If you are -- or long to be -- part of the NYC social and moneyed scene, Quest is a must-read. Distributed around NYC, seemingly for free (though it has a $5 cover price), this sometimes snooty publication tracks the party scene with pages of pages of photos of dressed-up socialites and tuxedoed men, snapped by editor David Patrick Columbia at fetes and charity events. The magazine occasionally has a feature of some depth but mainly has light articles. For Luxist readers who love our "Estate of the Day" feature, Quest's Web site is great -- it is in magazine format and includes ads. That means you can scan ads featuring home listings in NYC, Connecticut, the Hamptons and so on, plus see ads for high-end jewelry, handbags, clothing, shoes, art galleries, luxury home accessories and cultural events. Click once on the page you want to view to make it bigger. You also can subscribe (tab at top of home page) if you want the hard copy ($36/one year/12 issues or $47.97/two years/24 issues).

The Wall Street Journal reported that Visionaire magazine -- a publication where design, marketing, style, trends and art intersect -- is charging $50,000 for a special Goyard trunk designed for its collectors. The handmade trunk will house the magazine's first 50 issues. This summer, Visionaire also will offer 10 complete sets of its first 50 issues in the Goyard trunks for $150,000. The customized steamer trunks, assembled by hand, will have shelves and insets designed for all 50 issues. Collectors also can buy an empty trunks for €34,500 ($54,000).

From its premiere issue in April 1991 (now up to 54 issues, with each issue typically priced between $150 - $350), Visionaire "challenged notions of what it meant to be an art and fashion publication and was conceived of as a venue for artists such as Mario Testino and Steven Meisel to publish personal work," WSJ stated. It has morphed into something more like a design challenge for its many contributors.

Each issue (which can take between nine months and three years to complete) is typically a mixed-media riff on a theme, posing an ongoing set of challenges to a small crew of designers. For example, White began with the question: How do you publish without using ink? Answer: a combination of Braille, embossing, varnish and paper-cut illustrations. Scent came with perfume capsules, Taste had specially-designed flavor-strips and Sound featured a Mini Cooper toy car that played record albums.

hr:, a magazine heretofore devoted to mechanical timepieces, is attempting to reinvent itself with a new focus on the broader category of luxury goods. The bi-monthly slick promises to deliver a readership that is 35-55, with an annual income above $650,000 and a net worth of $1 million plus, which makes sense if you've priced the cost of having your Rolex or Patek Phillipe cleaned lately.

The new focus will feature those lifestyle elements most likely to advertise heavily in the magazine; fashion, luxury cars, yachts, vacation spots and, of course, watches. As the public abandons the wearing of watches in deference to the time readout on their cell phones, the accoutrement increasing has become a jewelry choice, one acceptable within the conservative 'man code'.

Expect hr: to join the rank of quasi-catalogues of luxury gifts, somewhere between Harper's Bazaar and Condé Nast Travel, where the lines between articles and advertising is as faint as the blush on a model's cheek.

Ferrari and Condé Nast will be publishing a magazine just for Ferrari owners. The glossy international magazine will have an initial print run of 30,000 and is aimed at the peak of the luxury market. The magazine does not have an official name yet but it will be published four times a year with the first issue due out this summer. The editor in chief will be Antonio Ghini, Ferrari communications and brand management director for the last 15 years.

Donald Trump has one, now Martha Stewart is supposedly working on a big glossy luxury magazine. Advertising Age reports that Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia may be working on a oversized luxury title. While the magazine industry in general remains in a state of change, heavy and huge luxury titles with big glossy ads remain attractive because they offer advertisers a way to find the luxury consumer. In these cases the income of each reader is more of a lure than how many readers the magazine attracts. It also gives the advertiser ample space to showcase their products in a magazine that is meant to be more for looking than for reading. Trump's title has a 12-inch-by-10-inch cover and it is rumored that Martha's luxury magazine would be an oversized title like W or Cigar Aficionado.

