Luxist

Every year, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is crazier than the last. This year, at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City, we saw an array of outfits that were by equal turns beautiful and baffling. We love how Victoria's Secret always manages to dress the Angels in elaborate designs that sit just next to their bodies -- giant wings and capes that cover nothing ... you'll see what we mean in the gallery.

Pictured here is the most expensive item of the evening, the diamond-clad three million dollar bra, being caressed by Marisa Miller, who had the privilege of wearing it. Honestly, it's a bit of a yawn, but we'd feel cheated if they hadn't BeDiamonded something. What's really fun is the crazy pictures in the gallery. It's only once a year that models get to dress up like harlots from the future and it's like, a big honor. So check it out.

These outfits speak for themselves, but that didn't stop us. Why did we include some of the most awkward pictures? Because we're jealous. Enjoy.

The Kooba Mila Clutch is spangly and sexy.

This python-embossed leather clutch, with its demure, delicate wristlet and gold ring, is the perfect thing to spice up a little black dress -- or a little green dress, a little gold dress, a little purple dress, and so on. The stripy colors are fresh and playful, and give the bag an 80s feel, but not overwhelmingly, like say, Zubaz (warning, may burn your eyes).

We also love the stroke-me texture, the black leather whipstitching at the edges and especially the long shape, which ensures you will actually be able to put things into this bag. This would be an easy go-to for grabbing off your shelf to glam up an outfit -- even your work clothes.

The Kooba Mila Clutch is available from Neiman Marcus for $325.00.

While I was running around Amsterdam on Museumnacht (an annual event where museums across the city stay open into the wee hours), I found something for which I didn't know I was looking: the world's most expensive cocktail shaker.

The Boston Shaker, as it's called, is located in the gift shop of the House of Bols, a flavored liqueur company whose on-site museum/training facility is worth visiting -- they won the the Dutch Design Award for Best Exhibition & Experience in 2007 and you get to play "guess what flavor you're smelling." It's just across the street from the Van Gogh museum.

The Boston Shaker was created as a collaboration between The House of Bols and their neighbor, Coster Diamonds. It comes packaged as above, in a unique leather case designed and made by French family business Établissements Bernard RDB. The shaker itself is silver, 18 karat gold, and is encrusted with 480 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 19.05 carats.

The price tag on this one-of-a-kind blinged-up barware is €35,000.00 or approximately $52,164.00.

This trip was paid for by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

The Lauren Merkin Lotte Feather-Print Clutch is a bright, feathery bag without all the fuss.

Carrying around a clutch that is essentially handful of feathers is certainly glamorous, but it's not always practical. You never want to put such a bag down anywhere, lest the feathers get smooshed, and heaven help you if it rains.

This bag creates a fun, flirty feather look -- but the genius of it is the coloring. Not only is it pretty, but feathers this color don't exist. If the silk were printed with an attempt at real-looking feathers, it would just look fake and half-hearted. Well done, Lauren Merkin, for making this soft silk print look intentional and classy.

This gathered, snap-flap, 6"H x 11 1/2"W clutch is perfect for a night out or a dinner party at a friend's place -- the teal is a perfect accent for a dark ensemble.

The Lauren Merkin Lotte Feather-Print Clutch is available from Neiman Marcus for $200.00.

Oops -- I bet Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise didn't realize that "Suri" means "pickpocket" in Japanese, "horse mackerels" in Italian and "turned sour" in French (via Reuters). There's a British company called Today Translations whose luxury service could have helped them avoid the unfortunate situation.

For £1,000 (approximately $1,675.40), they'll check potential name disasters in 100 languages or more (at an additional cost, of course). They intend to attract celebrity clientele, whose celeblings often become international travelers before their first birthdays. Tom and Kate could have checked a hundred names without feeling a cramp in their coffers.

Who knows, Suri may be able to pull off "Pickpocket" ... it's actually kinda cool, but if you want to avoid embarrassing your future children. check out Today Translations.

[via Reuters]

Your dress may be an inexpensive LBD from a discount shop, but no one will notice if you're wearing fabulous designer tights.

This holiday season, times are (ugh) still tight, but the opulence and flashy glamour of the 20s and 30s speakeasy culture are in. The way to follow the trend without breaking the bank is to focus on your accessories: make them as eye-catching as you dare. Textures, dark jewel tones, and all things that sparkle are your friends, and we just love these Cynthia Rowley tights.

