Luxury is also about finding that odd, unique piece, something not easily attained by the masses.
It is no secret that women are the largest consumers of luxury goods with an astounding amount of buying power, from home interior décor to fashion to cars and real estate. And if women are not purchasing these items for themselves, they are the ones that often shop for their men and their children or influence their choices. Women are the true architects of society and the designers and participators of consumerism, so it is no wonder that most luxury brands target women, even those products made for men. Would a man purchase a sports car if there were no beautiful women that were secretly impressed by it? As Aristotle Onassis once boldly stated, “If women didn’t exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning.”
Toys for Girls explores the world of luxury and incredible objects of desire where money is no object. In this exquisite book, the world’s most treasured and decadent belongings are beautifully illustrated, from the elaborately bejeweled mobile phone by GoldVish that retails for more than $1 million to the customized designer wardrobe trunks by Louis Vuitton. These deliciously indulgent belongings will surely dazzle even the most discriminating billionairess.
Luxury is about treating yourself to more than the norm, either with expensive adornments or exceptional design, and many companies are continuously learning that in order to sell to the cultivated super-rich, they have to reinvent their products to combine three enticing elements to attract their attention: high technology, stylish design, and the use of expensive materials. A standard drum set might be completely covered with crystals, or a chess game encrusted with 186 carats of black and white diamonds by master jeweler Charles Hollander. But one thing is for certain: all of these ultra-luxurious products are exclusive works of sculptural art.
True luxury has many manifestations, whether it’s toting your dog around in his Burberry raincoat or the extravagance of buying him a $1.8 million diamond studded collar. Many luxury products attempt to elevate the everyday by transforming typical functional objects into higher works of art or technological wonders, such as the limited-edition $1.2 million wristwatch by Bovet. Not only is this fine timepiece created with exceptional technology and complications to the owner’s desire, but it also offers the option to have a favorite image hand-painted on its mother-of-pearl dial.
Luxury is also about finding that odd, unique piece, something not easily attained by the masses. Logos are hidden, prices are available upon request, and diamonds find themselves inside the movement of simple gold watches or embedded inside the backs of bracelets. Some of the items featured in this book are for those who secretly covet the obscenely expensive and arguably frivolous.
Several bejeweled pieces are so expensive that they should come equipped with their own bodyguard, such as the $25 million Chopardissimo watch smothered with more than 100 carats of precious gemstones.
Patrons of luxury prefer the unique privilege of ownership where the exorbitant price is the true exclusivity factor, such as the person who won the bidding war for a $200 million penthouse overlooking Hyde Park (original asking price: $160 million), or the oil painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh of his doctor that sold for $82 million at an international auction.
The most important universal factor of luxury is that it needs to be utterly exclusive. In such a manner, one can opt for a personalized Porsche with a name in place of the logo or choose to drive the customized Cadillac once owned by Jackie O. Sports cars with highly customized handcrafted leather interiors using aeronautic technologies to rev up the turbo-charged engines are always an option, as are $200 million sailing yachts with all the amenities of a first-class boutique hotel and full-service spa facilities.
The definition of what constitutes true luxury is constantly changing. Some of the most imaginative personal toys from around the globe are based less on the features themselves, and more on how one experiences them. Whether it’s an estate with its own bowling alley or a private jumbo jet with its own kitchen for chef-prepared meals, the architects and designers are fearless in their creations, daring to take the genre one step beyond into unchartered territory.
The best toys for girls are about the freedom of choice, exclusivity, and individuality, and above all, the best expression of luxury is truly in the details. More women now than ever have access to luxury brands and are titillated by experiences that are exotic, authentic, and surprisingly unique. Although in the world of true luxury, life as we know it is in the illusion, and therein lies magnificence and richness.
