The Modern Materialist : expensive

It's Got Legs, It Knows How To Use Them

Alex Zalben — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:03:00 GMT

This cabinet is like legos for adults. Not only can you customize the color. Not only can you customize the glass top color. Not only can you choose how many modules you want. But you get a virtually unlimited supply of legs you can snap in and out of the cabinet, so it never looks the same twice.

Also, it comes with a build-your-own Hoth playset.

Kidding.

[$4950, The Future Perfect]

[Via BLTD]

World's Most Expensive Crayon Rabbit

Alex Zalben — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:06:00 GMT

Now, don't get me wrong... This rabbit sculpture built entirely out of crayons is no small feat. I certainly couldn't build a giant bunny out of crayolas. I couldn't even build a regular size bunny out of 'em.

But is it really worth this much:

[$12000, Vivre]

[Via BLTD]

World's Most Expensive Clock

Alex Zalben — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:01:00 GMT

Above is Jaquet Droz's La Machine à Ecrire le Temps, a machine that has taken over ten years to build, and has thousands of moving parts. For those of you who speak French, you already know what it does. For everybody else, the machine does one thing, and one thing only: writes the time.

That's it. When activated, the piece writes the time in hours and minutes, and then spits it out for you. And how much would you expect to pay for this marvel of technology?

How about $342,275? Because that's how much one of these babies costs.

Here's a tip: there's a guy hanging out on 42nd and 5th who has some cheap knock-off La Machine à Ecrire le Temps for sale between 12 and 2pm every day. They only write the hour, but they're about half the price. Tell him Zalben sent you, and you'll get a good deal.

[Via Born Rich]

The World's Most Expensive Cupcake

Alex Zalben — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 17:34:00 GMT

How much would you pay for the above cupcake? $5? $100? $2000? How about:

$30,000. No, that's not a mistype. This cupcake... Wait, let me pause there, and emphasize that word: cupcake. This cupcake costs $30,000. Seriously.

Created by Mervis Diamond Importers, the cupcake is festooned with eight ideal cut round brilliant diamonds around its circumference, and a two carat Asscher cut diamond in the center.

It is said that whoever takes a bite of this cupcake, is a fucking moron. Hey, I didn't say it, it was some oracle or something.

[Via Born Rich]

World's Most Expensive Log

Alex Zalben — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:35:00 GMT

It's log, it's log. It's big, it's heavy, it's... Gold? Oh, and it costs way too much for a log:

[$450, Jayson Home and Garden]

[Via BLTD]

Meet The Bling-kini

Alex Zalben — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:57:00 GMT

Oh god, here we go again. Can you guess how much this swimsuit, nicknamed the Blingkini costs, and why?

Shocker: it's covered in Swarovski crystals, and costs £2,000. Sigh.

[Via DailyMail]

Happy Hour: World's Most Expensive Beer?

Alex Zalben — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:00:00 GMT

Is this the most expensive beer in the world? At $367 a bottle, it ain't cheap. Carlsberg'd Vintage No. 2 is limited to 600 bottles, and is aged for 100 days in French oak casks.

Which is nice and all, but again, I ask... Is this most expensive? Here's another option:

The other night, I was at Draft Barn in Park Slope, which has a few bottles of Sam Adams Utopias. Utopias is beer aged for about two years, until it reaches 27% alcohol by volume. Sam Adams releases a different, limited vintage every year, and they always quickly sell out.

As for price, Draft Barn was selling shots for $20 each, or the whole bottle for $400. And it looks like we have a new winner, except... Sam Adams usually sells the bottles for $100. So while the bottle that Draft Barn has is the most expensive, the beer itself isn't the most expensive.

Anyway, without belabouring this any further, I'd guess that out there, there's an even more expensive bottle of beer. $400 just seems like too low of a ceiling, doesn't it?

[Via The Moodie Report]

A Bright Idea For Your Old Toys

Alex Zalben — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:27:00 GMT

What to do with all your childhood toys? Donate them to a worthy cause? Throw them out? Or maybe you should just jam them all together, cover them in gold, and make a lamp out of them? Yeah, that's the ticket:

Each piece is made to order with recycled toys. No price marked, but with the six week lead time, it's not going to be cheap.

[Ryan McElhinney]

[Via Kostas Voyatzis]

Happy Hour: World's Most Expensive Champagne

Alex Zalben — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 21:04:00 GMT

Nope, nothing phallic about that picture at all. Not one bit.

Anyway, for those of you who are interested in what this champagne is, and why it's so expensive, Diadema Diamante is a champagne which would cost a pretty penny regardless of its label. However, it is the label that jacks up the price:

- The "regular" version comes in a 4 karat bottle emblazoned with 134 diamonds. That costs $10,506.

