While in some parts of the country spring may already have sprung, here on the Eastern Seaboard we’re still months away from cherry blossoms and G&Ts. In some ways this is the toughest time of the year - we’re worn down from a long winter, yet the snow keeps falling - and it requires some tough gear to get through it in style. A key comfort of course is a vehicle that can not only handle the elements but keep them firmly in their place, while keeping you warm, dry and wrapped in luxurious refinement. We’ve yet to experience anything that can turn the worst ice storm of the year into a minor inconvenience with as much impressive panache as the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Not everyone loves its spartan exterior and sheer tonnage - just shutting the doors requires serious effort - but they’re usually the same people who “swear by” their tin can minivans; we saw them stranded on the side of the road as we cruised by in the G550 on our most recent Geländewagen excursion.
Meticulously handcrafted inside and out at a special manufacturing facility in Graz, Austria, the military-derived G-Wagen is the progenitor of every Mercedes-Benz SUV on the road today. Essentially unchanged aside from certain key upgrades since it was first introduced over 30 years ago, it’s done everything from winning the famous Paris-Dakar Rally to making sure the Pope gets to his appointments on time. With a starting sticker of $105,000 it’s definitely something of an indulgence, but that helps maintain a certain exclusivity which is not without an appeal of its own. Only a few thousand models are sold here every year so you don’t often see another one en route; while that means a certain amount of stares directed your way, unless you get one custom-painted bright red - it’s only offered in an understated palette of black, grey, silver, white and dark green - those tend to be minimal as it’s about as subtle as an SUV this size can get.
To help see out the season in style we have assembled a number of items which complement the G-Wagen’s rugged good looks and provide essential assistance before, during and after the journey. For starters we selected a lightweight, trim-fitting down bomber jacket by Ralph Lauren Black Label (above left), made of supple goat suede with a leather throat latch and gunmetal hardware. The most stylish weather defender we’ve seen all season, it’s the G-Wagen of outerwear. On the wrist we sported the new limited edition Breitling Transocean Chronograph (above right), a high-performance, shock-resistant, and damned good-looking watch on a mesh steel strap, while waxed canvas hunting boots from L.L. Bean Signature kept our feet warm and dry.
For one day only, financial guru Warren Buffett will be taking on a new role, jewelry salesperson. The Berkshire Hathaway will be behind the counter at Borsheims in Omaha, Nebraska during Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders’ Weekend. You can buy your jewelry directly from Mr. Buffett on Sunday afternoon, May 1 at the Borhsheims store. Borsheims is a Berkshire Hathaway company. In a release, Borsheims President & CEO Susan Jacques said, “We are thrilled and flattered that Warren wants to come and sell at our store. I’m sure he’ll be a record-setting salesman within a few minutes of being on the sales floor!” Given the fact that his charity lunches go for millions, I’m guessing there will be a line out the door.
As the video below explains, the Buffett family in Omaha goes back for generations explaining why, although he has the means to live anywhere in the world, Warren Buffett has always chosen to remain close to home. Buffett’s success as one of the world’s top financial minds has turned the annual shareholder’s weekend for Berkshire Hathaway into a well-attended event bringing the world to Omaha each year. It has become the Super Bowl of shareholder meetings with major media and thousands of shareholders in attendance.
The last few years it was “Senator Sixties” for Glashutte Original’s retro collection. Some people loved those, and some hated them. One thing that amused me was that I recently saw a vintage Timex that was the precise look the Senator Sixties was going for. I wonder how many Glashutte Original owners got mistaken for Timex owners?
This year GO looks to the 1970s with the TV screen styled Seveneties Panorama date watch. It actually uses the same in-house made GO automatic big date movement as one of the Senator Sixties watches. If you like the style, then the execution is lovely. The dial will come in at least three tones - here done in sunburst polished German silver. There is a neat integration between the case and the bracelet. That latter element appears to be one of the highlights of the piece, and will offer superior wearing comfort. Part of that is due to GO’s use of their micro-adjust deployment clasp.
Overall, Glashutte Original used some of its better parts and a new case for this Seventies Panorama Date watch. I expect more models (such as a chronograph) to show up soon. Like I said, some people will love the design and others will be bored to tears with it. Nevertheless, it is very well executed and is overall a job well done from GO in Germany.
Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.
If you didn’t get enough James Franco during Oscar weekend you can head over to the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills to take a look at some of his art output. Franco and director Gus Van Sant are the double bill on a shared exhibit titled “Unfinished.”
