The Right Gift At The Right Price

That's what we're all looking for, isn't it? We've put together a new lookbook of unique, nifty $85-$200 gifts that you won't see everywhere.

Just in time for the Oscar winners in your life, or for anyone you want to impress.



When you see what you like, call us at (310) 581-6710 and we'll get it for you. Don't see what you're looking for? Call us, we'll show you more gift suggestions.

The Annals of Luxury: Consumers Are Forsaking Pricey California Wines. Bad For Vinters, Good For You

California's winemakers could use a stiff drink.

In July we reported that the prices of premium California wines had dropped, as consumers abandoned expensive cabs and proprietary blends in favor of budget bottles from lesser producers.

Wineries had hoped that the trend would reverse itself during the holiday season. No such luck. Wine sales continued to spiral downward, leaving wineries and distributors with even larger inventories than anticipated.

The wine industry views 2009 as the worst year in memory, according to a report by the California Farm Bureau Federation.

It's a double whammy for producers of fine wines, those in the $50 - $150 range. Consumers are buying fewer premium bottles and expect to pay less for them. Half the bottles at the half the price. That's the predicament roiling the Golden State wine industry today.

As if this isn't bad enough, the state's wineries are facing increased competition from foreign producers, also suffering from the global economic downturn and changing consumer behavior.

Overseas vintners have seen a sharp fall in exports to the U.S., the world's second largest wine market. American imports of French wines and spirits tumbled 22.7% last year. Exports of French champagne plummeted an eye-popping 28%, according to the Associated Press.

It's not going to get better anytime soon. Experts predict that it will be a year or more before conditions start to improve. Others are fearful that consumer preferences may have shifted unalterably. Is a $150 cab really worth it when there are plenty of outstanding choices at one-third to one-half the price?

In the meantime, winemakers are preparing for the worst.  They are walking away from contracts they signed last year with grape growers, laying off staff, revising marketing and distribution plans, and pruning costs wherever they can.

Out of chaos comes opportunity for those with cash.

The best bargains are to be found on the Internet. Two websites offer daily specials of terrific wines at deep discounts.

Check winestilsoldout.com and cinderellawine.com frequently to see what's on offer.

(Example: WTSO recently listed the 2005 Roca di Castagnoli Chianti Classico Poggio Ai Frat, rated 91 by Robert Parker, for $24.99 a bottle. It's normally $45.)

Good deals are also to be found at wine.com and ambrosiawine.com. Sign up for their e-mails to be notified of sales.

For more on the plight of California vintners, see Corie Brown's article in the March issue of Entrepreneur and also this recent article in the Los Angeles Times.

The Enlightened Traveler: Venice With Julie Christie in the Winter

As we grew up and still live in Southern California – where it can be 80º on Christmas day – our idea of a winter vacation has very little to do with Hawaii, the Caribbean, or (with the exception of Rio de Janeiro) anyplace tropical.

What is more romantic than Venice in the winter?

Au contraire! We enjoy donning our toasty Loro Piano cashmere scarves and sweaters to go shopping and museum hopping in Paris, London, or New York during November or December.

We also like taking long afternoon walks on the deserted, gray beaches of Cape Cod, then snuggling by the fireplace on a long January's night.

Thus, it does not at all seem odd to suggest that now is a wonderful time to visit Venice, Italy. Or so we read in the estimable Financial Times.

Who can resist Venice when described like this?

Even on the dullest days the lagoon has an opalescent glow, and there are times in late February when the light has an almost African brilliance and a clarity you don’t find at any other time of year, when the snow-covered Dolomite peaks 100 miles to the north appear in the shimmering sky over the lagoon.

Or like this:

Venice becomes a different place [in winter]. The sense of this ancient, decaying city as a slightly sinister labyrinth – unforgettably captured in the 1973 film "Don’t Look Now" – comes to the fore.

Okay! We're checking the flight schedules right now. You can read the FT's article in full right here.

As for Nicolas Roeg's memorable movie, a '70s favorite, what wouldn't we have done back then to be in Venice with the incandescent Julie Christie?

Or with Susan Anspach, radiant and unattainable in Paul Mazursky's still enjoyable Blume in Love, a good deal of which takes place in a fog shrouded Venice?

