If you were ever wondering how the car companies got into the mess that they are in to today, one only has to look at this particular innovation. At first glance, I thought this was ground breaking and sort of experimental in a good way. Then I thought about Chrysler’s inability to look beyond the record player paradigm that bothered me. They simply asked themselves: "How do we get our music into the car?". They never asked: "How do we get our music into the car usefully and conveniently?" Think about this: where will you store your records when your bouncing around in the car?  How will you be able to change records? How will the records remain scratch free? But Maybe I’m full of shit.

Chrysler’s record-breaking automotive feature of yore – Core77

I begin with a modest question: How rich would one have to be before one bought the Versailles Lighter by S.T. Dupont? A successful sucker would at least have to have $4,400 to acquire this little piece of yellow gold gaudiness inspired by the master of opulence himself, Louis XIV. I, personally, would need a net worth of one hundred million before I got talked into one of these lighters. Still, the lighter would be the perfect gift for that pesky dictator who needs a little bribe now and then.

I just happened to notice this on Yahoo today, and I could not help but to put it on the blog. I present Bling H2O- the next best thing to selling luxury air is luxury water. The water is the brainchild of Kevin G. Boyd who is a Hollywood writer and producer (I’ll get to this later) who saw an increasing star battle over who had the most luxury water. He created Bling H20 to be the “Rolls Royce Phantom” of waters, as he puts it, to help facilitate the petty water war. I do not see this water in the same league with the Rolls Royce Phantom but rather a cheesy, gold encrusted lowrider. It’s kind of like shining shit: you can work really hard to make the shit look pretty, but in the end it’s still shit.

I have to admit that I like the frosted bottle, the Swarovski crystal logo, and even the form of the bottle is appealing. However, the price is sad. It cost fifty-five dollars a bottle for the limited edition bottles. That seems conspicuously attainable to me. If people were wanting to buy luxury water Bling H20 should make the price hundreds of dollars and have real craftspeople make the water and bottle. Instead, what Bling H20 has created is a product that anyone can buy. Which means I can afford it just as easily as the gawky, pimple faced teenage girl in the mall. What’s the fun of that? It does not, actually, create a culture of exclusivity which is the point of this brand (according to their own literature). What the price tag of fifty-five dollars actually creates is a product that is expensive enough to make people say “wow” but cheap enough not to question the product’s provenance. But the provenance needs to be looked at. The frosted bottle- is it a special bottle or is it just the typical 50 cent frosted bottle you can pick up wholesale. Are the Swarovski crystals actual glass? Who are putting these crystals on the bottles- sweatshop workers or well paid artisans? What do we really know about the water? Everything just smacks of a person trying to deal crack in the form of water.

And while we’re questioning the origins of the product itself, let’s think about the origins of its creator, Kevin G. Boyd. His career, from my look at IMDB, has not been terribly successful. He has written for the Jaime Foxx Show ten years ago, but since then has done very little in his career which leads me to wonder how he knows so much about celebrity water tastes. I’m wondering if during his one episode stint as a writer of “One on One” back in 2004 this experience has given him the true insight?

Regardless of the snake-oil-like feeling I get about this product, I should commend Bling H20 for a creating pretty good buzz.

The website for Bretz Sofas is www.mycultsofa.com, and, quite honestly, you would probably need to be in a cult to own one of these pieces of furniture. Because only someone who has been brainwashed would pay thousands of dollars to buy a Bretz Sofa. They are truly the ugliest sofas I have ever seen, and I challenge each of you to show me an uglier sofa. When a company makes something this ugly, I need an explanation, so I went for a read of their mission statement:

BRETZ Couture aspires to capture the soul of haute couture of the international catwalks and bring it to your home. With a wealth of facets which make dreams reality. Be swept away by the joy of intoxicating colours and shapes. Experience warmth and comfort; stylishness and high quality. Enjoy the glamour of BRETZ Couture with all your senses because: Bretz: Design is born in the heart. For the heart.

I’ve been following couture fashion for a while now, and I’m thinking to myself, when did the scary prostitute look come in to vogue? I don’t see these sofas following the likes of Valentino or Prada. I’ve even had a cursory look at what I thought might be their clothing counterpart, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and even this brand has managed to refine their look well beyond a Tim Burton Film. Still give credit where it’s due. The sofa is an achievement of some sorts, and I commend the company for sticking to their vision no matter how ugly that vision may be.

From Sephora’s Website: “With Love�Hilary Duff is an expression of love in all its forms and dimensions: the unconditional love of family, the generosity of friendship, and the breathtaking excitement of romance. Exotic fruits add an intriguing sparkle to the rich woods and sultry ambers of this effervescent, oriental fragrance.”

OK. I really want to hate this product. Something makes my blood boil when actresses go off and make a perfume with no real knowledge of the craft whatsoever. Even the copy (quoted above) makes me want to wretch. But… I checked out a bottle of the stuff, and I must say it’s not garbage. The scent kind of spicy, but pleasant. The bottle and packaging aren’t innovative, but they are austere (which I didn’t expect). I would give this perfume a go if I were a Disney loving young woman with an obsession for child actors. In other words, there is a huge market for this perfume.

I’m going to skip the image of the plus ultra luxury products because I couldn’t get a good image of them, but check out my link . I felt filthy when I saw their product offerings. These offerings include golden Nokia phones, gold leafed Cuban Cigars, and for the complete egomaniac, golden pacifiers for their children!

What does this have to do with the quality of design? I don’t know. Just check it out.

This week marks the annual Millionaire Fair, this year held in Moscow: home to 60,000 Millionaires and 30 Billionaires (The highest concentration in the world). All week, I will be reporting finds from the Fair on more obscure companies that cater to the super rich. What categories of design are on the lists of the fabulously wealthy?

This bed is for rich people. Why? Because Franz Jaeger said so! OK.

This design object is funny to me. First, take a look at the bed, then read the statement from the Franz Jaeger website: “The German Manufactory Franz Jaeger Berlin extends the noble high-grade steel design line by a new gold collection. Therefor (sp) the world’s biggest 24 carat gilding bath will be built. The most expensive beds of the world with their unique design are only made as desired by our exclusive customers.”

I’m not feeling it. Their design does nothing for me. And, how does it relate to their badly worded text? Franz apparently is a person with friends in high places, otherwise this guy what have left the design field a long time ago to go into accounting.

This is true design crack.

This week marks the annual Millionaire Fair, this year held in Moscow: home to 60,000 Millionaires and 30 Billionaires (The highest concentration in the world). All week, I will be reporting finds from the Fair on more obscure companies that cater to the super rich. What categories of design are on the lists of the fabulously wealthy?

New Palace Interiors is yet another baroque interiors company specializing in crusty architecture. I don’t have much to say about this except why?!

This week marks the annual Millionaire Fair, this year held in Moscow: home to 60,000 Millionaires and 30 Billionaires (The highest concentration in the world). All week, I will be reporting finds from the Fair on more obscure companies that cater to the super rich. What categories of design are on the lists of the fabulously wealthy?

It appears, in general, that the trend of the super-wealthy remains heavily baroque in nature. As a modernest, I tend to make fun of this when interpretted in a contemporary context. However, the companies I’ve found have developed the highest levels of craft and are of great merit.

Fancelli , for instance, is a company that makes 18th century revival wood panneling on the highest order of craftsmanship. They are worth a look. One thing this says to me is: rich people like to show off their virtuosity by adding complexity to their homes.