The exhibit includes screenings of the film, “My Own Private River,” which is a collaboration between Van Sant and Franco. After casting Franco in the award-winning film “Milk,” Van Sant showed him the dailies and other footage that he had shot for “My Own Private Idaho” an early 1990s movie featuring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as street hustlers. Franco took the footage and created a new film which is a haunting video portrait of the late River Phoenix in his role as Mike. The film features a soundtrack by REM frontman Michael Stipe.
The exhibit also features artworks in watercolor by Van Sant. His poignant portraits of young men are well-done but have a certain mug-shot sadness as the subject stares at the viewer with an impassive and not-entirely-at-ease gaze. The exhibit runs February 26 through April 9 at the Gagosian Gallery at 56 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90210. Daily screenings of the Franco film run Tuesday through Saturday at 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm and 4:00pm.
Model Jerry Hall was on hand as the world’s largest known vivid yellow pear-shape diamond went display at the Natural History Museum in London. The Cora Sun-Drop diamond is a 110-carat yellow diamond which was mined in Africa and loaned to the Museum by Cora International, the diamond company that crafted the original rough diamond. The stone gets its sunny color from small amounts of nitrogen in its carbon structure. Diamonds of this size with a strong vivid yellow color are very rare. It will be on display from February 25 for up to six months.
Another sign that people are back to spending on luxury goods was the record-breaking result at the 15th annual Napa Valley Vinters wine futures auction to the trade over the weekend. The event, which brought together a crowd of around 1,000 vintners, retailers, restaurateurs and others, brought in nearly $2.4 million, beating 2008’s record-setting $2.2 million bidding on rare and highly desirable wine lots.
The event at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St Helena beat last year’s take by more than 23%. A total of 68 successful bidders purchased 1530 cases at an average case price of $1546, a 37% increase over the recession-stressed take of 2009 and 20% more than 2010. A record was also set for a single lot. A Japanese wine company paid $125,000 for five cases of Scarecrow Wine, easily beating the record of $80,000 set in 2007. For wholesalers, retailers and restaurant owners the auction is a chance to buy wines from top wineries that are often hard to acquire. Other top lots of the day include Schrader Cellars, Ovid, Levy and McClellan, Shafer Vineyards, Robert Mondavi Winery and Reynolds Family.
A tissue dispenser might not be worth much but a tissue dispenser that was flown into orbit to the moon, now that will cost you. That tissue dispenser, estimated at $6,000 to $8,000 is one of the pieces to be sold in the Space History Sale taking place at Bonhams, New York on May 5th.
The sale will commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Alan Shepard’s historic mission on Freedom 7 as the first American in Space and items from the Forbes collection and from the estate of James E. Webb, a NASA administrator in the 1960s will be auctioned off. Bonhams has released a few highlights of the sale including a Russian spacesuit, Sokol K, worn by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, Commander of the Soyuz 19 Spacecraft, during the historic Apollo-Soyuz Test Project on July 15-19, 1975. It is estimated at $100,000-150,000. A Russian spacesuit, Sokol KV-2, used by cosmonaut Gennadi Strekalov on the Soyuz TM 10, from August 1 to December 10, 1990, during a mission to the Mir space station is estimated at $60,000-80,000. An Apollo 14 Maurer Camera, from the personal collection of Edgar Mitchell, the Lunar Module Pilot of Apollo 14 and the sixth person to walk on the Moon used to film movies through the Lunar Module Pilot’s window during the approach and landing of the Lunar Module is estimated at $60,000-80,000.
Bonhams has held two other Space History Sales. The first in July 2009 which is the highest-grossing American space history auction ever, and the second in April 2010 including the Neil Armstrong “One small step for a man” inscription which made $152,000. An Apollo 11 lunar module flown star chart sold for $218,000 in the 2009 sale and a Apollo 15 lunar module hand controller went for $206,000.
Imagine life inside this high floor corner apartment in the tower of the legendary newly restored five star Pierre Hotel. By day, light fills the rooms as you gaze out on city and Central Park views. At night, the city sparkles below. Welcome your guests in to a foyer which leads to a gallery with elegantly sleek lacquer finish walls. The long corner living room offers views over the entire Park in two directions: north all the way up through the Park past the Metropolitan Museum to the George Washington Bridge and west across the Park to the Hudson River, seen through the shimmering Time Warner Towers and also encompassing all of Central Park South and Central Park West. In the living room walls of textured finish with aluminum leaf and patina are anchored with important moldings.
