The Battle for Hermès

While preparing for the hurricane last weekend, you might have missed excellent article, The Battle for Hermès in the Wall Street Journal.  For those of you who don't know, Bernard Arnault, the owner of LVMH, has been buying up shares of Hermès in an attempt to add the venerable brand to his stable of luxury goods companies that includes Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Givenchy among others.  While I like LVMH brands, they seems to be a lot of more glitzy and glam than the understated luxury of Hermès.  It will definitely be interesting to see how this new French revolution plays out.  The feature was written by Dana Thomas, the author of Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster and I love the accompanying photos by Brigitte Lacombe.  Also makes me want to take riding lessons so I can order a saddle.  They are almost more beautiful than the bags.

Photos by Brigitte Lacombe

A Rocker's Retreat

I forgot that Deborah Needleman's first Wall Street Journal Magazine was published yesterday.  Luckily for me and eveyone else who neglected to pick up the paper, you can read the articles online. One of my favorites is a look inside the London home of gentleman rocker Bryan Ferry.  He's always had an interest in interior design and has furnished his home himself with art and objects that he's collected.  I definitely recommend reading the entire story online as well as Charlotte Moss's article about Le Prieuré d’Orsan.  The issue is so good that I might have to go see if my newsstand has an extra copy lying around. 

Photos by Alexia S

Designer Visions: Wall Street by Richard Hallberg

Of all the spaces at Designer Visions at The Setai, I was most excited to see the apartment inspired by Wall Street.  Interior designer Richard Hallberg designed the space for Veranda and imagined where Gordon Gekko would live after he was released from prison.  He would certainly still be collecting art and living well.  What I really love is that the black and white palette is punctuated by antiques and touches of gilt and gold that prevent it from looking too cold.  Richard says he "selected furnishings and decor that represented the 'best of the best,' mixing 18th-century furniture with contemporary pieces, modern art and Roman antiquities to produce a result that is timeless." Hopefully, Gordon will stay out of trouble so he enjoy this apartment for a long time! 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic and courtesy of Hearst