Classic luxury Italian fashion brand Brioni, best known for outfitting Pierce Brosnan during his tenure as James Bond (right), is looking to sell a 25% stake in the business. "This is a family company. We need to think about the future and ways to develop the brand," Brioni CEO Antonella De Simone tells WWD.

The company, founded in Rome in 1945 and named after a resort on the Adriatic Sea, makes ready-to-wear and bespoke men's suits costing from $6,000 - $36,000, and has a women's line as well. Some of its luster may have been lost when James Bond switched to Tom Ford, but the brand is undeniably valuable.

Beginning this month, Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana are debuting an incredibly luxurious collection of one-off crocodile bags for men as part of their Spring / Summer 2009 offerings. The collection is limited to 20 unique pieces worldwide, each costing about $50,000. The One-of-A-Kind collection "blends together the artisan leather tradition of Tuscany with Dolce & Gabbana's innovative use of precious materials," the company notes. Each piece is crafted out of "the finest mix of luxurious multi-colored crocodile skin in a unique and not-reproducible combination meant for those men who are looking for the ultimate object of desire." Inside each bag is an embroidered label reading "Limited Edition - Number 1 of 1." Last summer my colleague Rigel Celeste wrote about the women's version.

Louis Vuitton makes a case for everything. Really. If there's something you want to carry in a Louis Vuitton case, they will probably make one for you.

The only criteria-strictly enforced to honor the original spirit of the 150-year-old company-are that the item is portable and that its raison d'être is transport. "We are in the business of movement," says Patrick-Louis Vuitton, a fifth-generation member of the founding family who oversees all of LV's custom projects. "A special order is a compromise between desires and needs from the client and our aesthetic and technical requirements." - Men's Vogue

Louis Vuitton makes about 450 special-order cases every year at their Asnières, France workshop. The process of creating a perfect case for a client's needs can take four to five months, but their policy is to never exceed eight.

Over the years, cases have been created for everything from hookah pipes to a portable altar for a French priest heading to a desert archaeological dig in the 1920's.

Louis Vuitton won't make just anything, though. If they don't like your request (say, to put little LV's all over the interior of your car, a move similar to the one that ended up with Britney Spears on the losing end of a Vuitton lawsuit), they'll modify the idea and make a suggestion - their polite version of refusal.

[via Men's Vogue]

London men's luxury goods firm Dunhill is coming out with the ultimate alligator belt for the holidays, featuring a high-tech gold, steel and diamond buckle. The Mechanical Belt, which is being produced in a limited edition of 25 pieces globally at a cost of $10,600 each, is designed for ultra-precise adjustments of exactly 35mm - the "two thumb" measurement a tailor will traditionally build into a custom made suit for added comfort. The five-axel buckle contains a patented system of over 108 movable, mechanical parts including roller bearings, plates and levers.

The mechanics make perfect one-handed adjustments a cinch, so to speak, for instance while maneuvering into and out of a low-seated vintage British sportscar. Hand finished by expert artisans, it is comprised of stainless steel and 18 carat rose gold components ornamented with two inset diamonds. A choice of two alligator skin straps are supplied as well. The belt will only be available in Dunhills' flagship stores located in London, New York, Shanghai and Tokyo, with only a handful of pieces to be sold at each one.

Last month we wrote about the timeless appeal of classic men's tailoring as epitomized by Savile Row, especially during times of economic uncertainty. There's no need to travel all the way to London however to indulge in custom-tailoring of the highest quality and style that transcends trends and fads, if you know where to look. In New York City, David Chu, founder of the Nautica brand who has since gone on to revitalize luggage maker Tumi, operates an ultra-chic Bespoke shop at his gorgeous Townhouse in Gramercy Park.

The Bespoke shop (above) is located in the penthouse of the Townhouse, which is home to Chu's design studio and other businesses. Ebonized and limestone floors, marble fixtures and a collection of contemporary artwork and Chinese antiquities create an elegant, polished and modern atmosphere. French doors open out from the shop onto a landscaped roof deck with captivating city and park views. "The bespoke experience is about understated elegance," Chu tells Luxist. "It's more for yourself. You put it on, it feels great, and that's the most important thing."

David Chu Bespoke "blends the best of Savile Row and Neapolitan tailoring, marrying craftsmanship with modernity." Garments are hand-cut and stitched by a master tailor based in Naples. A gentleman can order anything he requires to be custom made, from suits, overcoats, tuxedos, and sport jackets to trousers, shoes, scarves, and 12-fold ties. The emphasis is on classic, luxurious fabrics such as super 150's wool, worsted spun cashmere and vicuna sourced from the world's best mills.