Restrained luxury takes over in the master bedroom which is upholstered in pale silk and has a large dressing closet and a flannel grey and white zebrino marble bath with an oversized glass stall shower. The second bedroom is currently in use as a library and has hidden pocket doors with floor to ceiling custom bookcases on either side, walls of pale cerused oak, a dressing area and a soft brown toned afromosia marble bath ensuite.
The home has a high-tech sound system and lighting which is activated by a one touch control system. Custom designed hardware, beautiful hardwood floors in all rooms and custom shutters which disappear into the window casements in both bedrooms are all part of the charm.
Your apartment also comes with a lifestyle. Apartment owners in the hotel have full access to all hotel services, 24 hour concierge service, twice daily maid service, once monthly heavy cleaning service, valet parking and 24 hour room service. The world famous Le Caprice restaurant from London is located in the hotel and there is also a fitness center and a hair salon. Pets are allowed and corporate ownership permitted. This home is listed at $12.5 million with Martha Kramer of Brown Harris Stevens.
Loose weaves are perfect for spring, this one especially in an earthy and worn shade of brown that will go with pretty much everything. The Elfie Worn Suede Shoulder Bag by Sara Berman is a basic tote bag shape made of thin strips of crinkly suede with two top handles, a few barely visible bits of goldtone hardware, and a magnetic top closure. Not a bag for carrying just anything around as it has no lining (so small stuff could fall out) but it does come with a tiny zip pocket on the interior. $470
Today’s home is the largest mansion for sale in Lexington, Kentucky. This massive property was inspired by a 17th century English country home. It sits on 11 acres with award-winning formal gardens and bronze statuary (some perched in odd places including two scampering up the home’s gate). The five-bedroom home has over 24,000 square feet of space. The listing pictures give just a hint of the grand scale of this place. There are massive fireplaces, large staircases, a dining room with a table so long it requires two chandeliers and a wood-paneled library. This home is listed at $6.5 million.
For the girl who doesn’t want to tether her personality down to just one look at a time the Tweed Milly Bag offers a slew of colors and textures all together in one surprisingly sleek handbag. The front features a bright red and highly-shined patent leather fold-over flap with stitching and large button details while the body is made of multi-colored tweed and black patent leather trim. Other features include a plastic (a rarity) and patent leather strap, one exterior pocket on the back, a removable designer-stamped charm, and a 3-pocket interior lined in black twill. A fun and bold look that will certainly jump out and grab attention wherever you take it. $350
I’ve always liked these chronograph watches from Eberhard & Co. that have four small chronograph subdials in a horizontal row on the lower half of the dial. They function just like a normal chronograph, with the additional subdial being used as a synchronized 24 hour hand for AM/PM indication purposes. The movement of course also has the time and the date. It is a special module done by Eberhard & Co. on top of a base Swiss ETA 2894 automatic chronograph movement. The layout makes this watch feel like a much more impressive “instrument” compared to most other sport watches.
From the Wall Street Journal’s Private Properties:
–Jigsaw Ranch, a 90-acre Aspen, Colorado estate owned by George I. Rosenthal and Mark A. Rosenthal, the father and son behind Rosenthal Estate Wines and other businesses, has listed for $48.5 million.
–A waterfront Kauai estate that has been in the same family since 1915 has hit the market for $24.5 million. The Faye House, shown above, is listed with Neal Norman of Koa Properties Land & Homes.
–Venture capitalist Fred Adler and his wife, Catherine, are asking $24 million for their ocean-to-intracoastal home in Palm Beach. The listing is here.
From the NY Post:
–New Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is searching for a downtown rental in the $30,000-a-month range. Potential new homes include 158 Mercer St., the same building where Jon Bon Jovi lives and SoHo Mews at 311 West Broadway where Justin Timberlake has a place. Fellow Knick Amar’e Stoudemire is renting a West Village condo for $37,500 a month.
–Princess Khaliya Aga Khan, the wife of Prince Hussain Aga Khan and daughter-in-law of Shia Ismaili Muslim leader Aga Khan IV, just rented an apartment in the Richard Meier-designed condo building at 165 Charles St. for $19,500 a month.
–Actor Dean Winters, best known for HBO’s “Oz,” recently checked out a $25,000-a-month rental a couple floors up from the princess.
