nyt

A (Final) Rest in Luxury

Andreas Spiegel, when it came time to bury his father, took note of the fact that the vast majority of coffins are rectangular, heavy and heavily ornate. They were old fashioned, and Spiegel decided that he had a design to revolutionize the coffin industry. Or, at least, a design that would give discerning coffin buyers an alternative to designs that have been overused for years. The Cocoon is an ovoid shaped box made out of natural materials which, unlike traditional coffins, will decompose 10-15 years after being placed into the ground. Fourteen colors are offered as a finish to the natural soybean-based resin and the natural jute lining can be replaced with silk, as part of the customizing "haute couture service" Spiegel offers. Prices start at $3,500.

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Tags: coffin, coffins, funeral, grave, new york times, nyt, the cocoon, TheCocoon

Balenciaga Riding Hat

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

How much would you pay for a hat by designer Nic Ghesquiere of Balenciaga? After seeing it in so many editorials over the last few months, the Balenciaga riding hat was featured in the New York Times, complete with commentary. It was a relief to see that, even after all that seemingly positive photo coverage in the fashion mags, that it was accurately described as "bulbous", "alien" and even light bulb-like (in white). The NYT also mentioned that it is priced at $1,175 - steep for headgear that sort of floats above one's head.