Or with the ambrosial Daniela Bianchi (at right) in the great second Bond film, From Russia With Love, which starts in Turkey and concludes in Venice (with nary a stop in the Soviet Union) as the evil Rosa Krebb (the original Frau Farbissener, Lotte Lenya) gets the drop on Bond, and holds him at gunpoint, but the gun is knocked away by Romanova (Bianchi)?

Klebb releases her poisoned toe-spike (ouch!), but Bond pins her to the wall with a dining chair. Romanova grabs the gun and shoots Klebb. Riding in a gondola, Bond throws the compromising film of him and Romanova into the water, and they sail away. Whew!

There are many more memorable movies set in Venice: Summertime (noteworthy because Katharine Hepburn falls into the Grand Canal) and A Little Romance (starring the adorable, unknown Diane Lane and the much less adorable Laurence Olivier), to name just two.

And speaking of Laurence Olivier, remember him as Neil Diamond's elderly cantor father in the misguided 1980 remake of The Jazz Singer? Diamond, in the role of Yussel Rabinovitch (we kid you not!), utters this memorable line of dialogue on the phone to Sir Laurence: "I can't go to synagogue tonight, Pop. I have to cut a record." (Oy!)

All of which brings us to something called The Maori Merchant of Venice.

We discovered this unlikely gem when researching this post. It's a 2002 New Zealand film adaptation of Shakespeare's play in the Maori language, utilizing mostly Maori actors. The film recreates the costumes and settings of 16th century Venice.

Incredible as it seems, the picture got impressive reviews. Alas, it's not available here even on Netflix.

Fortunately, we'll aways have Venice in the winter.

For more winter trips, read our post on Paris at the holidays.

Black and white photo of Venice: Beetle

The Enlightened Traveler: New York Is Now The Meatball Capital

There's a store for everything in New York. Add meatballs to the list of Manhattan's specialty outlets.

The Meatball Shop will open on Wednesday in the Lower East Side, reports today's New York Times.

Choose from beef and spicy pork as well as chicken, vegetable, salmon and a weekly special. Sauce, cheese, starchy accompaniments and some vegetables round out the menu.

For dessert? Housemade ice cream squashed between freshly-baked cookies.

Prices start at about $3. Take the F train to Delancey Street, then take a number!

The Meatball Shop, 84 Stanton Street (Allen Street just below Houston), (212) 982-8895

You can make your own delicious meatballs at home.

Use a combination of meats, fresh (not dried) breadcrumbs, and don't overmix or handle the meat too much.

For a spicy twist, try Spaghetti and Meatballs All'Amatriciana, the cover recipe from the January 2010 issue of Bon Appetit magazine.

Photo of meatballs: New York Magazine

Gray = Timeless

We've always wanted a gray watch. We thought we were the only ones, until we saw this piece in Details magazine.

Now, these timepieces aren't cheap. The A. Lange & Sohne is a superb example of the watchmaking artistry. At $108,000, it should be.

The Piaget will set you back $18,300.

The least expensive, from the venerable American firm Hamilton, seems like a bargain at only $1,495. Sad to say, it's not as elegant as the others shown here.

We tried to find affordable gray watches. There just aren't many to be had.

One option: the Toy Watch Oversize Plasteramic at $225.

You might also like Movado's classic Museum Watch with gray face and dark gray sharkskin strap. It's $695 and available at amazon.com.

Things Not Available in the U.S.: Muji Houses Are Elegant, Simple, Affordable

A few years back, Muji – the Japanese chain that offers cleanly designed, inexpensive fashions, furnishings and home wares – started producing pre-fab houses.


The homes embody the company's holistic philosophy: conservation of natural resources, low prices, simplicity, anonymity, and an orientation toward nature without placing disproportionate emphasis on any one attribute.

Designed by Japanese architects, the homes are minimalistic, almost zen-like in appearance. Accordingly, they cost only about $200,000.

Contrast this with the $2.8 - $4.8 million price of the Daniel Libeskind pre-fab home we wrote about last year, and you can see the value the Muji homes represent.

While the Libeskind promises to erect his home anywhere in the world, Muji sells its home kits just in Japan.

