Archive for the 'Luxury Gifts' Category
The Luxury Blingdex
Luxury is booming and Wall Street is keeping a keen eye on how the rich are spending their wealth. And what better way to measure that hedonism than by creating a variety of indexes that track the shopping of the ultra-rich? The demand for four-figure handbags, five-figure baubles, six-figure cars, luxury resorts and travel, insurable art and heady wines has created a new and trackable economy for the very wealthy.
What intrigues investors is how well the carriage trade merchants are faring. This is mostly due to the fact that the rich are getting richer and their numbers on a global basis are growing along with their spending habits. A look at some of these uber-wealth tracking indexes reveals more than a little about the favored products and shopping stops of the rich. For example, sales at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York are increasing at twice the level of the retail sector as a whole. Some of the indexes and the luxury companies they track include:
- Merrill Lynch tracks a basket of companies including BMW, Porsche, Bulgari, Coach, Tiffany Jewelers, auctioneer Sothebys and the private banking firm Julius Baer. The performance? Up 23 percent in 2005 and 12.5 percent in 2006. This compares to the respective 14 and 7 percent for global consumer stock during the same periods.
- Citibanks Plutonomy Index tracks world spending of the worlds growing class of plutocrats. This index mirrors much of Merrills, but also includes Japans highly regarded Shinwa Art Auction and Hong Kongs Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. We might call this one the œruler of wealth.
- Deutsche Borse introduced its own World Luxury Index earlier this year. It tracks Bulgari, Sothebys, Hermes International and requires that the companies it tracks generate at least 50 percent of its income from luxury spending.
What is the appeal of these indexes? Some surmise that those who cant afford the lifestyle of the ultra-wealthy can still be œin the money by investing in so-called luxury stocks. Finding true luxury stocks can be a difficult task, though. Many of these high end brands are now part of larger conglomerates. And because publicly-traded pure luxe companies are becoming so rare, many of the indexes are including brands such as Nike, Puma, Gap Stores, Harley Davidson and other popular products in their mix.
The reason for this interest is obvious. The rich are getting richer and are far more numerous. The number of millionaires in the US has more than doubled since 1995 and total wealth held by the top 1 percent has increased by more than 50 percent since 1998 (much due to real estate appreciation, Im sure). It should come as no surprise that luxury spending has kept pace with the soaring incomes and wealth at the top rung of of the economic ladder. And according to a Citigroup study, the top 20 percent of American earners are responsible for between 37 and 70 percent of total consumption.
And what is fueling this consumption? Its the desire to have the finest in homes, travel, dining, dress, art and social connections, according to Margaret Mager with Goldman Sachs High-End Consumer Index. œToday the good life is defines by the assets you have, she said.
Tip of the top hat to Robert Frank and The Wall Street Journal Wealth Report
read comments (4)Yoga at the Chopra Center
I have staked out early mornings as time for myself.
No real estate clients, no family, no phones, no intrusions. That slice of time belongs to me. Six mornings a week, in the cool, quiet hours before dawn, I arise, shower and head down the hill to the La Costa Resort and Spa for an hour or so of yoga and meditation. It is more than the ritual; it is the place.
Behind La Costas gated entry is the healing and energizing haven that has become dear to my heart: The Chopra Center. Seven days a week, the center holds early 
morning yoga and meditiation classes that are also repeated as evening classes certain days of the week.
In addition to a menu of treatments, the center also dedicates about three weeks of each month to their Perfect Health program. Designed by Deepak Chopra MD and David Simon, MD, this weeklong program is keyed to individual needs and includes:
- Primordial Sound Meditation
- Daily yoga classes
- Daily Group Meditation
- Customized Ayurvedic massage treatments
- Nutritional plans and guidance
- Panchakarma Detox and cleansing therapies
- Mind-Body medical consultation
- To to rest, rejuvenate and be a friend to your Self.
I have had the opportunity to meet a number of Perfect Health participants. Most said the experience was one of the most powerful ones of their lives. One dentist said it was the best thing he had ever done for himself.
For additional information, visit the Chopra website or call 888 736 6895.
Chandelier in the Dishwasher?
For some reason, crystal chandeliers are dirt magnets. They sparkle like nothing else when clean and look like clouded glass when soiled (which occurs all too soon after cleaning).
Lets face it, crystal chandelier-cleaning is a drippy, arm-tiring and time-consuming chore, no matter who performs the task.
How about just tossing your Swarovski or Strass crystal chandelier into the dishwasher? It appears this fantasy is now a reality, thanks to the genius of Schonbek and their remarkable Da Vinci crystal masterpieces. Radiating remarkable brilliance, thousands of octagonal crystals in various sizes go into each chandelier, which is braced with stainless steel. And yes, the crystals are made by Swarovski and Strass.
To clean, just put into the dishwasher, and at the end of the cleaning cycle, a brilliant and sparkling chandelier emerges. Smaller units can be cleaned in one cycle. The cleaning of larger chandeliers may need to be dispersed over several cycles. I would assume that the round crystal œshell is then mounted over the electrical assembly.
Nice!
Now if only the task of handwashing crystal glasses could also endure such easy automated cleaning, without turning them into cloudy-looking glass.
For other luxury home products and enhancements, read:
BluWood: No More House of Blues?
Gotta-Haves for Luxury Homes
The Cooktop That Cannot Be Ignored
Ultimate Phone for the Luxury Bath
The Illuminated Bath Tub
FAO Schwarz Moving into Real Estate
Switchable Mirror Glass Windows
Porthault Sheets for Luxury Dreams
I have always justified my preference for fine bed linens by considering the percentage of ones life spent between them. And though I have never slept on D. Porthaults sheets, they remain on my list of wanna-trys. And who wouldnt want to luxuriate on fine, hand-finished sheets that start at around $1100 for a king set with two shams?
Celebrities, royalty and business barons happily shell out $4600 for a king set of D. 
Porthaults colorful silky sheets or even more for the cherished Trousseau Lace set. The Porthault line doesnt end in the boudoir or bedroom, either. Jackie Kennedy loved their linens and treasured their tablecloths and napkins (pictured at right).
Though not well-known outside the carriage trade, Porthault linens have been crafted in France since the mid-1930s. Late last year and as reported by Business Week Online, Porthault was acquired by Brazos Europe, a private equity firm based in Washington DC. These former associates of Texas zillionnaire Robert M. Bass have stepped out of the oil and land focus and have moved their sights to the luxury market, with major emphasis on all things French.
Two Brazos principals, Bernard J. Carl and Shannon Fairbanks, are reported to be spending around $25 million to acquire and grow this top-shelf linen crafter and intend to acquire other French artisanal firms as well. The reason for the luxury buying binge has much to do with the globally expanding market for luxurious goods and a global love of Euro luxury.
Finally, it may surprise some that Porthault bottom sheets, in the European tradition, are flat. No fitted sheets yet.
Luxury Travel Deal
This is a short-notice deal, and reservations must be made by March 24, 2007, but what a great opportunity to steal away to Puerto Vallarta for a weeklong tropical vacation. According to Forbes Traveler, this all-inclusive package runs $999 and includes both airfare (from a number of West and Midwest airports) as well as accommodations and meals at the four-and-a-half star beachfront Marival Resort and Suites.
Ideal for families, the Marival offers a waterpark for kids, a rock climbing wall, camping(?) and miniature golf. Those seeking serenity will appreciate the spa and yoga classes.
For additional information, contact Travel by Jen at 800 603 3178.
We tip our hats to: Forbes Traveler