- The "magnum" version includes 180 diamonds, and is packed in wooden boxes lined with black leather, sewn with silver thread. Now only $15,757!

What economic downturn?

[Diadema]

[Via Born Rich]

World's Most Expensive Vacuum

Alex Zalben — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:01:00 GMT

I think I'm starting to reach my Swarovski overload level again. This... Thing... Isn't even well done, honestly. It looks like the crystals were stuck on there with a glue stick. Anyway, you know how this works. Guess how much it is. Nope, higher:

[£13,825, Pocket-Lint]

World's Most Expensive Nintendo Wii

Alex Zalben — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 18:27:00 GMT

Sure the Wii ain't cheap as it is, but you're never going to guess why the one below costs $4000:

It's covered in Swarovski crystals! Oh, you did guess? Because the only way of making something stupidly pricey is to slather on the Swarovski? Sigh.

[$4000, eBay]

[Via Gearfuse]

World's Most Expensive CD

Alex Zalben — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:25:00 GMT

In these tough economic times, should anyone be making the world's most expensive anything? Probably not, but that didn't stop Universal Music from making "Woman, Sweet 10 Diamonds," the world's most expensive CD. The CD itself contains eighteen songs by female vocalists.

Hey, guess how much it costs (and no, it's not $9.99 on iTunes):

[$100000, Nagahori]

[Via Born Rich]

World's Most Expensive Toilet

Alex Zalben — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:31:00 GMT

Nope, not this one. This one:

Yup. Swarovski encrusted toilet. Sweet. I hate everyone.

[$75000, Jemal Wright]

[Via Curbly]

Most Expensive Bike in the World. I Wonder Why. . .

Shaun Seneviratne — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 19:03:00 GMT

Can anyone guess why this bike may be one of the most expensive bikes in the world? I'll give you a hint-- it's not because it's a fixed gear. . .

Nearly every part of the bike is 24k gold plated. But wait, that's not all! You'll also get 600 Swarovski crystals!

As ridiculous as this is, it isn't so ugly. If you're some mega-rich bike fanatic, this could look nice in one of your many living rooms.

[80,000 Euros (Approx. $100,576), Aurumania]

[Via High Snobiety]

The Most Expensive Chair in the World? Quite Possibly

Shaun Seneviratne — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:24:00 GMT

$1,000? Nope. $50,000? More. $100,000? Eh, Keep going. $1 million? Higher.

Ladies and gents, this chair sold for. . .

$28 million dollars! Apparently some people buy chairs that cost more than some mansions. This chair belonged to designer Yves Saint Laurent and is dated to the early 1900s. Wowza.

[Via Curbly]

You Look Like A Million Dollars

Alex Zalben — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 15:02:00 GMT

Want to wake up, look in the mirror, and say, "Hey, I look like a million dollars!" Well, this might help:

Granted, it's just a solid gold rendition of your face; and it doesn't cost a million dollars (customized busts start at $71050); and sure, the economy is busted so you really can't afford solid gold versions of yourself anymore; but come on, it's awesome, right? I mean, this one has a crystal iPod in it. If that doesn't say classy, I don't know what does.

[You Look Like a Million Dollars]

[Via Born Rich]

World's Most Expensive Deck of Cards

Alex Zalben — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:25:00 GMT

How much would you pay for a Louis Vuitton deck of cards? $5? $10? $50? How about...

$105? Granted, you are getting three decks, and a case, but someone should tell Louis that cards are usually, er, free.

[$105, eLuxury]

[Via Stylefrizz]

Shirt Of The Day Xtra: World's Most Expensive Shirt

Alex Zalben — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:03:00 GMT

And now, a Shirt of the Day special report: pictured above is what is probably the world's most expensive T-shirt, and guess what? It has no Swarovski crystals on it. In fact, can you guess why this shirt is so expensive?

There's no reason, it just is. And not only that, it's $630 more to get it in black. Hilarious?

[$2695, Zazzle]

[Via CoolBuzz]

Legno Turntable

Shaun Seneviratne — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:33:00 GMT

Man. Buying this Legno Turntable made out of bamboo would make me quite the yuppie sonnuvabitch. I don't think I'd ever be able to listen to my vinyl on here with any semblance of punk rock credibility. Regardless, this turntable is effin gorgeous!

