Luxury – Listorati https://listorati.com Fascinating facts and lists, bizarre, wonderful, and fun Fri, 13 Sep 2024 17:28:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://listorati.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/listorati-512x512-1.png Luxury – Listorati https://listorati.com 32 32 215494684 Top 10 Obscenely Expensive Luxury Fashion Items https://listorati.com/top-10-obscenely-expensive-luxury-fashion-items/ https://listorati.com/top-10-obscenely-expensive-luxury-fashion-items/#respond Fri, 13 Sep 2024 17:28:48 +0000 https://listorati.com/top-10-obscenely-expensive-luxury-fashion-items/

One might think that sporting an Hermes Birkin, Louboutin pumps, and a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses is super-classy. But these iconic fashion riches pale in comparison to the world’s best. If you had all the money in the world, would you consider buying the most-expensive hat, handbag, or underwear ever made? While you’ve been busy struggling to afford toilet paper, here are the delights that the bankers, CEOs, celebrities, and politicians have been enjoying.

10 Most Expensive And Delectable Desserts

10Men’s Dress Socks: Falke Vicuna Gentleman Socks, $1,000/pair


Cheap socks are for the birds. They have annoying seams. They stretch out and wear out. Worst of all, they fall down inside your shoes. Investing in quality socks is one way to ensure that your feet always remain encased in comfort.

To that end, Falke makes expensive socks. The luxury knitwear brand uses “only the best yarns” to create its luxury line of men’s legwear, a collection of “premium quality and the best craftsmanship.”

The company’s priciest socks, selling for about $1,000 a pair, are made of vicuna, one of the most expensive fabrics in the world. Vicuna is a fine, delicate wool that comes from the ultra-fine hair (and none of the coarse hairs) of the Peruvian vicuna.

Falke’s website describes the fabric like this: “The ‘fibre of the gods’ is obtained from the Purvian vicuna. Its fine, dense wool was valued as the rarest and most expensive in the world and was reserved for the highest nobility and the church, even in the time of the Incas.”

One vicuna (picture a really soft llama) produces about one pound of wool. Vicuna is too delicate to be dyed, so the very special socks are available in only one color: llama brown.

Because the fabric is so luxurious, it’s unreasonable to think that the Falke Knit Socks could be mass produced. Each pair is custom made–tailored to the wearer’s foot–and shipped in an elegant wooden box. Oh, and vicuna is said to boast unique warming properties. So your fancy feet will never get cold![1]

9Sunglasses: Chopard De Rigo Vision Sunglasses, $408,400


Sporting pricey Ray-Bans is a good way to protect your eyes with style. But if you really want to make a statement with eyewear, then you need something more deluxe. Chopard makes sunglasses and accessories from real gold that has been “ethically sourced.” When the design house partnered with De Rigo, another high-end eyewear brand, they created the ultimate sunglasses experience.

The Chopard De Rigo Vision Sunglasses are made with 60 grams of 24-carat gold and 51 individual four-carat River diamonds. In all, each golden pair features more than 200 carats of diamonds.

“The exclusive eyewear appeals to an explicit group of fashionistas,” according to a brand representative. The sunglasses premiered in Dubai where, thankfully, it’s usually sunny.[2]

8Men’s Suits: Stuart Hughes Diamond Edition, $723,000


A suit worth nearly a million dollars? Yep. Luxury goods designer Stuart Hughes and tailor Richard Jewels teamed up to create the Diamond Edition suit. They made only three of these extravagant ensembles — no small wonder since each took more than 600 hours to stitch.

Like many high-end suits, the Diamond Edition is constructed of wool, cashmere, and silk. Unlike any other suit, however, it boasts more than 480 half-carat, single-cut diamonds. The gems are etched onto the exterior lining of the jacket with unexpected “bedazzled” results.

Good news: The suit is still in stock at the Stuart Hughes website. And each purchase comes with a bonus all-expense-paid trip to a luxury destination.[3]

7Hat: Chapeau D’Amour, $2.7 million


The most expensive hat ever created is the $2.7 million Chapeau d’Amour, the “hat of love,” which was created by Louis Mariette in 2004. Made of woven platinum and encrusted with spectacular diamonds and amethyst, the hat was inspired by the designers love of ivy and bluebells.

