They say you can never be too thin or too rich, but belt-tightening is sending a cold chill through Wall Street that could well spread to Main Street and beyond, according to various reports.

Luxury stocks may be taking a hit, but the recession hits home hardest for employees facing layoffs at Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and many other financial institutions that occupy Wall Street.  If not facing unemployment, these and other employees and executives may be facing furloughs, salary reductions, slashed year-end bonuses along with uncertain financial footing.

That fear and uncertainty will surely cause many to trim traveling plans, modify shopping habits, and pay less attention to the $65 billion luxury retail market in the United States–and Reuters reports that New York alone spends a third of that on luxury goods, restaurants, travel and automobiles.  Of course,  the ripple will also be strongly felt in the luxury real estate market where demand for $2 million-and-up apartments has already softened in favor of those under a million.

CNBC reports relates the story of one bank executive who, fearing the possibility of a layoff, has very modest spending plans for any bonus he might receive this year, Meanwhile the Occupy Wall Street movement has put a damper on spending. According to Reuters:

Even those who are still getting big bonuses may hesitate to flaunt their wealth in New York this year given the Occupy Wall Street protests have been growing from a camp set up near the New York Stock Exchange. A number of finance industry leaders have said they understand the anger of the protesters, many of whom are concerned about a lack of jobs and growing income inequality.

Will the luxury gloom spread elsewhere in the United States? We’re watching it closely–and the shopping statistics should tell us much in the next two months.

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I love the genius behind Dyson engineering and products.

Instead of thinking outside the box, these air gurus study the box very closely and re-engineer it into device that works better than its predecessors.We love the Dyson vacuums and find them intuitively simple to use.  They are also nearly indestructible.  The Dyson wizards have also invented a hand dryer that really works–with air that travels in the neighborhood of 400 mph.

A tip of the top hat to Paul Taylor with the Financial TImes, who released this story whereby inventor James Dyson claims his bladeless fan–or the Dyson Air Multiplier,  works by forcing a jetstrem of air out of a narrow circular slit and then over an aerofoil-shaped blade, and is proving to be at least as efficient as its bladed counterpart, while reportedly being more comfortable and much safer.

The Dyson fan is controlled with a remote slider, which allows for more precise air flor. The cost ranges from a hefty $300 for the 10-inch model and $330 for the more powerful 12-inch air multiplier.

The fan, or air multliplier, is reportedly and currently available at select specialty stores in the US–and will hopefully soon be available on the Dyson site as well as Amazon.

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by Roberta Murphy

Last month, I attended Inman Connect in San Francisco, where one of the speakers onstage at the Palace Hotel tried to pull something up on his new 3G Apple i-Phone, but had no service.

Frustrated, he lamented AT&T’s poor coverage and compared the i-Phone to a Lambborghini running on a VW engine–and I joined the audience applause.

Why Apple tied its flagship phone to a carrier with such spotty coverage
(unless you are traveling abroad) escapes me. I can’t even reach a close friend just 3 miles away in Carlsbad, CA on her AT&T cell because it is outside its coverage area.

I love Apple and its products. This article is being written on an i-Mac and I lust after the 3G i-Phone, but stick with Verizon for cell service because of its unbeatable coverage. Being out of range for calls just doesn’t work well for a San Diego Realtor.

It’s a painful choice: Go with Apple and suffer AT&T’s spotty coverage areas, or stick with Verizon and my trusted Blackberry and not have to worry about lack of service?

For professional reasons, there is no alternative but to stay with Verizon–but there may be hope on the horizon–or at least by the third quarter of this year. Research in Motion (RIMM) is coming out with the new Thunder Blackberry that will be carried exclusively by Verizon and Vodaphone.

With just four clicking keys, this black beauty will run on 3G EV-DO Rev. C as well as GSM HSPA for international use. This will apparently allow the Blackberry Thunder to operate in any country with 3G or better internet access. There are rumors that the Thunder may even be faster than the i-Phone for downloads.

Where there’s thunder, there’s lightning–and there may be some fireworks in the telecom biz to watch at year’s end. If Research in Motion’s Blackberry Thunder is as slick as I think it is, we’ll probably contract with Verizon for another two years.

This article also appeared on another blog for which I write: Technology Undressed.

