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The Ultimate Valentine's Day Gift Guide from Luxist and AHAlife

Filed under: Jewelry, Art, Holiday Guides, Luxury Shopping

Before you go overspending on Valentine's Day gifts that will surely be returned, peruse this gift guide from Luxist and AHAlife, "where discerning taste meets an inspired life." We teamed up with AHAlife's careful and creative curators to bring you the best Valentine's Day Gift Guide you'll find, whether you're looking to spend $100 or $5,000. Below, you'll find images and prices for each item on this special list, as well as our reasoning for recommending the items. It's easy (and free!) to join AHAlife, so don't hesitate at the signup page. Close your other tabs and dig in; your Valentine's Day shopping is finished. Here are the Top 10 Best Valentine's Day Gifts for 2011 from AHAlife and Luxist:

1. Camel Bone Jewelry (above) - from $230.00

This exotic collection is so stunning, few women could open it without an audible gasp. There is a certain powerfulness in the femininity and boldness of these rare camel bone pieces. Giving one of these to your loved one is more than an observation of custom; it implies a respect for her primal strength.

Tags: 2011, ahalife, gift, gifts, jewelry, romance, romantic, top 10, top ten, Valentines Day

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Luxist Top Ten Wildest Designer Shoes of 2010

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

It was a great year for shoes (although we think every year is) and we had fun covering all the most extravagant, exotic, and indulgent shoe designs of 2010. Glass slippers, solid gold sandals, and soles that light up with every step are among our favorite highlights but see the complete top ten list below and let us know what you think.

Eternal Borgezie Diamond Stilettos
The $155,000 Eternal Borgezie Stilettos were the most expensive shoes in 2010 and took three years for British jewelry designer Christopher Michael Shellis to create. They're handcrafted by a goldsmith and then a jeweler, who encrusts them with 2,200 diamonds for a total of 30 carats of sparkle. Shellis was quoted as saying "The result is not so much a shoe, but rather a fine piece of jewelry that can be miraculously yet practically worn as the ultimate feminine adornment."

Tags: most expensive, shoes, top 10, top ten

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2009's Top Ten Cars Sold at Auction

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Wealth

The top ten cars sold at auction in 2009 went for $12.2M on the high end, $3.1M on the low. That means there were at least ten people this year who responded to the town crier's screams of "Recession and Depression!" by saying, "Honey, did you hear what that man said? I couldn't make it out because I was busy smacking my lips all over these gold plated bon-bons. They're delicious. Here, try one..."

Not only was this a(nother) big year for auctions, in some ways it was the biggest year: the record for the highest car ever sold at auction was set at RM Auctions' Leggenda e Passione event in Maranello, Italy in May. If that's how buyers dealt with the sequel to The Great Depression, we have no doubt auctioneers are hoping for the same kind of discrete-consumption-is-the-new-black bidding next year. Follow on the for the full list...

Gallery: 1957 Ferrari 250 TR #0714TR

Tags: auction, auctions, top 10, Top10, wheels

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The Top 15 Watches of 2008

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Because watches have their roots in practicality, one can almost not go too far over the top when choosing the ultimate watch to express their individual style. This year at Luxist, we featured watches with all manner of unusual eccentricities and legacies, including watches that only tell if it's day or night, watches inspired by the Beijing Olympics, and watches containing rare gems, woods, and actual meteorite.

Featured above is the watch with the meteorite: The Van Cleef & Arpels Midnight in Paris Watch, which shows a representation of the stars visible from Paris on a typical night set in a lovely rose gold.

As watches become less important for telling time (because it's on your cell phone), we believe it is only natural that they will become more and more beautiful.

Gallery: Top 15 Watches of 2008

Tags: 2008, best, time, timepieces, top 10, top 12, top 15, watches

Top 12 Clutch Purses of 2008

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

We at Luxist always strive to bring you the loveliest things in the world. One object of desire we can't get enough of is the clutch purse.

