If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

The World's Most Expensive HD Televisions. Stuart Hughes' Diamond, 18k Gold & Alligator TVs Cost Millions Each.

Got 2 million dollars to drop on a TV? Then call me (just kidding), but you've come to the right place.

Stuart Hughes, introduces the World's Most Expensive Televisions in conjunction with award-winning electronics company Metz of Germany and PrestigeHD of Switzerland. The Luxury electronics are clad in real gold, encrusted with diamonds and accented with Alligator skin.

Mertz and PrestigeHD approached Stuart Hughes, known for his outrageous luxury gadgets and fashions, to design a new luxury signature range and in his inimitable style. And boy did he do it with a new collection of High Definition TVs clad in 18k gold, gemstones and alligator.

Here are the first two from the collection:

PrestigeHD SUPREME Rose Edition

above: Top of the industry technology 55” screen with the most beautiful materials used. The base and outer frame consist of circa 28 kilograms of solid 18ct rose gold, outer frame is adourned with 72 brilliant round cut 1ct IF Flawless diamonds with the remaining area set with Sunstone & Amethyst. The inner screen layer is made up from Alligator skin, all hand sewn.

Price? £1.5 million or $2,259,044.26 USD
Buy it here

PrestigeHD SUPREME Edition

above: Top of the industry technology 55” screen with the most beautiful materials used. The base and outer frame consist of circa 19 kilograms of solid 22ct gold, outer frame is adourned with 48 brilliant round cut 0.75ct IF Flawless diamonds with the remaining area set with Aventurine & Topaz. The inner screen layer is made up from Alligator skin, all hand sewn.

Price? £1.million or $1,505,994.17 USD

Metz televisions are optimally equipped for use with all existing types of reception. Their outstanding signal processing ensures that you enjoy a brilliant picture at all times. The result is pure, rich colours, sharp lines and optimum contrast.

Prestige is known for their Alligator, Snake, Ostrich, Python, Wood, Gold, Horn, Marble and other exotic framed HD televisions.

Shop the elite collection of products from Stuart Hughes here.

United Nude Releases New Spring Summer Collection Of Amazing Shoes

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you may recall my first post about United Nude's unusual inspired shoes). Deriving influences from architecture, art and industrialism, United Nude has continued their distinct vision and direction for their 2010 Spring Summer collection.

Since my last in depth post, they've come a long way with their shoes... refined styles, added more and different color combinations. They even changed the name of their 'Porn' shoe to the Loop.

In addition to introducing new colors of their previous styles, they've added some fabulous new styles; The Cup, The Frame, The Label Shoe (their second collaboration with Dutch fashion designer Antoine Peters), The Graffiti Shoe (an embroidered pump) and The Lo Res shoe (an origami-esque angular shoe).

The Lo Res Pump:

Angular planes make up the exterior of the Lo Res pump, part of a new semi-automatic design method by United Nude. An object is digitally scanned into a 3D computer model and regenerated into various resolutions.

The Label Shoe
A second collaboration with Dutch fashion designer Antoine Peters:

The Label Shoe is a play on the industry’s excessive use of labels forming the style’s distinctive silhouette.

The Ultra Loop
UNITED NUDE’s highly successful Spring Summer style LOOP is a concept where a single foot-bed penetrates a sexy loop creating a remarkable and stylish shoe.

With the use of ultra strong carbon fiber, the shoe is allowed to reach new heights in the form of the ULTRA LOOP; creating an even more feminine silhouette and a towering 130 millimeter heel height.

The Cup
The CUP is designed to literally “cup” the heel of the wearer with a sculptured heel also serving as the back-piece, giving the style not only the desired comfort but also elegance and classic appeal.

The CUP is available in a range of styles from pump to sandal with attention- grabbing color combinations. The heel height on the high CUP styles is 4.5":

And the heel height for the mid CUP styles is 2.7":

The Frame Shoe
The FRAME is a remarkable achievement and is also a tribute to the foundation on which the UNITED NUDE brand was established.

The FRAME unhinges the common perception of what a high-heeled shoe should be with the construction of the heel being far more centered on the foot-bed while encasing the foot with straps, forming a wearable work of art:

The Graffiti Pump
The GRAFFITI uses the brand’s name in a 3D embroidered pattern decorating the shoe as its canvas:

UNITED NUDE’S exceptional design has now led to the expansion of the brand with the opening of the first flagship store in Amsterdam’s city centre. A second flagship store is set to open in the international fashion capital of New York City in early 2010 followed soon thereafter by a third flagship store in Shanghai.

Other styles from UNITED NUDE:

Mobius (below left) and Block (below right):

Stealth:

Coral (below left) and Mono Jane (below right):

Fold:

The UNITED NUDE Spring / Summer 2010 collection is available March 1, 2010 at UNITED NUDE’s retail stores in Amsterdam, Vienna, Tianjin, Guangzhou and London as well as at some of the world’s finest shoes stores and online at www.unitednude.com

Learn more about these shoes, who started the company and their original collection here.

MAD MEN Barbie Doll Diorama From Haute Doll

Much to the glee of advertising folk and doll collectors, todays' New York Times announced the fact that Mattel is soon coming out with MAD MEN Barbie dolls.

The dolls, fashioned after the cast of AMC's MAD MEN, are expected to retail for $75.00 each and a limited number of less than 10,000 dolls of each are to be produced.

above photo courtesy of New York Times

In honor of the release of the upcoming dolls, Haute Doll has created their own versions in an upcoming diorama for the magazine.

I happen to be acquainted with the fabulous photographer, Michael Williams, about who's Barbie Jonathan Adler diorama's I blogged about before.
So, I have a sneak peek at the first images of their own MAD MEN Dolls for you.

This month, for the March/April issue of HauteDoll, Michael collaborated with some One-Of-A-Kind doll artists to create our own custom MAD MEN dolls, wearing fashions directly from the TV show, along with an amazingly detailed miniature diorama of Don Draper's office (COMPLETE with cocktails and cigarettes).