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This futuristic clock doesn’t necessarily belong in the luxury home discussion, but it certainly provides some interesting global details:

• Abortions are far more prevalent than marriages.
• There are more divorcecs than HIV infections.
• Bicycle production still far exceeds auto production.
• Bicycle production also outpasses the manufacture of computers.
• Respiratory disease is far more prevalent than STD/HIV and AIDS.
• Suicides are more common than violent deaths.
• And in the time it takes to leisurely sigh, 8 more people will have joined the human race.

Check it out: World Clock

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Much has been written and said about Microsoft’s new surface computing technology.

It is the WOW technology of the year. Sooner than many of us thought possible, this technology will first become a defining feature in luxury homes, and as adoption increases and prices drop, it will likely appear as a builder option in many tract subdivisions.

Imagine interactive coffee tables that wirelessly download photos from your digital camera. Or how about kitchen counters that come to life with not only recipes and schedules–but may also allow you to order groceries, pizzas or Chinese carry-out and pay for it all by laying your credit card on the counter.

Expect to see early adoption of this technology not in luxury homes, but in bars and restaurants.

The possibilities will stagger the imagination.

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Leave it to Italian designers to create the ultimate in luxury rocks for exterior lightscaping.

These remarkable lighted rocks by Oluce look as if they might have been swiped from the lawn of a distant planet. In reality, though, they were created by Italian designers Marta Laudani and Marco Romanelli with Massimo Noceto. Made from weather-tested polyethelene, these lighted Oluce stones glow with the aid of a screw-in fluorescent bulb.

Dont expect to find these luxe rocks in your local hardware or lighting store though. They are available by special order and then only in œlarge quantities whatever that means. The good news? The price has just been reduced from $513.50 to just $316.00 each. Such a deal!

I hope to seem some of these luminous beauties in San Diego’s luxury homes before too long.

For additional information, you may call ylighting at 866.428.9289 (This is an unpaid, unexpected and unsolicited commercial)

I wonder if these lighted rocks would attract bugs???

Other fun and imaginative luxuries for the luxury home:

D. Porthault Sheets and Linens

The Luxury Blingdex

The Intuitive Luxury Home

As well as other recent luxury reads:

The Snoring Room
The Self Service Spa (Do it at home?)
Long-Lasting Roses
Induction-Cooktop for the Luxury Kitchen
Ultimate Phone for the Luxury Bath
How to Hide the Bedroom TV
Switchable Mirror Glass Windows
SONOS: The Ultimate Sound System
Haute Refrigerators for Cool Kitchens?
The Overflowing Infinity Tub
Wine Storage for Oenophiles
The Illuminated Bathtub

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Luxury is booming and Wall Street is keeping a keen eye on how the rich are spending their wealth. And what better way to measure that hedonism than by creating a variety of indexes that track the shopping of the ultra-rich? The demand for four-figure handbags, five-figure baubles, six-figure cars, luxury resorts and travel, insurable art and heady wines has created a new and trackable economy for the very wealthy.

What intrigues investors is how well the carriage trade merchants are faring. This is mostly due to the fact that the rich are getting richer and their numbers on a global basis are growing along with their spending habits. A look at some of these uber-wealth tracking indexes reveals more than a little about the favored products and shopping stops of the rich. For example, sales at Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys New York are increasing at twice the level of the retail sector as a whole. Some of the indexes and the luxury companies they track include:

• Merrill Lynch tracks a basket of companies including BMW, Porsche, Bulgari, Coach, Tiffany Jewelers, auctioneer Sothebys and the private banking firm Julius Baer. The performance? Up 23 percent in 2005 and 12.5 percent in 2006. This compares to the respective 14 and 7 percent for global consumer stock during the same periods.
• Citibanks Plutonomy Index tracks world spending of the worlds growing class of plutocrats. This index mirrors much of Merrills, but also includes Japans highly regarded Shinwa Art Auction and Hong Kongs Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. We might call this one the œruler of wealth.
• Deutsche Borse introduced its own World Luxury Index earlier this year. It tracks Bulgari, Sothebys, Hermes International and requires that the companies it tracks generate at least 50 percent of its income from luxury spending.