Harrods approached Mariette to create something unique for the store’s new luxury millinery and wedding department. One of the main sponsors was the American Express Platinum card. The designer approached the project with absolute glee.

The Platinum Guild had already developed the rare platinum fabric that would serve as the base of the hat. Next came the ornamental Lady Amherst pheasant feathers. Mariette sat on the beach of a tiny island in the Indian Ocean as he hand embroidered the feathers onto the mesh-like fabric, which he said was “a total joy to work with.” The diamond supplier created special clasps that could hold the stones but still be removed for insurance and security purposes.

The Chapeau d’Amour traveled the world and now resides in the Cliveden House, which is surrounded by the forest of bluebells that provided Mariette’s inspiration. It is not for sale.[4]

6Handbag: Mouawad 1001 Nights Diamond Purse, $3.8 million


Renowned jeweler Robert Mouawad from the House of Mouawad first offered the 1001 Nights Diamond Purse at a price of $3.8 million in 2010. One year later, the Guinness Book of World Records declared the elegant purse the most valuable in the world. The heart-shaped masterpiece is handcrafted from 18-karat gold and boasts 4,517 diamonds (105 yellow, 56 pink, and 4,356 colorless) weighing in at 381.92 carats. Ten highly skilled artisans worked for more than 8,800 man hours to create this dazzling bag.

The design is said to have been inspired by the Middle Eastern romantic fantasy, One Thousand and One Nights. The rare bejeweled purse has been shown at auctions in Hong Kong, Geneva, and London but remains up for grabs. Experts predict a new value of more than $5 million.[5]

10 Creepy Items That Are Really Expensive

5Underwear: Victoria’s Secret Red Hot Fantasy Bra and Panties, $15 million


Victoria’s Secret has been creating multi-million-dollar bras for decades. In the 2001 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Heidi Klum sported the $12.5 million Heavenly Star Bra, which heaved with 1,200 Sri Lankan pink sapphires and a 90-carat diamond. Four years later, Gisele Bundchen wore the equally expensive Sexy Splendour Fantasy Bra, which featured 2,900 pave diamonds, 22 rubies, and a 101-carat diamond set in 18-karat white gold.

But if you’re going to blow more than $10 million on a bra, wouldn’t it be nice to at least have a matching pair of undies? The Guinness World Record for the most expensive lingerie ever created goes to just such a set. Bundchen modeled the Red Hot Fantasy Bra and Panties on Victoria’s Secret’s 2000 runway. About 3,000 diamonds and 22 Thai rubies are encased in 28-karat white gold. The gemstones weigh about 1,300 carats (101 of which dangle from a single diamond). The price tag: $15 million.

Note: Technically, Victoria Secret’s Fantasy pieces are “underwear” and not intended to be worn poolside. If it’s pricey beachwear you’re after, consider Susan Rosen’s $27 million diamond bikini. The designer created the barely-there “swimsuit” for Molly Sims’ appearance in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The bikini, which features 150 carats of diamonds set in platinum, is the ultimate in the “fine art of opulence.”[6]

4Shoes: Passion Diamond Shoes, $17 million


Recently featured on our list of expensive everyday items, we couldn’t leave these shoes off a list of luxury fashion items. In October 2018, the world’s most expensive shoes were launched. The luxurious Passion Diamond Shoes feature hundreds of flawless diamonds, including two perfect 15-carat stones. The real-gold stilettos, created by UAE-based Jada Dubai, are on display in the Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai. The display size is 36 EU, but wealthy buyers can request any size made to order.

Note: One pair of Passion Diamond Shoes is equivalent to 23,448 pairs of Louboutin So Kate pumps, which run about $700 per pair.[7]

3Watch: Chopard 201-Carat Watch, $26 million


Chopard, a luxury watch company in Switzerland, is known for precision timekeeping and jewelry. The company was founded in 1860 by Louis Ulysse Chopard, a 24-year old who aspired to develop precise pocket watches and chronometers. In the 1960s, Karl Scheufele III purchased Chopard.