–A mystery Russian buyer has signed a contract to buy Al and Patsy Kahn’s five-bedroom, 62nd-floor apartment at the Time Warner Center for about $20 million. It was originally listed for $33.6 million last year. Last year the couple, which is splitting up, bought Bernie Madoff’s penthouse at 133 E. 64th St. for $8 million.
–Former Yankee pitcher and five-time World Series winner David Cone is buying a condo in the $4 million range at the Lucida. The shiny eco-friendly building at 151 E. 85th St. includes a La Palestra fitness center.
–DailyCandy founder Dany Levy is renting a three-bedroom unit at 33 Fifth Ave. in the $13,000-a-month range.
From Greenwich Mean Time:
–Rumor has it that Billy Joel was ther puchased of Leona Helmsley’s estate, Dunnellen Hall in Greenwich. We heard it sold last fall for $35 million after being on the market for as much as $125 million.
You’ve probably never seen a U.S. coin like this before. The U.S. Mint began experimenting with different gold dollar patterns in 1852. The problem was simple, gold dollars were small and easily lost. And so the Mint tried out creating pattern gold dollars in 1852, producing the patterns now known as Judd-136 to Judd-148 which have a larger, more convenient diameter.
Instead a more practical solution eventually was decided on. The amount of silver was reduced in most subsidiary coinage in 1853, which returned the silver denominations to the channels of commerce rather than going to the melting pot. And the gold dollar diameter was eventually increased in 1854 when the design was changed to the Type Two format.
Heritage Auction’s 2011 March Sacramento Signature ANA US Coin Auction features an 1852 annular (ring-shaped) gold dollar, with a wide center hole and the date, denomination, and country name along the outside. The lower half of the reverse shows a wreath. This pattern, known as Judd-145, is struck in gold with a plain edge. Heritage sold a similar coin to this one in 2008 for over $27,000.
A new exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia explores the legacy of Marc Chagall and his artist compatriots. “Paris Through the Window: Marc Chagall and His Circle” runs from March 1 to July 10 and focuses on the work of Chagall and others in Paris in the early 1900s.
Chagall arrived in Paris in 1911 and was immersed in the artistic styles flowering in Paris at this time. He worked at La Ruche, a beehive-like building that was home to a variety of artists’ studios. French sculptor Alfred Boucher opened the building in 1902 offering inexpensive space and free models for talented artists. It blossomed into a vibrant community for artists to exhibit work and share ideas. When Chagall joined La Ruche it already had many Eastern European artists who had also moved to Paris to discover firsthand the most recent trends in modern art. Other artists there in the 1910s included Archipenko, Kisling, Lipchitz, Soutine, and Zadkine, who were represented in the exhibition by two sculptures in cedar wood that have not been displayed at the Museum since 1963. Shown above is Chagall’s “Paris Through The Window” which was painted in 1913. The exhibit seeks to capture the atmosphere of artistic excitement in Paris at this time and also explores a bit of history, looking back to at Chagall’s return to Russia during World War I and the rise of the Russian Revolution and his second stay in Paris in the 1920s.
The museum website has a series of podcasts devoted to the exhibit which offer a comprehensive roadmap to all that is going on in a Chagall painting. For example, in the painting shown above, the artist’s double-faced self-portrait in the lower right hand corner is a representation of the two sides of his spirit, looking back toward his homeland but also forward toward Paris, Cubism and a world of changing ideas and ideals.
We like the way they raise money in wine country. The 12th annual fundraiser for The Young School in Napa Valley’s St. Helena includes silent and live auctions with a wine focus. This year’s event takes place on Saturday, March 12 at Failla Winery.
The winery’s elaborate caves make a dramatic setting for the evening, which is called Casbah in the Cave. The evening features a Moroccan feast by Alex’s Catering as well as a classical Middle Eastern dance performance. There will be a wide selection of auction lots featuring splendid adventures and truly fine wines from a variety of local wineries including Abreu, Blackbird, Colgin, Robert Foley, Harlan, Ovid, Joseph Phelps, Shafer and Silver Oak. Many wineries such as Far Niente and Smith-Madrone are offering event lots and travel lots offer getaways to Portugal, Nantucket and more.
The Young School is a private non-profit non-denominational Montessori-derived program for children ages 6 through 12 years old/first-sixth grades. The name of the school is taken from two sisters named ‘Young’ who were well-known Sonoma teachers several decades ago. The first Young School was founded in their home in downtown Sonoma. In 1997 the school moved from its Sonoma location to St. Helena in the Napa Valley. It operates as a ‘one-room schoolhouse’ in quarters rented from a church in a residential neighborhood of St. Helena and has an enviable 12-1 student-teacher ratio.
