For the Budgetless: The 25 Wildest Splurges to Give This Holiday Season
When money is truly no object, your gift-giving options know no bounds. A wing at the Whitney? Sure. Beyoncé at your birthday party? Of course! A 27.48-karat diamond necklace from 1902? Why not? Find these and 22 more splurge-worthy (or, at least, daydream-worthy) gift suggestions straight ahead.
*This article appears in the November 24, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.
Society Earrings Tiara Feather danglers made with gold, diamond, and platinum, from Verdura.
The Necklace, Not the Chicken This Jardin d'Hiver Chanel necklace looks stately—even on those not covered in black feathers. (The "Lamborghi...
The Necklace, Not the Chicken This Jardin d'Hiver Chanel necklace looks stately—even on those not covered in black feathers. (The "Lamborghini of poultry" is sold separately.)
Get Beyoncé for Your Kid's Birthday Party For the ultimate spoiled brat.
Gold Dumbbells 2.6 pounds of 18-karat gold and Grenadilla wood from German brand Hock.
A Wing of the Whitney When the new Renzo Piano–designed Whitney opens in the Meatpacking District next year, it’s likely that every gallery, elev...
A Wing of the Whitney When the new Renzo Piano–designed Whitney opens in the Meatpacking District next year, it’s likely that every gallery, elevator, portico, and rotunda will have a name above its entrance. A donation starting at about $10 million might just get yours or your loved one’s over the door.
A VIP Plot Chances are that, in life, you never rubbed shoulders with Jean-Michel Basquiat or Leonard Bernstein. But in death you can. Green-Wood...
A VIP Plot Chances are that, in life, you never rubbed shoulders with Jean-Michel Basquiat or Leonard Bernstein. But in death you can. Green-Wood Cemetery is the place to be buried in this town; but plots don’t come cheap, especially premium ones. A slot near Basquiat’s grave—on the same “island,” as cemetery terminology has it—is available now and can fit up to three interments.
A Mickalene Thomas Mickalene Thomas, Untitled #2 (2014). Enamel, acrylic, oil paint, glitter, rhinestones, oil pastel, dry pastel, graphite, and ...
A Mickalene Thomas Mickalene Thomas, Untitled #2 (2014). Enamel, acrylic, oil paint, glitter, rhinestones, oil pastel, dry pastel, graphite, and silk screen on wood panel. 96 x 72 inches (243.8 x 182.9 cm). Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong.
1902 Bling This necklace, with a central 27.48-karat diamond, was a wedding gift to Helen Hay Whitney. It’s up for auction on December 9.
A Racing Frame When Lord Norman Foster wants to go for a bike ride, he takes his customized RCA Cervélo out for a spin. This new frame, in...
A Racing Frame When Lord Norman Foster wants to go for a bike ride, he takes his customized RCA Cervélo out for a spin. This new frame, introduced in October, is 15 percent stiffer and 12 percent lighter than Foster’s.
An Airstream Trailer Best. Road trip. Ever. The classic, silver-bullet-shaped Airstream got a 2015 makeover.
A Philip Johnson House The architect’s New Canaan three-bedroom has been called “a livable version of the Glass House."
A Helicopter You’ll be the toast of Teterboro with the latest from Airbus, a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz: the EC145. Pilot not included.
Bespoke Spice Blend Lior Lev Sercarz, spice whisperer at La Boîte, will handmake a fully custom library of blend.
Angelina Jolie's Nose Or Rudolf’s.
An Island in Greece Forever Gaia, a 43-acre island west of the Gulf of Corinth, is one of several Echinades Islands being sold off amid Greece’s ...
An Island in Greece Forever Gaia, a 43-acre island west of the Gulf of Corinth, is one of several Echinades Islands being sold off amid Greece’s economic woes; the emir of Qatar’s snagged six.
Andy Spade's BMW Well, not his actual BMW, but one just like it. This 1972 BMW 3.0CS is equipped with a sunroof, CD player, and refurbished black...
Andy Spade's BMW Well, not his actual BMW, but one just like it. This 1972 BMW 3.0CS is equipped with a sunroof, CD player, and refurbished black leather front seats.
A Private Driver for a Year No need to rate him on Uber.
Tabletop Spaceship An “intergalactic space-ship–cum–table clock” inspired by Deep Space Nine from MB&F.
Beastly Chair Binge-watch House of Cards on Danish designer Viggo Boesen’s Mongolian- sheepskin-covered stained-oak armchair.
An Ambassadorship Bundle $3.1 million to a presidential campaign and you may or may not land a post to Luxembourg.
A Projector Have the best Bachelor-viewing party on the block with Sony’s 4K Ultra Short Throw projector that doubles as a sleek credenza; turns ...
A Projector Have the best Bachelor-viewing party on the block with Sony’s 4K Ultra Short Throw projector that doubles as a sleek credenza; turns your living-room wall into a 147-inch scree.
Bespoke Biography Columbia Center for Oral History vet Bill Smith’s firm offers heroes in their own mind a chance to be chronicled.
Tesla S P85D Elon Musk’s latest is superfast (up to 155 mph), gets fast faster (0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds), and has an extra electric motor thrown i...
Tesla S P85D Elon Musk’s latest is superfast (up to 155 mph), gets fast faster (0 to 60 in 3.2 seconds), and has an extra electric motor thrown in there, too.
The Baglietto MV13 Debonair Italian polymath Lapo Elkann collaborated with the yacht builder Baglietto to craft a “Maserati of the sea,” a.k.a. a...
The Baglietto MV13 Debonair Italian polymath Lapo Elkann collaborated with the yacht builder Baglietto to craft a “Maserati of the sea,” a.k.a. a 45-foot motor yacht modeled after Italian military vessels.
Golf Around the World Twenty-four days, nine countries, private jets, super-fancy hotels, lots and lots of golf.
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