The $26 million price of the 201-Carat Watch is an estimate. That’s because this one-of-a-kind watch is so expensive that there is no listing price. The beautiful timepiece features 874 high-grade diamonds in blue, white, and pink that weigh in at 163 carats. Three heart-shaped diamonds sit at the center of the watch: a 15.37-carat pink diamond, a 12.79-carat blue diamond, and an 11.36-carat white diamond.

To view the time, the wearer presses a special mechanism. The heart-shaped diamonds open like the petals of a flower to reveal the face of the watch, which boasts three pear-shaped yellow diamonds.[8]

2Dress: Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur, $30 million


Faiyzali Abdulla is a well-known Malaysian fashion designer. Anything created by Abdulla is a big deal. And when that creation has a name like “Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur,” it’s a really big effing deal.

The $30 million dress, which was presented in 2009 at STYLO Fashion Grand Prix KL, is composed of the finest chiffon and silk taffeta. This extraordinary off-shoulder evening gown glitters with 751 diamonds (1,100 carats). The largest of the diamonds is a 70-carat Mouawad teardrop on the gown’s bustier.

The burgundy masterpiece, which features a 6-foot train, reportedly cost $23 million to create. Abdulla’s inspiration for the dress came from the 14th century Persian poem “The Rose and the Nightingale,” which was read aloud when the dress was presented.[9]

1Jewelry: CTF Pink Star Diamond Ring, $71.2 million


Even small diamond rings are expensive. But the Pink Star is an “internally flawless pink 59.6-carat diamond.” The gemstone was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong in April 2017 for $71.2 million.

De Beers extracted the diamond from a mine in Africa in 1999. In its raw state, it was 132.5 carats. It took two years to cut and polish the diamond to perfection. At 2.69 cm by 2.06 cm (1.06 in. x 0.81 in.), it is the largest flawless fancy vivid pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

The buyer of the Pink Star was Chow Fai Fook Enterprises, a Hong Kong conglomerate that has a chain of jewelry stores.

Note: The Pink Star holds the world record for the most expensive jewel ever sold. But the blue diamond holds the record for the most valuable price per carat at $3.93 million. In 2016, the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue diamond sold for $57.5 million at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in Geneva.[10]

Top 10 Most Expensive Items Sold That Don’t Actually Exist

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Most Popular Luxury Brands Online in The World https://listorati.com/most-popular-luxury-brands-online-in-the-world/ https://listorati.com/most-popular-luxury-brands-online-in-the-world/#respond Wed, 11 Oct 2023 01:24:18 +0000 https://listorati.com/most-popular-luxury-brands-online-in-the-world/

In the ever-evolving world of luxury, staying ahead in the digital realm is paramount. With an increasing number of affluent consumers turning to the internet for their shopping needs and inspiration, the online presence of luxury brands has never been more critical. Here’s the Luxe Digital’s annual ranking of the top luxury brands online, it’s evident that digital popularity is a reliable predictor of future success in the luxury industry.

These brands are not just names; they’re powerful influencers shaping the luxury landscape. Here, we present the top 10 most popular luxury brands online in 2023.

1. Dior – Leading the Digital Catwalk

Industry: Fashion

Dior, the iconic French fashion house, secures the top spot on our list. Renowned for its elegant designs and timeless creations, Dior continues to captivate the digital audience. Their presence extends across various platforms, making them a dominant force in the world of luxury fashion.

2. Gucci – A Digital Fashion Phenomenon

Industry: Fashion

Gucci, with its audacious and eclectic style, takes the second spot. The Italian brand’s creative and bold approach resonates with the modern consumer. Their digital campaigns and collaborations keep them in the spotlight, earning them a devoted online following.