Also, as with other accessories, you can get them for a far more frugal price than, say, a Cynthia Rowley dress. The tights range from just $15 for Antique Dot Tights to $250 for the breathtaking Embellished Tights shown. It's a smart way to buy into a designer who might otherwise be out of your budget.

Now, go spend your money on presents!

On my recent visit to Holland, sponsored by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, we ventured up to The Hague (Den Haag) for the Dutch Fashion Awards and some museums. Though it wasn't originally on the itinerary, everyone on the trip was dying to see the Escher Museum (Escher in het Paleis).

The museum is located in the royal Lange Voorhout Palace, and features well kept original fixtures as well as several rooms dedicated to showing what the winter palace of Queen Mother Emma used to look like. Since then, the legendary Dutch graphic artist who's still blowing our minds almost 40 years after his death has been moved in, and the juxtaposition of decadence and mind-bending art is surprisingly harmonious.

If you're taking a trip to Amsterdam, a 45-minute trek up to The Hague is worth it just to see the museum, which not only has a far more extensive Escher collection than any of us believed was possible, but which also features a stunning array of crystal chandeliers in almost every room.

The chandeliers, like the enormous "Rain Cloud" in the foyer (above), are all works by Hans van Bentem (1965), a ceramics and glass artist from Rotterdam who happens to have a penchant for designing elaborate and unusual chandeliers. How unusual are they? Check out the gallery for a crystallized firefly, shark, trophy, umbrella, seahorse and more. The Hans van Bentem chandeliers are an exhibit all their own, and have appeared in the museum's formerly royal rooms since 2003. This is the full collection:

This trip was paid for by the Netherlands Board of Tourism, but the ideas and opinions expressed in the article above are 100% my own.

This Thursday, November 19, is the date of the annual sexiest night of the year: The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It's taking place at the Lexington Avenue Armory in NYC, hosted by mama Heidi Klum (right), and do you know what cocktail they'll be serving at the after-party at M2? You're about to.

The Stoli Angel Elixir has been specially crafted for the event and will be available at M2's official Victoria's Secret Fashion Show After Party. This is a must-have for any viewing soiree (the show will be aired on CBS December 1), and we've got the recipe:

Stoli Angel Elixir
1 oz Stoli Gala Applik
3 strawberries
Sprinkles of vanilla sugar
Rosé Sparkling Dessert Wine

Muddle strawberries and vanilla sugar. Add Stoli Gala Applik, shake well and strain into a flute. Top with rose sparking dessert wine. Garnish with edible gold dust & pink aphrodisiac rose petal.

If you're baffled by the gold dust, don't worry, it's perfectly safe. You can grab a jar at PastryChef.com for $107.99.

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this keyring from Scott Amron was the Jon Franklin quote: "Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance."

Also called the Split-Ring-Key, this refreshing, unexpected hybrid key-and-keyring can be brought to your local key cutter, who can craft it to fit any regular KW1 or SC1 keyholes. At just $3.50 each, this is one of those luxuries that won't break the bank.

Amron, who also brought us the black leather bandaids this past summer, has a number of cool and outside-the-box usable-art ideas on his website. We also love this wine stopper, which looks like a talon digging into your bottle. Very goth chic.

When you're throwing a lavish Thanksgiving dinner, it's good to keep some things simple. The decor doesn't have to be over the top; anything too fancy may appear to be "trying to hard." There are two things to splurge on: The drinks and the food.

While there are endless options for amazing wines and and fabulously presented after-dinner drinks (red lacquer Grand Marnier bottle, anyone?), the main dish says the most about the dinner.

So, what's a luxury turkey? Bypass the supermarket and go for the gold: Designer turducken.

Chef Ryan Farr and San Francisco's chic 4505 Meats have teamed up to create a a totally mouth-watering combination of turkey, duck and chicken (above) which "comes on a bed of root vegetables in a roasting pan and includes an electric thermometer with a preset alarm on it, making it simple for home cooks to follow the directions and pull the bird from the oven when the thermometer beeps." If you're in SF, you can order one from 4505 Meats for $200-$225 (15 or 20 pound turduckens, which will feed 14 or 18) and pick it up in the Portero neighborhood or have it shipped (at an additional cost); just get your order in by November 20.

If you're not in San Francisco, there are a number of other websites where you can get a perfectly good turducken, including cajungrocer, herbertsmeats, or you can even hit up Sam's Club for Tony Chachere's® Cornbread Turducken at a delicious price (but you didn't hear that from us).

For a holiday like Thanksgiving, it's a good idea to let the meal speak for itself. If everyone's enjoying the food, nobody's talking (and nobody's fighting).