[$13,240, Montegrio]

[Via DVICE]

Hold Me Closer, Tiny DJ

Laureen Mahler — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:28:00 GMT

Today CES takes over Vegas with gads of fancy gadgets, gizmos, and all the latest in mind-baffling technology. It's the future, and while it seems that the robots have not taken over yet, there's still some pretty neat stuff to check out. For example, the streamlined-loving future takes something like this...

and turns it into...

[$875, Pacemaker]

...the tiniest DJ known to humankind!

Half Mp3 player, half disc jockey on crack, the Pacemaker mixes, crossfades, loops, detects beats, recommends playlists, finds you a girlfriend, cleans your house, and empties your bank account!

Isn't the future amazing?

World's Most Expensive, Shatterproof Speakers

Alex Zalben — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:33:00 GMT

There's probably at least one word that seems out of place in the title of this post. We've seen expensive speakers and things before, but shatterproof? Why's that important? Well, if you're spending as much money as you will be on these speakers, you'll want them to be shatterproof once you hear this:

They're made of glass. In fact,t hat's what makes them so expensive: the heat resistant, shatterproof glass cones. Personally, I'd also wonder if they're scratch proof, but that's just me being a stinker.

[$167500, Hario]

[Via Born Rich]

Yeah, And I've Got a Tunnel In London To Sell You

Alex Zalben — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 17:02:00 GMT

Hey, want to own a mile of tunnels underneath London? Then you'll want to check this out:

BT Group has put up more than a mile of secret, interconnected tunnels and rooms for sale. The tunnels include a bar, two canteens, a billiard room, and working water and electricty. Originally built as a bomb shelter capable of holding 8000 people, the tunnels are being sold after years of lying unused.

Sure it'll set you back $7.4million, but it's better than buying that bridge in Brooklyn.

[Via NYTimes]

World's Most Expensive Umbrella

Alex Zalben — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 17:31:00 GMT

You're going to be shocked when you find out that the world's most expensive umbrella is NOT encrusted with Swarovski Crystals. It's expensive because of this:

It's made entirely of black top-grade crocodile skin treated for water resistance. That's it. Its also bigger than a regular umbrella, but it's the corocdile skin that makes it so pricey. The umbrella is only available by special order from Billionaire Couture's new London flagship store.

[Via Born Rich]

On The Case [NSFWish]

Alex Zalben — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:27:00 GMT

Can you guess what this is for? It's a...

...condom case. For only $50, you too can hold one condom in your pocket. Awesome.

[$50, Alessi]

[Via TrendHunter]

World's Most Expensive Segway (Guess Why?)

Alex Zalben — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 23:00:00 GMT

You get one guess why this Segway costs so much money. Did you figure it out?

Yup. The Titanium Diamond Segway i2 encrusted with 1001 Swarovski crystals. You know what? Unless it's something really, really cool (or ridiculous), I'm done posting Swarovski encrusted items. The end.

This Segway is pretty hilarious, though.

[Via Born Rich]

Holiday Tip: World's Most Expensive Stocking

Alex Zalben — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:05:00 GMT

You are going to be shocked - shocked, I say - when I tell you why this stocking costs so much money:

It's covered in Swarovski crystals!!!

What do you mean, "I knew that?"

[$3500, Vivre]

[Via TrendHunter]

Treat Yourself to a Priceless Book

Alex Zalben — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:28:00 GMT

Now that we're no longer stupid as a nation, why not start reading books again (you know, instead of just the backs of cereal boxes?) And if you are going to read, why not make it one of the most classic, and most expensive books ever made:

AbeBooks in the UK has original editions of everything from The Sun Also Rises, to Jane Eyre, to On The Origin of the Species. You may only be able to buy one, but man, that is going to be one great beach read.

[£60000-£2541321, AbeBooks]

Cave For Sale

Alex Zalben — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 21:34:00 GMT

You know the expression, "What cave have you been living in?" Well, get ready to answer that question, "Mystic Caverns:"

Mystic Caverns (in the Ozark Mountains) is being auctioned off by owner Steve Rush. The bidding starts at $899,900, cut from Rush's original asking price of $1.2 million.

[$900000, Mystic Caverns]

Shirt of The Day: Most Expensive Mario Shirt Ever

Alex Zalben — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 19:24:00 GMT

Sure, this is a cute shirt of an ape sleeping on Mario's head. But you'll never guess how much this cotton, normally printed shirt costs:

[$175, Cliff Edge]

[Via Kotaku]

World's Most Expensive Moisturizer

Alex Zalben — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:06:00 GMT

Hey, want to guess why this is the world's most expensive moisturizer? It ain't the pretty bottle:

La Prairie's Skin Cream is made with Platinum. Yup. The metal.

[$1000, Shop La Prairie]

[Via Stylephile]