If you're not planning to relocate to the Far East, you can get a taste of Muji style by visiting one of Muji's new stores in New York or throughout Europe.

If you want to see one of the Muji houses in person, there's a full-sized installation in Muji's main store in Tokyo.

One Historic Hollywood Restaurant Thrives. A New York Counterpart Quitely Fades Away

Los Angeles restaurants, even famous ones, come and go. The Brown Derby, Chasen’s, Mike Lyman’s, the Seven Seas, Fog Cutter, the Cock and Bull, Scandia, Nickodell’s, Perino's, Romanoff's – all were popular in their day and now are long gone.

We're still crazy about Musso & Frank after all these years

Not so for Musso & Frank Grill, a favored hangout for several generations of Hollywood power brokers and celebs. The fabled eatery, opened in 1919, is undergoing something of a regeneration, reports the Los Angeles Times.

While far short of a thorough overhaul, the changes include extended bar hours until 2:00AM on Friday and Saturday and an upgraded wine list.

In October, Jordan M. Jones, 29, a fourth-generation descendant of one of the early owners, assumed full control of the restaurant.

"All over nowadays you see new places trying to re-create history," Jones told the Times.

"They try to make them look old because that's something everybody appreciates and loves, even the younger generation. Vintage is cool. All these places are trying to re-create it, and we don't have to. We have it right here."

Charlie Chaplin, Rudolf Valentino, Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald and countless others routinely dined at Musso's.

Indeed, today's regulars, who include Johnny Depp and Keith Richards, don't want to see too many improvements made.

The restaurant interior – dark wooden booths with red upholstery – has remained largely untouched for nine decades. So has the menu. Let's hope they never do away with the flannel cakes, chiffonade salad, or roast beef hash.

We expect Musso to thrive another 90 years.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for New York's romantic Cafe des Artistes, which closed without fanfare in August.

It was an elegant hideaway for generations of musicians, Broadway performers, cabaret artists, and socialites.

“If ever a restaurant had fine, aristocratic bone structure it is Café des Artistes,” William Grimes wrote in a review of the restaurant for The New York Times in 2003.

Gone after 92 years!

“Diners have only to take one step inside, and the tumultuous New York world outside disappears in a flash, replaced by lush floral displays, flattering lighting and Howard Chandler Christy’s pastel murals of naked beauties prancing through romantic landscapes.”

The restaurant opened in 1917. Christy, one of the artists who lived in the apartment building above, the Hotel des Artistes, began painting the murals in 1934.

George Lang took over the W. 67th St. establishment in 1975. Now 85, he quietly decided not to reopen after his summer vacation.

The fate of the historic premises and famed murals is unknown.

Cafe des Artistes' website is still online, offering menus, history and photos. Musso and Frank Grill's website also provides a history through the decades. Click here to read the full report on Musso and Frank Grill in the Los Angeles Times.

The World Welcomes the New Decade

The Enlightened Traveler: What's On In Paris And Why You Should Spend The Holidays There

Are you planning a cozy Christmas holiday week at home with friends, family, lots of good food and movies? Or are you joining the legions who already have decided that the holidays are going to be no big deal this year?

Either way, you could do better.

We recommend heading straight for Paris, which, while magnificent at any time of year, seems most magical at Christmas.

(Hey, if it's too late for this year, there's always 2010. So, read on!)

By day you'll have your pick of dozens of wonderful museums and exhibits, sans the long lines and crowds of summer.

The Grand Palais is currently running an ambitious exhibit that explores the work and influences of Spanish cubist painter Pablo Picasso. Whether you're an expert on Picasso's work or are encountering it for the first time, "Picasso and the Masters" promises to give a solid overview of the artist's development and early influences, from Goya to Renoir and Manet.

The exhibit showcases some 200 works and should allow even those who are very well-versed in Picasso's creations to gain new perspective. Through February.

An exhibition devoted to Louis Comfort Tiffany is at the Musée du Luxembourg. This show brings together some 160 works (stained-glass windows, vases, lamps, objects, jewels and mosaics, drawings, watercolours and photographs), to reveal Tiffany’s outstanding contribution to the glass industry as well as to decorative arts in general. Through Jan. 17.