Could the third time be the charm for Trump magazine? Donald Trump has twice before published a luxury magazine with his name on it that lost money. But late last year Trump announced that he would be partnering with luxury publisher Ocean Drive Media on a relaunch. Mediaweek reports that the debut January issue had a healthy 144 ad pages (including luxury brands such as Gucci and Cartier), and the second issue has another 290 booked.

Trump has stated that he is interested in having the magazine not for his self-aggrandizement, but as a service to his hotels and condos. Trump's magazine does have a captive audience. The magazine, which has a distribution of 100,000, will be delivered to all Trump properties and newsstands. It will also sell for $5.95 in limited locations. Jerry Powers, Niche Media president , says that the luxury market is strong despite an overall weakness in magazine ad sales. With The Apprentice doing well in the ratings once more, could this, once again, be the year of Trump?

The days of the over-the-top and "in your face" styles of being rich (think Donald Trump) are numbered it seems, as the trends of wealth and luxury are leaning ever more toward quiet, discreet, and as invisible as possible. A team from Newsweek has done some research and exploration of this latest move toward ultra-exclusive living, with their findings published in the July 2-9 edition of Newsweek (available on newsstands now). Getting a glimpse at some of what goes on is truly a treat, as everything from building and real estate architecture to the names and addresses of exclusive bars and clubs are going so understated as to be nearly invisible. And worn and used by the superrich? Obscure brand names, often without labels and logos, that are only known by those who can afford to know and appreciate their quality.

As fun as it is to witness some of the ridiculous extravagance some celebrities are so open about, I think this trend is definitely a good one as far as taste and class go.

If you are bored today and looking for a little reading, BYM News, one of the major sources for yachting news has added a new downloadable magazine to its website. The first issue is a 68-page PDF that covers some of the key stories of 2006 in the boating world. Highlights include an interesting story on alternative fuels, pieces on Mirabella V & Maltese Falcon, the world's largest sloop and the world's largest clipper and a round-up of some of the important megayacht launches for the year. The magazine is the first of monthly planned magazines from BYM News.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reportedly sold the rights to the first picture of their as-yet-unborn child for $4.9 million (£2.6 million) to an unnamed American weekly magazine. The money will be donated to the children's charity, UNICEF. Knowing that the paparazzi are likely to try to snap pictures of the baby as soon after it is born as possible, the couple "figured they might as well use the opportunity of one child being born to help a lot of others." Angelina's due date is supposed to be in early June.

Wal-Mart, in its continuing quest to make its image more fashionable, is running ads in May's Vogue magazine. The ads were shot by photographer Patrick Demarchelier and the models worked with a stylist from the magazine. Because Wal-Mart's core audience is comprised of "real" people, they opted not to use professional models over real, everyday shoppers. And by "everyday shoppers," they meant women like Kristina Deignan, pictured, who was Mrs. Virginia in 2003 and first runner up at the Mrs. USA pageant.

Mrs. Deignan said that she shops for "basics such as T-shirts, tank tops and workout wear" at Wal-Mart, while the rest of her closet has designers including Kay Unger and Nanette Lepore. The skirt and bracelet in the photo are her own.

[Image Patrick Demarchelier]

What's going on with Macy's? First Martha Stewart and now I learn that they also sell Maxim-branded bedding. It turns out that Maxim has a whole line of furnishings from rather generic-looking barware to guy-approved spare-and-bare TV stands.  Is the Maxim name alone enough to sell this stuff? The company provides plenty of saucy copy. For the bed set shown here they say: "Add this casual coolness to your master bedroom and who knows? Maybe next time you roll out of bed you'll have company."  Note the artfully strewn Maxim magazines on the floor (open to pictures of girls in bikinis) and the guitar resting by the bedside. Feeling studly yet? Buy the $200 set at Macy's and they'll throw in a year's subscription to the magazine.

[via Village Voice]