In terms of a luxurious take on the classic sneaker, it's hard to beat this crocodile skin version from Superga by Isaia. The result of a collaboration between two famous Italian brands, the limited edition kicks are available by special order from Barneys New York for $2,000. Isaia is one of the world's last remaining Neapolitan sartorial brands, known for its beautiful tailored clothing, while Superga makes Italy's most iconic rubber-soled sport shoes. Other luxe variations include ostrich, sharkskin and Aquacashmere, a stain and water repellent cashmere blend exclusive to Isaia. The special edition sneaks are made to be worn with suits as a way of embodying casual elegance.



[via Affluent Page]

This holiday season, Ralph Lauren is coming out with luxurious and exorbitantly colorful collection of modern classics, featuring decadent accessories for men, women and the home. One of our favorite items is this vintage-inspired sterling silver flask with an enameled portrait of a 19th-century jockey, priced at $2,495. Other highlights include eye-popping takes on the elegant alligator and crocodile belts Lauren has been doing for decades, in shocking go-to-hell colors like purple and orange. The women's version features a horseshoe-shaped buckle and costs $1,895.

In addition, there are velvet slippers for men embroidered with a bold equestrian figure in several colors for $950; a pillow made from a silk equestrian-themed scarf backed by luxurious cashmere for $795; cashmere throw blankets in bright tones bordered with contrasting suede for $995; and saddle leather jewelry boxes with brightly-hued alligator lids for $2,895. Lauren was just named the most powerful man in men's fashion meanwhile by industry bible DNR, beating out Giorgio Armani for the top spot.

Today in Vivre Notes, founder Eva Jeanbart-Lorenzotti recommends a few products for the gents, including these quilted cashmere slippers by the famed Italian design group Loro Piana.

The pair at right was featured on Jeanbart-Lorenzotti's list of gift suggestions for the holidays, though they might be equally soothing to wear during a little weekend staycation right about now.

They retail for $475.

In times of economic uncertainty luxury consumers looks to timeless classics they know will hold their value and last for years as opposed to flash-in-the-pan trends and glitzy impulse buys. Witness the sudden increase in Rolex sales as Iceland's financial markets tanked, or the way the traditional tailors of Savile Row are weathering the crisis, which we wrote about in this space last week. In fact, the very basis of this column as you may recall is timeless style, enduring elegance, and true, built-to-last luxury as opposed to mere extravagance.

We think that London-based men's clothier and luxury goods firm Dunhill, which dates back to the 1890s, is well situated to weather the storm in similar style thanks to their espousal of these same values. That's a very good thing as the company recently opened two new flagship stores, in New York City and London. The 7,000-sq.-ft. NYC store (above), on the corner of Madison and 55th, replaces the old shop at 711 Fifth Avenue.

It carries the full range of Dunhill's luxe merchandise, including menswear, leathergoods, accessories, writing instruments, watches, gifts and games. The lower level houses Dunhill's custom-made menswear and leathergoods offerings, as well as a display of one-of-a-kind pieces from the firm's illustrious history such as Truman Capote's Dunhill tuxedo worn at his famed Black & White Ball in 1966, and original sketches of a Dunhill bespoke suit made for Frank Sinatra.

Decadent designer Tom Ford has come out with a limited edition collection of fur boots for men, with the top-priced pair commanding $9,240. The collection, calculated to appeal to wealthy glam junkies and luxury ski freaks in places like Aspen and Gstaad, consists of three pairs of boots and a compatible fur trapper hat. There are silver and tan natural fur boots for $5,250; chocolate brown kid fur boots for $4,470 (above) both with rawhide leather laces; and a somewhat dressier pair of natural brown otter fur boots which cost the $9,240. The hat is made of white badger fur and costs $4,510. Ford has become known for pushing the boundaries of luxury for men, and this collection is certainly no exception.



[via Affluent Page]

The iPhone 3G is a beautiful accessory, yet to be properly attired...till now. Orbino Italy has designed three cases for your iPhone 3G, and each is lovelier than the last. Finally, you can protect and adorn your iPhone without cheap plastic or garish designs.

At right, you see the Strada:
"The Orbino Strada Tre Case transforms your 3G iPhone into a premium Italian accessory with a case entirely stitched by hand in gorgeous Tuscan leather. The case features an open face for easy access and includes Orbino's patented spring-loaded removable combination belt clip and desk stand in polished palladium metal. Prices start at $99."