Other tantalizing exhibits on now include, "Renoir in the 20th Century" at the Galeries Nationales, "Venetian Rivalries: Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese" at the Louvre, and "Louis XIV: The Man and the King" at the Chateau de Versailles.

Plan to spend some quality shopping time at our favorite grand magasin, Au Bon Marché on the Left Bank. Even if your budget prevents you from loading up on designer duds, you will find affordable, memorable gifts in the store's La Grande Epicerie, a showstopping agglomeration of gourmet foods, sweets, and spirits.

Save some time to explore the charming boutiques – laden with gifts, tabletop items, and antiques – on the several streets that lead from Au Bon Marché through the Latin Quarter to the Seine.

A this time of year sometimes testy shopkeepers will be happy to see you. (In this economy, they'll be positively ecstatic.)

After an afternoon at the galleries, restore yourself with a cup of rich hot chocolate at one of the numerous patisseries to be found in every neighborhood. You'll enjoy it all the more in the crisp air of December than in the sweltering heat of July. If in doubt, head for the famous Ladurée or Angelina. (For more ideas, see David Lebovitz's Hot Chocolate Address Book.)

During Christmastime, Paris is breathtaking at night with dazzling light displays on the Champs-Elysées and other major thoroughfares.

Many fine restaurants and theatres remain open and welcoming throughout the holidays. Waiters normally are convivial, not brusque, owing to the season and absence of tourists.

Still, it may be difficult to find a place to dine on Christmas Eve or Christmas Night.

Our choice for Christmas eve: the famous patisserie Ladurée also operates an elegant restaurant with excellent food at their Champs-Elysées location.

We once chatted with a French couple seated next to us who boasted that they dine at Ladurée every Christmas Eve. Turns out the the husband is executive chef for Air France first class; he knows what he's talking about.

Sleep in on Christmas morning, then eat a hearty late lunch at your hotel and plan to skip dinner. Instead, reserve tickets to see the Nureyev staging of "Nutcracker" by the Paris Opera Ballet at Opera Bastille.

On another evening, see the company's new Ballets Russes de Dhiagilev program at the historic Palais Garnier, magnificently restored to its original splendor. The original choreography and stage settings for Spectre of the Rose, Afternoon of a Faun, Three-Cornered Hat, and Petroushka are on offer. Not to be missed!

At 4p.m. on Christmas afternoon, there's a free concert of organ and choral music at the Church of La Madeleine.

You'll also get a kick out of the Parisian version of the Broadway musical "The Lion King" at Théâtre Mogador. It's in French, of course, but that won't matter as you've already seen the show in the States, right?

Go for the enchantment, sheer spectacle, and fun of watching a French audience clap and stamp their feet in time with the music. As the show has been running for two years, it's likely to still be there next Christmas.

Looking for more amusement? How about outdoor ice skating until 10p.m. (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays) at the Hotel de Ville?

There's lots more to do in Paris at the holidays.

Even if you don't follow any of our suggestions, go anyway. Whatever you end up doing, you're sure to have the experience of a lifetime.

Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année à tous!

(For more Paris travel tips, click here.)

Make It A Double: Scotch You Don't – But Should – Know

David Wondrich, Esquire magazine's resident "cocktail historian," writes often and knowledgeably about Scotch.

By reading Wondrich regularly, you'll learn not only what to look for in a fine Scotch, but also what's in a Rusty Nail and why you shouldn't drink one.


Wondrich explores seven lesser known but impressive single-malt whiskeys in Esquire's November issue.

If you think there's more to life than Glenlivet, Glenfiddich and Johnny Walker, but don't know where to turn, Wondrich will introduce you to the likes of Old Pulteney, Ledaig, Auchentoshan, and four others worth seeking out.

Here's his full selection.

The Enlightened Traveler: Hermes On A Budget In Paris

Saturday's Wall St. Journal reported on the November 10 sale of vintage Hermes at the prestigious French auction house Artcurial.

Great deals on vintage Hermes in Paris. Top: Hydra bag $189. Bottom: Mephisto bag, $259. Below left: watch, $689

The paper states that the appetite for Hermes, whether vintage or new, has not at all been affected by the global economic downturn. Indeed, the auction netted a record of nearly $1.2 million for 631 lots, mostly bags and scarves but also including some unusual pieces such as a pair of garden pruners and a circa 1930 ladies watch that records golf scores.