See also: World’s Top 10 Renowned Trendy Eyewear Brands

3. Chanel – Timeless Elegance Meets Digital Savvy

Industry: Fashion

Chanel, synonymous with timeless elegance, secures the third position. The brand’s ability to blend its rich heritage with digital innovation is exemplary. Chanel’s online presence is nothing short of spectacular, maintaining a strong connection with its loyal fan base.

4. Louis Vuitton – Mastering Luxury in the Digital Age

Industry: Fashion

Louis Vuitton, a name synonymous with luxury travel and craftsmanship, is the fourth most popular luxury brand online. Their captivating storytelling, creative campaigns, and iconic monogram continue to attract a global digital audience.

See also: Most Expensive Handbags in the World

5. Hermès – Crafting Digital Excellence

Industry: Fashion

Hermès, known for its exquisite craftsmanship and timeless accessories, holds the fifth position. The brand’s dedication to quality extends to its online presence, where it engages with its audience through storytelling and exclusive experiences.

See also: World’s 10 Top Selling Brands

6. Rolex – The Timeless Icon in the Digital Era

Industry: Watch

Rolex, the epitome of luxury watchmaking, is the sixth most popular luxury brand online. Rolex has mastered the art of combining tradition with digital innovation, staying highly sought-after among watch enthusiasts worldwide.

See also: Most Expensive Watches in The World

7. Prada – Redefining Digital Fashion

Industry: Fashion

Prada takes the seventh spot with its avant-garde designs and digital creativity. The Italian fashion house remains a pioneer in the luxury fashion sector, consistently captivating its audience through cutting-edge campaigns.

8. Tiffany – Online Elegance in Jewelry

Industry: Jewelry

Tiffany, renowned for its exquisite jewelry and iconic blue box, ranks eighth on our list. Their digital presence shines with captivating visuals and storytelling, maintaining their status as a go-to brand for luxury jewelry.

9. Versace – Bold and Glamorous in the Digital World

Industry: Fashion

Versace, famous for its bold and glamorous designs, takes the ninth position. The brand’s digital strategy is as vibrant as its fashion creations, resonating with a young and fashion-forward audience.

See also: Top 10 Most Expensive Clothing Brands in the World

10. Burberry – Bridging Heritage and Modernity Online

Industry: Fashion

Burberry rounds out the top 10 with its blend of heritage and modernity. The British fashion house has successfully embraced digital channels, appealing to a diverse and tech-savvy customer base.

Fashion Brands of The World
Rank Brand Industry
1 Dior Fashion
2 Gucci Fashion
3 Chanel Fashion
4 Louis Vuitton Fashion
5 Hermès Fashion
6 Rolex Watch
7 Prada Fashion
8 Tiffany Jewelry
9 Versace Fashion
10 Burberry Fashion

The online popularity of these luxury brands is more than just a reflection of their current success; it’s a testament to their ability to adapt and thrive in the digital age. They not only command attention but also play a pivotal role in shaping the future of luxury, setting trends, and pushing boundaries.

See also: Fashion Brands of The World – Top 10

As we continue to witness the evolution of luxury in the digital landscape, these brands are likely to remain at the forefront, captivating and inspiring consumers around the world.

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Weird Luxury Foods from Throughout History https://listorati.com/weird-luxury-foods-from-throughout-history/ https://listorati.com/weird-luxury-foods-from-throughout-history/#respond Fri, 17 Feb 2023 21:28:09 +0000 https://listorati.com/weird-luxury-foods-from-throughout-history/

The word “delicacy” gets used a lot to describe foods that are often less than appetizing. It has become a sort of diplomatic way to describe something that no one would want to eat unless they had to, more often than not. Some delicacies, like grubs for instance, seem to have been borne from necessity and were eaten for survival. But there are also luxury food items that no one necessarily had to eat to survive, they just chose to eat them because they were extravagant, unusual, or rare.

10. Dormouse

Once upon a time in Ancient Rome, the idea of eating rodents was not nearly so offensive as it is to most people today. In particular, the dormouse was something the Romans had really taken a shine to. About the size of a rat, they would actually fatten these rodents up in advance of eating them to make it more of a meal. 