Here is a gallery of the top 12 most fascinating, original, and exciting clutch purses of 2008. This year we saw a return to glitz and glamor, with many bejeweled bags lined in dark velvets and satins. Smaller trends included feathers and art deco inspired design. Click on the prices in the gallery to see full descriptions of the items.

Our one repeat offender (or delighter) in the clutch purse top 12 was Fendi, and so we'll give them our main photo. Here you see the Fendi Peacock Evening "To You" Bag, an unbelievable find worth a small fortune of $1,680. Although we weren't sure about this look back in January, this bag proved to be a trendsetter in material and style.

Gallery: Top 12 Clutches of 2008

Christian Louboutin Cancan Feathered Satin Clutch

Tags: 2008, clutch, clutch bag, clutches, handbag, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, handbags, purse, purses, top 10, top 12, Top10, Top12

The Top 10 Fairtrade Wines

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

Fairtrade wines are becoming more and more popular, which means they're getting better and better. There are 30 Fairtrade certified wineries worldwide in South Africa, Argentina, and Chile, with the majority of their product shipping to the UK. Fairtrade wines have had a rough start as far as quality is concerned, but in recent years have been making leaps and bounds to gain a better reputation. Whether you're looking to try Fairtrade wines for the first time or are a seasoned connoisseur there are all kinds of good options out there.

Gallery: The Top 10 Fair Trade Wines

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Tags: best, Fairtrade, top 10, Top10, wine, wines

10 of the Best Dream Villas (and Why You Want to Rent One)

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Why rent a luxury hotel room when you can step it up a notch and have a villa instead? Many people don't consider villas by sheer reason that the thought doesn't occur to them, or if it does it's intimidating because people aren't sure how it works. It's really not that complicated, and the benefits of having your own luxury home (as opposed to just a suite in a hotel) at your disposal for the duration of your vacation are amazing.

As far as which villas you might want to consider take a look at the 10 on this slide show, which are complete with villa renting tips like how to consider whether or not you'll need to rent a car and how to choose the best season. Apparently Croatia is becoming one of the hottest villa-vacation hot spots in Europe, and Meikloeur Castle in Scotland is one of the priciest renting for $37,200 per week (but for that you get your own 18 hole golf course).

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Tags: hotel, how to, HowTo, journey, journeys, luxury, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen, vacation, vacations, villa, villas

The World's Most Expensive Dessert

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

If you've got both expensive taste and a sweet tooth then you may want to add at a least a few, if not all, of the world's most expensive desserts to your wish list of things to try. The list topper (and therefore THE most expensive dessert in the world) is The Fortress Aquamarine from Wine3 at The Fortress in Galle, Sri Lanka. The focus of the sweet treat is an 80-carat aquamarine gem resting on a specially shaped sliver of fine chocolate representative of the company's logo. It's a gorgeous looking dessert, but not many have any idea if it tastes equally as good since priced at $14,500 the restaurant has yet to sell their first one.

Via The 9

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Tags: brulee, chocolate, creme brulee, CremeBrulee, dessert, desserts, fortress, most expensive, MostExpensive, sundae, sweet, sweets, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen

The Top 10 High-Tech Luxury Cars

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to combining technology and luxury vehicles is doing it in a way that is user-friendly, because it's about convenience, fun, and safety -- not frustration. These luxury cars can do everything from play your mp3s and DVDs to adjust automatically to treacherous driving conditions and off-road terrain. And perhaps best of all, they look good doing it.

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Tags: audi, auto, autos, bmw, cadillac, car, cars, drive, ferrari, hi-tech, infinity, land rover, LandRover, lexus, mercedes, mercedes benz, MercedesBenz, porsche, tech, technology, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen, vehicle, volvo, wheels

The World's Most Expensive Handbags

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Here at Luxist I'm hardly the handbag expert (that's Sandy and Marsha's department) but when I saw this article I couldn't help but chime in. I love a cute purse just as much as the next girl, but some of these are priced upwards of $100,000 and $200,000! Are they really worth that much? Maybe I don't love purses as much as the next girl...