Can a tough little plant that blooms in harsh and arid conditions impart its wondrous properties to your skin? Kiehl’s has announced a new skin cream that uses Rosa Artica (Haberlea rhodopensis) also called the “resurrection flower” to moisturize aging skin. The new Rosa Artica anti-aging cream was created to “wake up” skin cells triggering a chain reaction that will lead to visibly healthier, regenerated and more youthful skin. Results include the reduction of the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and improvement of overall skin firmness.
Haberlea rhodopensis is indigenous to the rugged Rhodopes Mountain Range in Bulgaria and it can dry out completely and survive periods of dryness for up to 31 months. With only a few drops of moisture, the plant resumes normal growth within hours and is restored in one to two days. This amazing feat is due to its ability to protect water content within the cell, allowing the capacity to restart the cellular energy process. Our friends at Racked recently tried the product and fell in love.
The cream also contains Vitamin E, cocoa butter, shea butter and essential fatty acids and sells for $60 for 1.7 fl. Oz. and is available March 2011 in select stores.
Today’s home is a piece of literary history in Southern California. The Upton Sinclair House is located in the inland community of Monrovia. This home was built in 1923 and is on the National Register of Historic Places and is eligible for Mills Act property tax benefits. Sinclair is one of America’s most famous novelists focusing on social criticism. His book “The Jungle” published in the early 1900s revealed the underside of the Chicago meatpacking industry and turned the stomach of a nation. He later wrote a series of 11 novels featuring a central character named Lanny Budd and won a Pulitzer Prize for one in the series, “Dragon’s Teeth,” in 1942.
His four-bedroom home is an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style and has a facade of high arched windows. Other original features include Mission Revival parapet tops and an ornate arched and bracketed doorway. There is a living room with a fireplace and a formal dining room with French doors opening to a covered side patio. The kitchen has been remodeled but the fixtures throughout the home are original and both bathrooms are overlaid with highly prized Batchelder Tile. A grand staircase leads to a wide hallway and three bedrooms which all overlook the California -style landscaped yards below. There is also a small guest house in the backyard as well as a patio and fountain. This home is listed at $1.5 million.
A new watch brand for 2011 is the very 1980s sounding “Black Sand” manufacture. Right now next to nothing is known about the brand - they don’t even have a live website. What they do however have are images of their first watch called the Uniformity. To be honest, if I hadn’t see the effort that went into making the movement pretty, I would have dismissed Black Sand as being another fashion brand. Usually neat designs like this get the “budget treatment.” Though in this case it got the luxury treatment. I am not sure who does their movements for them, but the Black Sand caliber 1970 automatic movement looks great in its black tone with perlage and Cotes de Geneve polishing. The purple trim is the icing on the “nice movement!” cake.
The case will be 46mm wide in titanium or gold with a simple-to-read dial with applied indicators on it. Looks to have lots of lume and be easy on the eyes. I think I like the unique design note that has the lugs visually traveling through the entire watch - this is done in ceramic Basic, but pretty, and the titanium mixed with purple and black is appealing. Black Sand says the case will be matched to a few strap choices including rubber or crocodile, and a metal bracelet. Look out for more soon.
Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.
Before you get all up in arms over the fact that this is clearly pink, not red, allow us to inform you that RED actually stands for “Romantic Eccentric Dress,” and is a sister line to the traditional Valentino. Red Valentino is a collection with “all of Valentino’s sophistication — but injected with a more contemporary feel,” says Net-a-Porter. We think “contemporary” must mean “cheaper.” But we’re not complaining.
And it also comes in gray.
This adorable 11″W X 7½”H X ¼”D convertible clutch has a magnetic snap closure and a 22″ tuckaway shoulder chain. We love it because it’s fresh, charming, and has a big ol’ unapologetic 1980’s bow on it. This bag says “I’m kicky and fun, but with high style.” It’s the perfect touch of feminity for a no-frills shift dress or other outfit. Match your lipstick to it. We dare you.
The Red Valentino Bow Flap Convertible Clutch is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $395.00.
The Classicist: Seeing Out the Season in Style with the Mercedes-Benz G550 originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
For one day only, financial guru 
If you didn’t get enough James Franco during 
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