Romans kept the animals in clay pots where they could be fed and fattened, much the way a goose is confined to force its liver to grow for the production of foie gras. There were little ledges inside so the small beast could even keep itself busy and get a little exercise in its downtime.

When it was ready they would stuff it with pork, vegetables and spices. Then it could either be baked or made into a soup. 

9. Flamingo

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No one would bat an eye about eating chicken or turkey these days. Duck, squab, game hen and a number of other birds are fairly common in grocery stores and on restaurant menus. But there are some birds that, for whatever reason, never really stood out as food and are considered unusual by today’s standards. Flamingo is one of those birds.

Largely symbolic of places like Florida, we generally consider these big pink birds almost decorative, or at least not a food source. In fact, pink flamingo decorations are a somewhat tacky piece of lawn decor. Not so for the Ancient Romans (yep, them again) who may not have met an animal they weren’t willing to roast just to see how it turned out.

Flamingos were not easy to come by in Rome, and they were native to Africa. That meant only those who could afford the birds had any hope of eating them. Serving flamingo was looked at as a status symbol and apparently the greatest of Roman epicureans would stick to the choice cuts like the tongue and brain, as one does. 

8. Ambergris

Ambergris is a waxy substance produced somewhere deep in the guts of a whale. Scientists believe it may be formed inside the whale to grease its insides up and allow it to pass hard objects that it has eaten out of its backside. In fact, that’s also how ambergris gets into the world. Whales poop it out. And then some people eat it.

The substance has what people have described as a “marine fecal” odor when it first appears, but the smell changes as it dries. For years people have prized it for the sweet, earthy aroma that was used as a base in many perfumes of the past. These days there are artificial versions that don’t require hunting or harming whales, but the real stuff can still sell for tens of thousands of dollars if it washes up on shore. 

Back in the day, it wasn’t just the perfume-makers of the world who loved ambergris. Word is that ancient Persians used ambergris in desserts and Casanova included it in a chocolate mousse as an aphrodisiac. No word on whether or not it worked, but considering where it came from it’s probably best to not know the details. 

7. Rooster Beer

In the modern parlance, the name “cock beer” is enough to cause a few jokes because many people are a little childish and that’s okay. But for generations past, cock just meant rooster, and that makes this brew known as cock or rooster beer a whole different kind of weird. 

When it comes to making beer, the recipe typically calls for a variety of grains that need to ferment. Barley, hops, those sorts of things. Most alcohol is made in a similar way regardless of the plant uses. Grapes for wine, perhaps potatoes for vodka. Using chicken is not ordinary. 

Back in the 1780s, people were apparently willing to try anything. A recipe from the time period calls for a rooster to be gutted, smashed up with some spices in a bag, and then fermented with some ale. Apparently some other recipes call for essentially the same thing without the courtesy of killing the chicken first. 

The purpose behind adding a rooster to a beer was not to impart delicious chicken flavor since the brew must have tasted horrible. The idea was that the vitality and strength of the bird would have been imbued in the liquid and, in turn, whoever drank it. 

6. Mock Banana

We take bananas for granted today but imagine a time when finding a way to transport bananas quickly and safely was all but impossible. During the Second World War, a banana was nearly impossible to find because they needed the ships that transported them for the war. They had become a luxury item for people at home who had enjoyed them in the past but could no longer get them. There were even songs written about it.  In order to help placate the banana-loving masses, a new dish was invented. The mock banana. 

Because Britain was importing nearly all of its food and rationing that it had, they sacrificed many luxury items. The mock banana made use of what people had readily available in an effort to reproduce that distinct flavor and texture. Whether it was successful is a matter of historical debate.

The mock banana was a boiled or roasted parsnip or turnip. Once suitably softened, it could be mashed up with sugar and some banana essence, an artificial flavoring that was used in banana candies and such. 

Some of the people who lived through this recalled enjoying them, but also included the caveat that they had never actually eaten a real banana before, either. They would serve the mock banana on bread as a banana sandwich or just as it was in a bowl as a dessert.

