pipes

A Movement to Pipes: It's the Economy

Filed under: Cigars

Cigar smoking is a lifestyle commitment ... and investment. Unless you're smoking low-end cigars, your daily spend is at least $5 and could reasonably reach $10. If you truly go upscale, you're looking at $20 a day or more, with boxes starting at $450. It becomes expensive quickly, and today, people are reconsidering how they use their "fun money." Unsurprisingly, pipes are gaining popularity as a cost-effective smoking alternative without forcing you into the nasty world of cigarettes.

At first, pipe smoking appears to be pricey. To enter the world of briar, you could lay out hundreds of dollars – even thousands. And, since you can't buy just one pipe, the cost multiplies. Once you get past the initial purchase, though, pipe smoking is quite affordable. Top pipe tobacco brands cost less than $15 a tin ... roughly the cost of a cigar.

Like cigars, pipes range from garbage to entry level to high-end. Generally, quality follows price. A $5 corn cob is what you would expect, and hand-crafted Dunhills – which can sell for more than $1,000 – may be a bit much for someone testing the waters.

Gallery: Dunhill Pipe Dinner

A set table for Manhattan's pipe smokers

Dunhill's pipe stands, not available to the public

The guests gather for a meal and pipe discussion

Tags: pipe, pipes, smoke, smoker, smokers, smoking, tobacco, tobacco industry, tobacco use, TobaccoIndustry, TobaccoUse

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The Classicist: The Luxurious House of Longchamp

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Handbags, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books, Men's Style, The Classicist

These days the celebrated French leathergoods company Longchamp is best known for its super-stylish handbags as seen in ad campaigns starring Kate Moss (above). Most people are unaware however that the company, which dates back to 1948, started off selling luxurious leather-covered pipes to Paris' bon ton. The rich heritage of the firm is celebrated in Longchamp, a gorgeous new illustrated history from Abrams by Marie-Claire Aucouturier with photographs by Philippe Carcia, published in celebration of the company's 60th anniversary.

Beginning with the deluxe pipes, which became a favorite of Elvis Presley (pictured smoking one in the book), the company built a brand as a bridge between the very social equestrian world and the world of luxury travel. Named after Paris' famed Longchamp racecourse where Napoleon III presided over the Royal Enclosure, the company adopted a horse and rider as its logo. The pipes were soon followed by cigarette cases and other leather accessories for smokers, then expansion into small leather goods in the 1950s, followed by the opening of the first Longchamp boutiques in the 1970s and '80s.

The first in a line of luxurious luggage soon followed. Longchamp thrived where many firms failed by catching on early to the importance of the Asian market. In the early 1970s, Philippe Cassegrain, Longchamp's founder, designed a line of bags called "LM," destined for the Japanese market, recently re-released for the anniversary. Its success gave Longchamp a solid reputation as a creator of women's handbags and enabled the company to expand further. In 1993 Cassegrain introduced the Le Pliage collection of foldable travel bags made of colorful vinyl with luxurious leather trim, an instant smash; two billion of them have been sold since.

Gallery: Longchamp Luxury

Tags: ad campaigns, AdCampaigns, Elvis Presley, ElvisPresley, equestrian, French fashion, FrenchFashion, Jeremy Scott, JeremyScott, Kate Moss, KateMoss, leather, leathergoods, Longchamp, luggage, Paris, pipes, smoking, supermodels, Tracey Emin, TraceyEmin

Continue reading “The Classicist: The Luxurious House of Longchamp”

Cigar, Pipe Collectibles Gaining Momentum

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

Smoking bans may ultimately keep cigar connoisseurs from buying that next lighter or cigar cutter, but there is a group – that may or may not smoke – that is buying cigar-related items aggressively. Collectors are being drawn to antique smoking-related items, even if their use has become less popular over the past several decades.

Pipes, ashtrays, cigar boxes and cigarette dispensers are on the list for this subculture. Others are drawn to packaging and advertising, scooping up old cigar bans, boxes of matches, in-store ads and other forms of "tobacciana." Some are even quite expensive.

So, when your kids get on your case about the stack of empty cigar boxes in the living room, just tell them that's how they'll get through college ... if they're lucky.

[Photo by Steve Zak]

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Tags: ashtray, ashtrays, cigar, cigar accessories, CigarAccessories, cigarette, cigarettes, cigars, collectible, collectibles, collecting, collection, collections, humidor, humidors, lighter, lighters, pipe, pipes