What is the appeal of these indexes? Some surmise that those who cant afford the lifestyle of the ultra-wealthy can still be œin the money by investing in so-called luxury stocks. Finding true luxury stocks can be a difficult task, though. Many of these high end brands are now part of larger conglomerates. And because publicly-traded pure luxe companies are becoming so rare, many of the indexes are including brands such as Nike, Puma, Gap Stores, Harley Davidson and other popular products in their mix.

The reason for this interest is obvious. The rich are getting richer and are far more numerous. The number of millionaires in the US has more than doubled since 1995 and total wealth held by the top 1 percent has increased by more than 50 percent since 1998 (much due to real estate appreciation, Im sure). It should come as no surprise that luxury spending has kept pace with the soaring incomes and wealth at the top rung of of the economic ladder. And according to a Citigroup study, the top 20 percent of American earners are responsible for between 37 and 70 percent of total consumption.

And what is fueling this consumption? Its the desire to have the finest in homes, travel, dining, dress, art and social connections, according to Margaret Mager with Goldman Sachs High-End Consumer Index. œToday the good life is defines by the assets you have, she said.

Tip of the top hat to Robert Frank and The Wall Street Journal Wealth Report

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I have staked out early mornings as time for myself.

No real estate clients, no family, no phones, no intrusions. That slice of time belongs to me. Six mornings a week, in the cool, quiet hours before dawn, I arise, shower and head down the hill to the La Costa Resort and Spa for an hour or so of yoga and meditation. It is more than the ritual; it is the place.

Behind La Costas gated entry is the healing and energizing haven that has become dear to my heart: The Chopra Center. Seven days a week, the center holds early morning yoga and meditiation classes that are also repeated as evening classes certain days of the week.

In addition to a menu of treatments, the center also dedicates about three weeks of each month to their Perfect Health program. Designed by Deepak Chopra MD and David Simon, MD, this weeklong program is keyed to individual needs and includes:

• Primordial Sound Meditation
• Daily yoga classes
• Daily Group Meditation
• Customized Ayurvedic massage treatments
• Nutritional plans and guidance
• Panchakarma Detox and cleansing therapies
• Mind-Body medical consultation
• To to rest, rejuvenate and be a friend to your Self.

I have had the opportunity to meet a number of Perfect Health participants. Most said the experience was one of the most powerful ones of their lives. One dentist said it was the best thing he had ever done for himself.

For additional information, visit the Chopra website or call 888 736 6895.

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I have always justified my preference for fine bed linens by considering the percentage of ones life spent between them. And though I have never slept on D. Porthaults sheets, they remain on my list of wanna-trys. And who wouldnt want to luxuriate on fine, hand-finished sheets that start at around $1100 for a king set with two shams?

Celebrities, royalty and business barons happily shell out $4600 for a king set of D. Porthaults colorful silky sheets or even more for the cherished Trousseau Lace set. The Porthault line doesnt end in the boudoir or bedroom, either. Jackie Kennedy loved their linens and treasured their tablecloths and napkins (pictured at right).

Though not well-known outside the carriage trade, Porthault linens have been crafted in France since the mid-1930s. Late last year and as reported by Business Week Online, Porthault was acquired by Brazos Europe, a private equity firm based in Washington DC. These former associates of Texas zillionnaire Robert M. Bass have stepped out of the oil and land focus and have moved their sights to the luxury market, with major emphasis on all things French.

Two Brazos principals, Bernard J. Carl and Shannon Fairbanks, are reported to be spending around $25 million to acquire and grow this top-shelf linen crafter and intend to acquire other French artisanal firms as well. The reason for the luxury buying binge has much to do with the globally expanding market for luxurious goods and a global love of Euro luxury.

Finally, it may surprise some that Porthault bottom sheets, in the European tradition, are flat. No fitted sheets yet.

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This is a short-notice deal, and reservations must be made by March 24, 2007, but what a great opportunity to steal away to Puerto Vallarta for a weeklong tropical vacation. According to Forbes Traveler, this all-inclusive package runs $999 and includes both airfare (from a number of West and Midwest airports) as well as accommodations and meals at the four-and-a-half star beachfront Marival Resort and Suites.

Ideal for families, the Marival offers a waterpark for kids, a rock climbing wall, camping(?) and miniature golf. Those seeking serenity will appreciate the spa and yoga classes.

For additional information, contact Travel by Jen at 800 603 3178.

We tip our hats to: Forbes Traveler

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