This is the limited Brown Crocodile edition, available here.

Click below to see the other two new 3G iPhone designs, as well as other elegant, Apple-specific cases from Orbino.

The seemingly endless gloomy news about the economy got us thinking about the financial crisis' effect on Savile Row, the home of luxury bespoke tailoring. As my colleague Deirdre Woolard reported last month, Hardy Amies, which opened on Savile Row in 1946, is facing bankruptcy. Of course, Amies' ambitious expansion plans are partly to blame. We asked Anda Rowland, owner of Anderson & Sheppard, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, what the outlook is for the Row's traditional tailoring firms.

"We are still getting new customers and many enquiries, but it has to be said that London is not really in the mood to spend and people are traveling [to London] less," Rowland tells Luxist. "Luckily, despite the turn away from 'bling' spending, there has been a renewed interest in goods that have an underlying value, which is perceived as more solid and easier to understand and to explain to the customer. There is a shift from the 'Because I'm worth it' attitude towards one questioning 'Was it worth it?'"

Rowland notes that this "will be hard for the mass-luxury goods and the over-hyped but extremely lucrative 'it-bag' industry, but good for individual, high-craft items made by skilled hands," such as Savile Row suits. "We also have ethical trends in our favor as everyone faces up to the enormous piles of barely worn 'fast fashion' garments in landfill sites all over Europe at a time when many are losing the roofs over their heads." Due to this, Rowland says, "We have not seen a reduction in sales or customer figures from last year," merely "a recent slowing of momentum."



Asked about the influx of money from emerging markets, "Speaking for Anderson & Sheppard, we have not seen a growth in customers from Russia or from the UAE," she replies. "We have had more press interest, but it has not filtered through to visits yet. China and India are growing markets [for us] due, perhaps, to a historical familiarity with the history and tradition of Savile Row." As for the future, "I have heard from the other tailors that they believe that their trips abroad will be more and more important over the next couple of years," Rowland says. "They feel that customers will be traveling far less and that overseas service will help them to keep the workshops busy and running efficiently."

Summing up, Rowland, who inherited the business a few years back from her father, is optimistic. "As a relative newcomer to this industry where most houses are at least 100 years old, I am reassured by the reaction of most tailors who say that their firms have seen it all several times before," she tells us. "I can imagine that for many of the big designer brands that are much younger, it is harder to be as quietly confident as we are on Savile Row."

We've long been fans of the quilted riding jacket, as popularized by the classic British outerwear company Barbour. Now Miguel Caballero, the Colombian designer known as "The Armani of Armor", has introduced a totally bulletproof version (above), which manages to not sacrifice anything in the way of style. Since many devotees also wear this kind of jacket for upland hunting, it's practical even for those who aren't princes, presidents and out-of-favor oligarchs in fear of their lives, as some of Caballero's best customers certainly are.

Enough anti-ballistics to stop an Uzi or a .44 Magnum - never mind some birdshot - doesn't come cheap of course, but at about $10,000 the jacket is more bang for the buck so to speak than Caballero's $12,000 bulletproof polo shirt. Plus it's waterproof, with an optional stab-proof lining. Caballero's only retail location outside of South and Central America is Harrod's in London, but the company takes special orders directly. They'll even make you one of these in cashmere if you insist (we asked).

Shopping for vintage men's clothing has gotten a little easier now that eLuxury is in the men's vintage business. They have partnered with La Rosa Vintage Boutique of San Francisco, California to offer one-of-a-kind pieces that range from fashions you hoped you'd never see again like 1970s polyester shirts and leisure jackets to more classic sport coats, trench coats and some funky western shirts. My favorite pieces are the brocade dinner jackets and smoking jackets. You'll pay a bit more than you might if you were rummaging around a thrift store though. The brocade jacket shown above is $400 and they are charging $200 for some of their 1970s polyester shirts which seems rather ridiculous given that even their suitably toothsome model can't quite seem to pull those looks off.

Swiss watch company Raymond Weil is launching a new line of pens and cufflinks designed to complement their high-end timepieces. To begin with, the the brand is offering purchasers of its new $16,000 Cuore Caldo Split-Seconds Chronograph, which is limited to 500 pieces, a matched pen and cufflink set (above). The accessories are made of stainless steel accented with carbon fiber and rose gold to complement the watch's design elements. Weil, founded in 1976, plans future offerings along similar lines.