ostrich and Linen Clutch, Handbag of the Day

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

No need for bight colors or flashy hardware here. This one is all about texture, with ostrich, lizard and linen coexisting nicely in this chic little clutch. An oxidized silver clasp frames a beautifully simple faceted black onyx on the outer flap. Underneath is another flap pocket and open access to the interior of the bag, which is lined and has one zippered pocket. The clutch converts easily to a shoulder bag with two clips hidden discreetly under the flap. Cool sophistication such as this does not come cheap. $1995.

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Tags: clutch, designer clutch, designer handbag, DesignerClutch, DesignerHandbag, handbag, kara ross, KaraRoss, leather, linen, lizard ostrich linen, LizardOstrichLinen, onyx, purse, shoulder bag, ShoulderBag

Inmod Design Studio

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

The Inmod Design Studio is a new feature at Inmod that allows you to design your own luxury duvet, selecting and customizing fabrics, colors and designs to get something perfectly suited to your own tastes. The fabrics include, linen, silk dupioni and silk taffeta and the duvets are available in any size. Once you have customized your design, you can also alter the colors of the digital room, including the color of the bed frame, the rug, the vases and even the walls to try and get an idea of how your duvet will look in your room. Alternatively, you can figure out how to redecorate around your new duvet. Prices vary based on your particular choices, but the design pictured here, which is on silk dupioni, is $450 in a California King with matching shams.

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Tags: bedding, bedroom, design, duvet, inmode, linen, sheets

Michael Kors Embroidered Linen Hobo, Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

The Michael Kors Embroidered Linen Hobo is another nice, casual bag to tote during the warm summer months, though the dark coloring will certainly ease the transition into fall. It is made from dark brown linen and is accented with gold floral embroidery. A snap closure secures the open-top bag. The leather trim is embossed with a snakeskin print, though the woven, chocolate-colored leather strap is plain. Gold hardware attaches the strap to the bag itself and perfectly compliments the golden flowers. Gold and chocolate - sounds like a supremely elegant dessert, doesn't it? Price: $895.