As if the Veyron wasn’t already exclusive enough, Bugatti has teamed up with Hermés for a special edition Veyron. What is the difference distinguishes it from a normal Veyron one may ask. The differences aren’t dramatic but there are some minor details which will give the owners an upper hand if they get caught in a dick measuring contest against other Veyron owners.

Bugatti has entrusted Hermés and let them put their leather expertise to the practices by taking care of the leather in the interior. Disappointingly the choice of colour for the leather could have been a bit darker or have had an orange tone to resemble Hermés signature colour. Nonetheless, the body stocking-ish colour extends to the bonnet and to the pop-up spoiler. Other notable details include a reworked door consoles with vintage designed door pulls, unique alloys and last but least a couple of Hermés logos which will make the owner feel better at night. At the end of the day, the car will sell because is a Veyron offering a thundering 1001hp and a destructive 1250Nm which propels the car to the horizon in no time. That speed might come in handy for who ever wants to quickly get their hands on the highly sought after Birkin bags.

New York based tailor(designer??) has unseen of creativity sparkling in his head as well as high level of lust for life in the fashion industry. His latest work is the unofficial launch of a new segment, tailors haute couture.

If the fashion industry was a pack of cards then he would be of the jokers. Only he himself and God know if he conceived his AW08/09 under the influence of alcohol or under the gun point of vicious circus apes. In either case, the result is short of striking. When the first images surfaced my initial thought was “What the………..?”, but with a smile on the face. I hate predictability so Thom bizarre collection was nothing but a positive shock. Fashion seasons would be a complete bore without irrational designer. What Thom has done is like taking a high pressured fart in a crowded bus, it’s initiated by instinct, it’s wacky but once it’s done you embarrassingly feel great about yourself.

It doesn’t take a fashion guru dressed in black turtle neck to figure out that this falls into the basket for non-wearable collection. Despite the craziness there not denying that this is Thom’s work, the knee high socks, gray suits and signature designs are all there. Many of the pieces will be available for purchase but don’t hope on encountering trendy New Yorkers feeding bread crumbs to pigeons in Central Park dressed in a gray full feathered peacock suit.

-

Siamese trousers? They give a new meaning to the phrase “I want to get in your pants”.

More fantasy than reality.

+

Cute winter hats

Cool make-up/styling.

Very funny, I appreciate humor.

Grade: 4.1/5. This isn’t something you can critique like a “normal” fashion show. It’s meant to be looked at with 100% seriousness. Nonetheless it’s very charming and pleasing to look at.

In most corners of the world buying a bag means walking to the local luggage store to pick up some dull Samsonite bag or grabbing a messenger bag from a sports store. The choices tend to be very few. It feels like men’s desires for bags are completely neglected like an orphan, and in some places finding a well designed bag is an impossible mission. But here in London they know how to treat a men right. The United Kingdom has a long history in tailoring and craftsmanship, and from what I have seen the tradition is still alive.

Dunhill and Mulberry are only a few of the countless designers and companies offering fine leather goods for men. Feeling embarrassed walking into a bag store full of women to find out that they only have 3 bags for men is not an issue since some of the stores I’ve visited only sell bags for men! Lately I have grown affection for konjac coloured leather goods. The richness and glow of the colour attracts me almost like an infant wanting to touch a bon fire. It’s a lovely colour which is bold but yet not offensive thanks to it’s brown softness.

Three weeks ago I did the typical tourist-window-shopping at Harrods and was mainly exploring the ground floor where are the formal wear is sold. While walking past Paul Smith and Tom Ford suits I saw an unknown brand in the located in the north-west corner. My curiosity drew me to the big and bold sign which spelled “Billionaire”, the name didn’t ring any bells so I had to check out what it was all about.

Looking left and right after having taken my first step inside the booth like store I my first encounter was leather and fur. The store assistants were incredibly cold and didn’t even say hello or look into my eyes, but that didn’t matter because after flipping over the £400 price tag for a belt I had no interest in handing over my precious money to the store. Not only am I a broke university student but the clothes and accessories sold in the store is now on at the top of my Hall of Fame list.

Calf skin, fur, alligator skin and cashmere were the dominate materials as well as skinny shades or yellow, black, purple, light blue, red and pink. This was vulgarness in excess and having read more about the brand I have found out that they sell jackets and suits for as much as 350 000 euro. Everything sold in the store is pompous, crass and seem to be intentionally expensive.

Today when I was in Knightsbridge I finally got to know who’s behind the mystery brand. Changing track on my Zune while walking I took quick peek to the left, stopped, placed my right palm on my head and shook my head. The horrifying sight was a display covering a construction work of a Billionaire store, and on it was a face of Flavio Briatore. I was actually disappointed and never believed that he would sink that low. I know that he’s worth 8 figures but still has quite a long way to go before he’s a billionaire. The fact that he’s not a billionaire makes his brand faux luxury…………at exaggerated prices. Not only that but I picture heavy hitters like Rupert Murdoch, Lakshmi Mittal or Michael Dell wearing any of that stuff, but Puerto Rican cocaine lords residing in Miami probably wouldn’t mind some of that expensive garbage.

In the end I forgive Briatore, he’s just a playboy after all, a very lucky one. He’s one of those guys who have become incredibly wealthy by being at the right place at the right time meeting the right people, and he has hit it right every single time by seizing the moment. Despite no history in motor sport, engineering or mechanics he has managed to make climb up the ranks in life and made it Team principle of Renault’s Formula 1 team, he still doesn’t know squat about high end mechanics. In the end I feel no hate for him, he has done well for himself in life.