5. Saddle Steak

The nomadic Huns were known as fierce conquerors and great warriors. Accomplished horsemen, the idea of how they may have fed their armies is probably something not a lot of people have considered. There are rumors that when they were doing especially well, they enjoyed a kind of steak jerky on the run that most people today would consider bizarre at best and awful at worst.

With little room to store or carry meat, there are tales of Huns taking thinly sliced meat and storing it under their saddles. As they rode, the heat and sweat from their horses’ haunches would cure the meat into a kind of jerky that could be easily cooked later. The salt from the horse sweat and the action of being rubbed between either rider or saddle and horse would serve to keep it tender

Historical records about this are hard to come by so there’s no way to know if this was a widespread practice, but it would have meant some savvy Huns would have arguably been eating much better than other people if they were able to better preserve meat on the go. 

4. Pozole

If you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine, then pozole is something well worth trying. It’s a dish often reserved for festivities because it takes a long time to make if you do it the traditional way and can get pretty elaborate. Typically made from pork or chicken with hominy and a variety of vegetables, it’s delicious and filling. That’s today, anyway.

In the past, pozole was treated a little differently. Records of the food date back hundreds of years and the Aztecs served it as only for special occasions as it included hominy, which is maize, and was sacred. 

The recipe gets a little weird when you factor in that there are some reports from the 16th century that chicken and pork weren’t always the meats involved. A missionary named Fray Bernardino de Sahagún wrote that they made the dish with human flesh, which certainly takes the recipe to new heights. 

3. Mummies

If Hollywood reflected the real world, we’d be up to our necks in sinister mummies all the time. In reality, mummies are quite a bit harder to come by these days, and most of the ones that do exist are safely housed in museums. But that’s not to say it was always hard to get your hands on a mummy. By some estimates, there may be upwards of 70 million mummies out there.

The reason you don’t see them everywhere today is that a number of them are obviously undiscovered and a number of the ones that were discovered are no longer with us.  That’s because people ate them.

Literally millions of mummies have been lost to time because our ancestors were under the impression that ingesting mummies could cure just about anything. It got so out of hand that a fraud mummy market popped up in which fresh corpses, sometimes even the corpses of plague victims, were dried out and sold as mummies. 

2. Panda

Not many animals have reached the status of the playful panda. It’s the symbol of the WWF and zoos around the world display them as prized exhibits. Once endangered, decades of preservation attempts have succeeded in bumping these seemingly gentle beasts up the chart to vulnerable. There are between 1,500 and 3,000 of them in the wild, with a number of captive specimens as well. 

For all the playful and adorable things we associate with them today, there seems to be evidence that once upon a time the world delicious may have been used to describe them as well. There is no evidence of humans eating pandas except illegally in recent history. Even in Ancient China, it seems to have been a taboo topic. But if you go back even further, things change a little bit.

Archaeological evidence shows that the ancestors of modern giant pandas, which were smaller and maybe better described as regular-sized pandas, were killed by human hands. Tool marks on remains indicate  that the animals were killed and people of that time certainly wouldn’t have been hunting for sport. The logical conclusion is that they ate the bears. 

1. Cockentrice

No matter how weird a dish from history gets, you can typically count on one thing to be true of it – the food was real. In a very strange way, that is not the case with cockentrice, an animal that never actually existed, so the eating of it should have been a difficult task. 

The fact a cockentrice was not real did not stop people from making it, however. Produced for what must have been only the grandest of occasions, a cockentrice is what happens when you take the front half of a pig and sew it to the rear half of a chicken. The resulting monster, sort of a medieval version of a jackalope, could be stuffed with all manner of other meats and vegetables, and then roasted to produce a centerpiece that people would no doubt be talking about for years to come.

For the truly theatrical chef and the incredibly memorable occasion, the natural escalation of the cockentrice was the helmeted cock. Jokes aside, this dish involved mounting a chicken on top of a pig so that it looked like the bird was riding the other animal into battle. They would outfit the chicken with the coat of arms of whoever was being honored at the dinner.

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