If you have some vintage coins lying around, for heaven sakes grab them up and stash them somewhere secure!  You certainly don’t want them to wind up in a CoinStar machine or being cashed in at their face value to pay for groceries?

Think I jest?  You won’t after reading this tale of woe:

A woman in St. George, Utah went to the Zions Bank and handed over 14 gold $20 Double Eagle coins, saying she had groceries waiting at Wal-Mart, which would not accept the coins as payment.

The bank teller gave the woman $280 but the coins were worth far more. The oldest coin was minted in 1875 and the most recent was 1927. Now the search is on for the woman because she could be getting a lot more money. Double Eagles can fetch thousands of dollars or even up to $1 million depending on the date.

Even melted down the coins would fetch around $900 each at today’s gold prices. One can only assume that the lady had no idea what the coins were valued at the woman did not know the treasure that she surrendered but she’s in for a big payday now.

Icho Cashmere is from the heart of Tokyo and their outerwear is handmade using traditional kimono techniques, where single fibers are used like thread, binding one piece of wool to another.

Granted it can take up to two months and you will invest up to $2,000 for your jacket so you can imagine how disheartened you would be to see another man wearing the same design.

But, not to worry, should you desire, Icho will happily agree not to make your jacket for another customer so you will continue to display your posh one-of-a-kind image to the world.

There are shoes, and there are It shoes.   But even as It shoes go, these Louis Vuitton’s are in a crazy, feathery super-league of their own. These babies have gone global so without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, meet Spicy.

At the recent Paris fashion shows, where the fashion paparazzi greet interesting accessories with the same enthusiasm as they greet a plate of pastries so Spicy caused a bit of a fracas.

Spicy, is a decadent bejewelled confection set with purple, green and orange stones, caused so much fuss, poor Alexa Chung was almost knocked over in the quest for a shot of hers.

Other celebrities recently spotted wearing them include Chloe Sevigny, Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckham and, of course, Madonna, star of Vuitton’s current advertising campaign.

So why the furore?   The general concesus is that is a fun, jolly and proper work of art type of shoe.

The days of being able to hang with fellow bicyclists on your sporting Huffy or Schwinn are long gone.  Now, it’s all about carbon fiber, titanium and aerodynamics — and these guys aren’t going for the  Tour de France, they are merely weekend warriors.

So how do you hang with the best?   Get yourself a sweet, custom Vanilla Bicycle.

Custom, handcrafted, one-of-a-kind bicycles come to fruition per the customer’s specifications in Portland, Oregon at a shop founded by Sacha White and his team of craftsman.  Sacha started building bicycles in the winter of 1999. Now, at just 31 years of age, Sacha is a pioneering member of the new generation of frame builders.

With approximately six weeks required for painting the frame to the ten hours spent polishing the lugs, owning a Vanilla Bicycle requires patience. Overall, more than 60 hours of labor are invested into these two-wheeled beauties and the price for the frame alone begins at $2,150.

With the economy being how it is, you might not see many of these cars outside a showroom or car event, but they are still beautiful to look at, and many are interesting pieces of modern engineering.

Though no matter how beautiful, these cars have sticker prices that will shock you.

Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 – $1.2 Million Dollars

Introduced in 2005, my dream car, the Bugatti Veyron, is the most powerful, and most expensive street-lega, production cars in the world. With a proven top speed of over 253 mph. Part of the reason for the incredible speed is the 16 cylinder engine that produces as much as 1000 horsepower. It was introduced in 2005. The car is named for racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hour Le Mans in 1939. Another interesting fact is that at the Veyron’s top speed, the fuel economy drops to 3 miles per US gallon. Read the rest of this entry »

As the glories of spring are upon us, the air is filled with the vibrations of V-twin motors  taking to the streets.  Alas, you’ve procrastinated on signing up for your weekend class to learn how to ride a motorcycle so you are on the sidelines looking for that strapping man with hot metal between his legs.

You need to look the part.  You simply must.

Christian Louboutin is to the rescue with the sublime Astraqueen as they allow you to tap into biker chic with these studded shoe boots. A great style to wear with skinny jeans and a biker jacket for day, then cocktail dresses at night.

It’s time to get your motor running girl.

Every stylish man and woman runs around sporting the latest shades by the likes of Gucci, Ray-Ban or Chanel.   But the reality, is that there is one brand of shades that separates the wannabe’s from the true players — and those shades are Oliver Goldsmith.

Never heard of Oliver Goldsmith?   Well, now you have and here’s why you need to familiarize yourself with this brand:  They are handmade.

Working with the last original British eyewear factory, Oliver Goldsmith Sunglasses offer bespoke handmade frames, individually cut, shaped and polished by craftsmen with over 70 years of collective experience.

This means you can have them made for you in any colour or size you like. If you find that you can never get glasses to fit you, or perhaps you know exactly what you want but can’t find it anywhere, then our bespoke service is the answer.

OG are one of the few eyewear companies in the world offering a fully tailored service made to your specifications and wishes.

So if you are anything like me and have been graced with very long natural eyelashes, you know what a bothersome chore it is to try to find shades that properly fit without your lashes brushing against the lenses.  With bespoke frames from Oliver Goldsmith, you’ll have a timeless classic that is perfect for you.

Contrary to popular belief, exquisite footware does not soley belong in the realm of women.  Men also enjoy fine shoes – they like having an outline of their foot done, choosing the types of soles, leather and lacings and wait with baited anticipation for that call a few weeks later from the cobbler to let them know the day has finally arrived.

It’s an amusing yet touching sight to see a man sitting and looking with love at his handmade shoes much with the same look of love he bestowed upon his first million dollar$.

In today’s world, it doesn’t get much better than Stefano Bemer shoes.

Bemer, who once worked for Gucci, is an Italian master cobbler who hand-makes truly unique shoes. Using materials such as toad and camel, his bespoke shoes take about three months to produce and start at around $2,000.  Considering these shoes will last a couple decades with good care, they are an absolute bargain.

In a world where the is always room for “over the top” accessories in one’s life, it’s a necessity to be sporting the right type of water.

It’s tres gauche to be carrying around your own non-descript water bottle or, heaven forbid a “budget” water like Ozarka.  That will never do!

In order to really make a posh fashion statement that shows you are always ahead of the curve, pick up a couple bottles of Bling H2O.

Bling is bottled at a secret spring in a pristine part of Tennessee and the water has won several awards for it’s clean, crisp taste.

The Bling H2O store offers several designer vessels adorned with Swarovski crystals in a myriad of themes so you are sure to find something to perfectly match that Lacroix couture outfit.