While items from Vuitton, St. Laurent and other luxury labels are gathered into group auctions, Hermes is the only house to have its own twice-yearly sale.

The famous Birkin and Kelly bags were the top sellers with prices to match. Some crocodile and alligator models in exotic colors went for $25,000 - $50,000.

Still, there were bargains to be had. Many scarves sold in the $200 - $300 range.

You could have purchased a Kelly bag in natural pigskin for $4,677 or one in black leather for $2,598. A large Kelly in blue leather went for $2,079.

One lucky buyer snagged a small Kelly backpack for just $693.

If you schedule your next Paris visit to coincide with one of Artcurial’s Hermes auctions, you can skip Printemps and the other grands magasins altogether and return home with an affordable and prized vintage Hermes.

Getting a bargain won’t be the best part. When others compliment you on your good taste, you’ll get to tell them that you picked it up for a song at an auction on the Ave. Montaigne.

The full WSJ report is here.
Artcurial’s website is here.

The Fine Print: Louis Vuitton Suddenly Affordable

While it still will cost you to put a genuine Vuitton in your closet, you can display the new Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture on your coffee table for a mere $53.55, available at Amazon.com.

This hefty 400-page volume comprises the breadth of the great fashion house's collaborations over the past 30 years with artists, architects, designers, and photographers, such as Jun Aoki, Shigeru Ban, Zaha Hadid, David LaChapelle, Jean Larivière, Annie Leibovitz, Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Inez Van Lamsweerde, and Vinoodh Matadin.
From early collaborations such as Jacques-Henri Lartigue's Eiffel Tower-shaped suitcase back in 1978 the volume's glossy pages come stuffed with an unending stream of high profile partnerships.

There's a streamlined carbon fiber suitcase from Philippe Starck, conceptual art scarves from Sol LeWitt, and David la Chapelle’s Lil’ Kim tattooed with the LV monogram from 1999.

Vuitton's Murakamified store in Tokyo

Other work from the likes of Olafur Eliasson, with his unearthly tubular light installation from 2006; Vincent Dubourg and his aluminum encased travel trunk; and Vanessa Beecroft's 2005 body installation at the Petit Palais in Paris shows Vuitton’s creative outreach stretching beyond the realms of most other fashion houses.

Buy it now at Amazon.com

We also recommend:
Dior by Farid Chenoune

Tom Ford by Tom Ford

Ralph Lauren by Ralph Lauren, introduction by Audrey Hepburn

Yves Saint Laurent: 40 Years of Creation by Yves St. Laurent

Avedon Fashion 1944-2000 by Carol Squiers

Paris 1962: Yves Saint Laurent and Dior, Christian Dior, The Early Collections by Jerry Schatzberg

The Luxury Life Talks to Photography Expert Peter Fetterman About the State of the Market, Collecting, and What to Buy Next

"One of the wonderful things about photography is that it is still possible to build up a significant collection for relatively small sums of money, if you go about it in a smart way," says Peter Fetterman.

The impassioned collector turned dealer displays images in an intimate salon-style atmosphere at his popular Peter Fetterman Gallery, where visitors can see carefully curated shows by both master and lesser known photographers.

We spoke with the congenial Fetterman at his gallery in Santa Monica.

Peter Fetterman in his gallery. (Photo: Joe Pugliese)

What is the state of the photography market today?

I think classic photography is strong. Cutting edge art is in trouble.

Why?

There was so much hype. The buying was purely speculative. Kids were coming out of art schools that dealers grabbed and put extraordinary prices on untried work. These days are over.

This isn’t a bad thing, is it?

No it is good that a saner environment will now prevail. Hopefully real
artists – people with genuine, unique insight and original vision – will now
emerge instead of “wannabes” expecting to be treated like rock stars.

Which photographers are you talking about here?

I’m not naming names! We deal in a lot of blue chip, classic photography. A lot of the artists we work with are in their 80s and 90s. These people have spent 40-50 years practicing their craft.

What are people buying today?