Personal feelings of value aside, several of the creations on this list of the world's most extravagant handbags are truly gorgeous, and many have so many diamonds and so much gold that justifying the price tag definitely gets easier -- it's an investment! My favorite? The Nancy Gonzalez Porousus Bag, which is actually one of the more reasonable bags on the list coming in at number 9 and costing only $30,000. And here are winners 1-5:

Chanel "Diamond Forever" Classic Bag, $261,000
Hermes Matte Crocodile Birkin Bag, $120,000
Lana Marks Cleopatra Bag, $100,000
Leiber Precious Rose, $92,000
LV Tribute Patchwork Bag, $42,000

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Tags: bag, bags, chanel, designer, handbag, handbags, most expensive, most extravagant, MostExpensive, MostExtravagant, purse, purses, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen

What You 'Must Have' in the Ultimate Dream Home

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Gadgets

Following the spending trends of the wealthy is big business, obviously, and it seems one of the places all their money is going is into filling up their huge homes with loads of pricey decor and expensive gadgets. The rich are looking to make their environments beautiful and comfortable and their lifestyles convenient, and they've got the money to do it right. Hand-embroidered sheets from Leron, the Grand Palais Chateau 180 Stove from La Cornue, and a $2.5 million dollar "Bat Cave" vault are just a few of the things many of the super rich feel they simply must have. What's on your list of luxury "must haves?"

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Tags: decor, gadget, gadgets, home, homes, house, interior, interiors, must have, must haves, MustHave, MustHaves, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen

The World's Most Expensive Cruises

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

People who have money and taste are ever looking for different and more exotic ways to relax and entertain themselves, and the world of cruises is no exception. Trips to the Caribbean and the Bahamas are all but mainstream, so luxury cruises are moving towards smaller more personal ships and less common locations. And the world's most expensive luxury cruises are no exception, with popular locations ranging from the Baltic to Africa to Antarctica, and prices soaring upwards of $2,000 per person per day in some cases. Money like that will get you the best rooms, interesting adventure options (like kayaking in the Antarctic), upscale shore excursions with exclusive perks and privileges, and of course travel at the peak of the sometimes short seasons. Where do you want to go? I don't think I could decide!

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Tags: boat, cruise, cruises, expensive, journey, journeys, most expensive, MostExpensive, ship, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen, travel, travels, water, world's most expensive, World'sMostExpensive

The Top 10 Richest Models in the World

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

So we all know models make a lot of money, but do you know just how much? And if you had to guess which one was making the most money right now who would you pick? I just love the lists Forbes comes up with, and here's another great one of the world's top earning models. Its list has a total of 15 of the wealthiest models, and I've included the top 10 here:

Gisele Bundchen: $33 million
Kate Moss: $9 million
Heidi Klum: $8 million
Adriana Lima: $6 million
Allessandra Ambrosio: $6 million
Carolyn Murphy: $5 million
Natalia Vodianova: $4.5 million
Karolina Kurkova: $3.5 million
Daria Werbowy: $3.5 million
Gemma Ward: $3 million

How many of them do you recognize? And wow, Gisele is way ahead of the competition!

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Tags: best, earn, earning, earnings, model, modeling, models, money, rich, richest, salaries, salary, top 10, top ten, Top10, TopTen, wealthiest, wealthy

The Most Anticipated Luxury Cars of 2008

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

The term "luxury car" can apply to autos priced from fairly economical $20,000 options all the way up to the indulgent $400,000 range and higher. It's a large class of vehicles. And although everyone may not agree (with that many cars in the mix there's bound to be varying opinions!) this list is a fun one: Forbes has narrowed the new 2008 luxury releases into their own top 10 most anticipated. Here's their list, but as in anything with cars to really get the effect you should see it in pictures.