KRISTOPHER DUKES .com » Gifts

Nomade Exquis Jewelry

Kristopher — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:26:56 +0000

Wanting

Nomade Exquis is a collection of fingerprint-unique, vintage jewelry curated by Mo Clancy. Nomade Exquis’s beginnings are as organic as the jewelry vibes: a former trendcaster, Mo started collecting the antique jewelry out of a passion for modernist, brutalist, and biomorphic pieces from the 1950-1970s .

Mo charmed me at lunch months ago. She shared that one of the artists behind Nomade Exquis’s collection used such harsh methods to create his brutalist jewelry that only deaf people could be employed at his factory…

Unscented Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps K Is…

Kristopher — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:11:51 +0000

Wanting: Dr. Bronner’s Body Balm

I love Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps — on the inside they’re eco-friendly, on the outside their seemingly minimalist packaging is a soap box for Dr. Bronner, a master soap maker who escaped a mental institution. But the best part? Dr. Bronner makes un-perfumed products, like this organic body balm…

Using: Dr. Bronner’s Unscented Soap

So choice — Dr. Bronner’s Baby-Mild Soap is gentle but thorough, and comes unscented. I shampoo my body and hair with it, so I smell like my perfume — L’artisan Parfumeur Tubereuse — and not a stew of beauty products…

Hating: Dr. Bronner’s Organic Hair Care

Dr. Bronner’s organic conditioner comes in peppermint, citrus, and lavendar, oh my. So why the hate? Dr. Bronner’s Conditioner doesn’t come unscented. And I’m so close to an unscented shower experience, littered with “all-god-in-one” packaging…

Latest Luxe Links

Kristopher — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:32:52 +0000

Named the Dead Man Walking Cane, it is a cane of Hawaiian hardwood with a silver skull that sparkles with 3.9 carat sapphire eyes and a total of 28 karats of diamonds.

Runway To Retail checks out the new lineup for the fashion week held in the Caribbean in Islands of the World Fashion Week 2009!

Rachel Roy’s latest collection takes inspiration from an unlikely source, scuba gear.

Robot brain jumps bodies to do human bidding and Domesticblog is wanting this new fleet of Butler and servant robots!

Summersent Parfum is the most heavenly scent Factio Magazine has smelled in a bottle accented with hand-applied Swarovski crystals.

Lapàporter iPhone Sleeves K Is…

Kristopher — Fri, 01 May 2009 15:51:31 +0000

Wanting.

I’ve never been into iPhone condoms — the sex appeal of the iPhone is its sophisticated simplicity — I like it raw. But then I saw these Lapàporter iPhone sleeves, which echo the elegance of the economy of the super-smart phone’s design: a simple sliver of skin becomes extra choice as the shape highlights a rich python…

Using.

I love that Bottega-like basketweave. Bags are a last resort for me, so this Lapàporter iPhone sleeve is great — I can slip a credit card in here for a quickie. Errand…

Hating.

We just chatted about how choice rich minimalism is, and here’s a useless bow…

L’Artisan Parfumeur K Is…

Kristopher — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:40:55 +0000

Wanting.

I wish L’Artisan Parfumeur made a tubereuse candle–then I’d stop spritzing my bedroom and pillows with their perfume, turning L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Tubereuse into the world’s most expensive alternative to Febreze…

Wearing.

L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Tubereuse is my daily. It’s feminine without being girly, distinct without being distracting — it’s one of those scents that’ll make people tell you that you smell good, not wonder what you’re wearing. I like to spray it in front of me, and walk into its cloud after I shower…

Hating.

So L’Artisan Parfumeur for Bottega is a good coupling: both are quiet luxury based on craftsmanship. I’m just over Big Brand for Big Brand deals…

Web Snob Links: ‘Cause You’re a Snob Offline, Too

Kristopher — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:20:57 +0000

Stiletto Jungle shops for Jennifer Aniston’s new slim bootcut jeans.
All Lacquered Up is swooning over Chanel’s lastest lacquer creation Cosmic Violine.
Allie is Wired has the pics from the Vanity Fair Most Beautiful Woman photo shoot.
Bag Bliss has found the perfect gym bag, by Stella McCartney.
Tod’s new Helmut in purple python is coveted by Gwyneth Paltrow and the Bag Snobs.
Beauty Snob is giving away fabulous eco-chic beauty packages from REN in honor of Earth Day.
Jellies get the luxe treatment and Coquette picks her favorites.
Fashion Pulse is smitten with the latest top 5 trends that have earned a earned a permanent spot our closets.
Shopping and Info checks out which celeb leads the denim trends.
StyleBakery is saving money this season with multitasking beauty products.
Stylehive loves Alexa Chung’s style, and would totally settle for being her slightly less cool friend.
The Beauty Stop explains how to make DIY colored mascara.
Recessionista FAB! TheMakeupGirl tells you how to get a fly haircut or spa service for cheap at a Aveda Institute near you!
To celebrate our fabulous redesign, The Shoe Goddess is giving away a $200 Barneys gift card!

Fragrance Spheres K Is…

Kristopher — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:25:27 +0000

Wanting.

I spritz some L’Artisan Parfumeur into the air and walk into it right after showering, at the start of every day (mhmm, sometimes as early as 10 a.m.). Most flowery fragrance is a light, girly giggle; L’Artisan Parfumeur is a low, powerful purr. I wonder if L’Artisan Parfumeur’s frangrance sphere make your space vibe the same…

Using.

Chesapeake Bay Candle sent me their latest fragrance sphere, a minimalist ceramic globe that flavors your air with cedar, sandalwood, and fig. I tucked it into the the corner of my powder room — the scent is subtle, and the fragrance sphere is less obvious than a spindly reed diffuser…

Hating.

Even if this fragrance sphere made my bathroom smell like Giselle’s panties I’d pass…

Alstermo Bruk Luggage K Is…

Kristopher — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:46:03 +0000

Wanting.

I love that sapphire blue of this Alstermo Bruk attache. Only issue? It’s basically a box lined in linen, so I’m not sure how my MacBook would do in there…

Using.

I finally got my Alstermo Bruk cabin case. Alstermo Bruk began before Globe Trotter luxury luggage and it’s got the same vibe, for a third of the price: handcrafted, ultra-light elegance. Alstermo Bruk’s AMO-fiber^®, the patented material their luggage is made out of, is better than I thought: it’s got a subtle, snakeskinny texture…

Hating.

Cute briefcase, but Alstermo Bruk’s best work is in their AMO-fiber^®…

Alstermo Bruk K Is…

Kristopher — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 15:31:57 +0000

Wanting.

Alstermo Bruk handmakes luggage like luxury travel gear Globe Trotter — for less than half the price. Alstermo Bruk is hardly a knock-off, though: the Swedish company has been making their patented gear since 1804 (that’s 93 years pre-Globe Trotter, and 200+ years pre-Globe Trotter at J Crew)….

Using.

Perfect for stashing makeup on the bathroom counter…

Hating.

Alstermo Bruk’s appeal is in their function-meets-form elegance, not a nutty pattern…

Carl Mertens Table Top Fireplaces K Is…

Kristopher — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 04:42:17 +0000