Our clients are buying images that move them, that have a haunting quality that they can connect to.

Sebastiao Salgado, Dinka Cattle Camp, 2006

Who’s in vogue now?

We represent the foremost photo journalist in the world, Sebastiao Salgado… What he’s been working for the last 30-40 years is bringing people together. (He believes that) we in the first world can’t ignore the third world… The images have great humanity and great beauty; they’re inspirational and humbling at the same time.

Willy Ronis, Amoureux de la Bastille, Paris, 1957

Who should we be buying now?

Sadly, one of our great photographers died a few weeks ago, Willy Ronis. He was 99 years old and undervalued.

Next year MoMA in New York is doing a major Cartier-Bresson retrospective. He’s Rembrandt. I know that show is going to change the perception of him and also change his market.

So this would be a good time to be collecting Cartier-Bresson?

I think it’s a very good time, because I think he’s undervalued.

Explain!

If a Robert Frank is selling for $220,000 and a Cartier-Bresson is selling for $20,000… those prices seem to be out of sync. As a collector, you want to buy not only something that moves you… but also something that is somewhat undervalued.

Who else is undervalued?

I think Salgado is. I think Willy Ronis now is. Also Andre Kertesz and any of the master blue chip photographers.

My impression is that those are expensive, established names and already command high prices.

The prices, they are not as high as they’re going to go. As the contemporary market decompresses, people go back to the masters. The recent successful auctions have been the Old Master painters and classic Impressionists. People have been going back to those tried and true names. Everything else seems unstable. The hype that was going on about Chinese and Indian art!

Jeffrey Conley, Snow Covered Reflections, 2005

Great collectors always have an eye for new talent? Who should they be watching today?

Jeffrey Conley. My eye tells me that he is a master American photographer in the Ansel Adams tradition, but with his own originality and voice. This is the first young photographer we’ve taken on in many years. We’re putting a lot of time and energy to promote him. I believe in the work. I think it’s special… I’m not a landscape person, but I’m very moved by these images. I’m very inspired by them.

Lillian Bassman, for years no one ever heard of her. She was a contemporary of Irving Penn (who just died) and Richard Avedon. But because she was a woman in the 1950s bringing up her children, she wasn’t into her career as those guys were. Now she’s having a major renaissance. Fortunately, we’re a big part of that.

Lillian Bassman, Fantasy on the Dance Floor: Barbara Mullen, Paris, 1949. The ball gown is by Dior.

Tell us about your new show, "Faces of Fashion."

We’re doing a major show of fashion images. We’re also doing a one-woman show to celebrate Lillian Bassman’s new book.

Who else will be in the fashion show?

You’ll see great Irving Penns, great Horsts, a wonderful French photographer Georges Dambier, who was a photographer for French Elle in the 1950s. This will be his debut West-coast showing.

There will be a lot of beautiful surprises. Fashion photography as a genre seems to be one of the most expanding sectors of the market. When you pick up the newspapers in the morning, it’s depressing. So it’s great to look at these beautiful images.

How do you decide on whom to show in your gallery?

The question I ask myself before I write a check is, in 500 years time, will this image have any significance in the history of photography?

You have great confidence in your judgment, because you won’t be around to find out! Does the photography market mirror the art market in general?

The status of photography has changed; it’s no longer the poor relative.

What shows over the next year should we be looking for?

In April the Museum of Modern Art in New York is hosting the biggest Cartier-Bresson retrospective ever. Robert Frank’s The Americans has just opened at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Those will be two significant, great shows.

What is your favorite luxury item? What items give you the greatest pleasure?

I’m not materialistic. I’m not interested in cars. I value peace of mind, serenity, clean air and being away from the computer!

"Faces of Fashion" is on view through February at Peter Fetterman Gallery, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. Call (310) 453-6463 for exhibition hours.

For an appreciation of Irving Penn, who died earlier this week at the age of 92, please click here.

This Just In! The Cool, New Must-Have Gadget Everyone Will Want This Holiday Season

Anyone can watch a movie on a television set. Big deal!

The lucky few soon will be able to watch movies and videos on any wall, anywhere with the aid of a 6 oz. device that is small enough to fit in your hand but powerful enough to project a crisp 60 in. image from eight feet away.

We're talking about the amazing Wowee Cinemin Swivel microprojector.What's a microprojector? These pocket-sized gadgets take video from an iPhone, iPod, DVD player (including portables), video camera (including the Flip) and laptop computer and play it on any surface, indoors or out.

The New York Times called them "the newest blow-away-your-friends devices."

We call them the perfect cool gift for your clients, business associates, cast friends, and family this holiday season.

Here's what New York Times tech reporter Bob Tedeschi had to say about the Wowee Cinemin Swivel:

In short, this is easily the coolest new thing I’ve seen since the iPhone...

The Swivel came in handy on a sweltering afternoon last week, when we retreated to my son’s air-conditioned bedroom, connected my iPhone to the Cinemin Swivel, and voilà! An instant big-screen matinee of “Cars.”

Score big points for the Swivel’s simplicity...

Battery life was just enough. On a full charge, the Swivel lasts about two hours and 15 minutes, but when our unit started to fade on an incompletely charged battery, we just plugged it in and cruised through the end...

The Swivel has an audio jack for connecting the device to external speakers. [It also has a small built-inspeaker.] We plugged in a lightweight speaker, and at full volume the experience was amazing — a portable big-screen movie with big sound to match.

Luxury campers, I know what you’re thinking. How will this setup work if you have no power outlets to plug in your speakers? Simple. Newer audio devices like the JBL On Tour XTB feature very good speakers, and they work on batteries or AC power... Purely battery-powered speakers like the Nokia MD-8 are easily loud enough for the task.

Another nice feature: the Swivel’s hinged design means you can flip the business end of the device upward, and the video plays on your ceiling.

As we said before, this is very cool. See for yourself:


At $349.99, this clever gadget is already often sold out on Cinemin's website and will continue to be in short supply through the holidays.

Please call us now at (310) 581-6710 to make sure that we set aside several for you in time for holiday gifting.

Do You Know M0851?

Fashionistas who appreciate quality construction and design that stands the test of time know M0851, and you should, too.

Their fabulous leather bags, clothing, and small accessories will take you from morning through evening and around the globe in timeless style.

Constructed of the fashion house's signature soft, supple analine leathers from Italy, these items are simply gorgeous. Every one of the minimalistic, functional designs is handcrafted at M0851's workshops in Montreal.

(Did you know that some very well known brands of leather goods are manufactured in China? Not so with M0851.)

We've been big fans of M0851 since we shopped at their Toronto store in the early 1990s. In those days, the company was known as Rugby North and had shops only in Montreal and Toronto.

Since that time, they've opened attractive boutiques in New York, Paris, and trendy Antwerp, home to avant-garde designers Dries van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester.

You'll find a small selection of their leather goods at chic shops, such as Fred Segal in Hollywood.

Sure you can buy a bag that is more famous and costs a lot more. But do you want to be known for your $2,000 bag of the moment, or do you want to be recognized for your sense of effortless, sophisticated style?

You'll feel very pleased with yourself if you choose the latter.

Here are two of our favorite M0851 designs.

For women,
the Round Bag

This large bag (shown here and on the model, above) has a slouchy, half moon shape and ample room for many items. Equipped with an interior zippered compartment and three patch pockets, it closes with a zipper and has a wide, adjustable strap.

Made from buttery soft leather, it has a luxurious silky, padded interior.

Available in black, brown, gray. $350

For both men and women, the Large Weekend Bag

Rectangular in shape, this handsome bag opens to reveal a roomy interior that will hold a weekend's worth of clothes and gear.

Centered handles and a comfortable, large adjustable strap.

Available in black or brown soft leather. $595

Accessories perfect for business gifting

M0851 also makes wonderful computer cases, passport covers, travel wallets, document carriers, jotters, and many other small items – all from their signature soft leather.

Your valued clients and business associates will love you if you give them one.

We can have them made to order for you in a variety of colors – not just black and brown, but also navy, off-white, turquoise, gray, and more.

We can also have them embossed with your logo, if desired. Quantities start at 10-15, depending on the item selected.

For holiday gifting, please call us now at (310) 581-6710 to discuss your custom order.