After my previous post about expensive sunglasses, I though it would be interesting to see what expensive designer sunglasses are popular amongst celebrities. It used to be that celebrities wore big bug-eyed sunglasses to hide from the public when they stepped on the street with their designer jeans, but these days, these big sunglasses are coming back. Pictured is a popular pair from Chanel.
Celebrities’ favorite brands:
• Giorgio Armani • Christian Dior • Dolce & Gabbana • Gucci • Emporio Armani • Roberto Cavalli • John Richmond • Bvlgari • Marc Jacobs • Prada • Chanel • Versace • Tom Ford • Fendi • Moss Lipow
Moss Lipow is the maker of the world'smost expensive sunglasses.
Above: Kirsten Dunst, Lindsay Lohan and Kate Hudson
So three of my colleagues and I were stranded in the waiting lounge at Heathrow airport on Sunday, waiting for our plane to board. And we were bored. So I showed them my blog and we started talking about the theme. We talked about what the mega rich can buy with all that money and the subject changed to the most expensive stuff in the world. I told them about Updown Court,Lakshmi Mittal’s house and what the prices are on Gulfstreams and Mega Yachts. Then Charl, our South African colleague raised an interesting point. These tangible luxuries are NOT the most expensive stuff a billionaire can acquire. They are mere fractions in comparison to the most expensive item you can buy: A brand.
The top brands in the world are worth billions. They are merely a design with brand value connected to it: Totally intangible. This made me go and look at the Interbrand ranking list again. I used their rankings in my studies at university and almost forgot what an interesting read it actually is. For that reason, I’m posting the 2006 ranking for you guys. As far as I know, the 2007 rankings have yet to be announced.
Billionaires’ worth are actually in large part comprised of a brand’s worth. Donald Tump’s name is so valuable, that it could sell almost any piece of property. So when they measure his net worth, they factor in what his brand name is worth. This is NOT money in the bank though: He has to sell that brand before he can see it in his bank account. Interesting, right? These brands can be worth as much as $67 billion. Take Microsoft: And you wonder why Bill Gates is so rich? Take Warren Buffett as an example. He has a stake in Coca-Cola and Budweiser, two of the brands in the top 100. Billionaires get richer, the more people value their brands. Look at Louis Vuitton. Their monogram designs have catapulted them into top 20.
So forget the $200 million mega yacht, the $130 million house and $100 private jet. Or even the $70 million private island. Go and buy a multi-BILLION dollar brand!
Earlier we reported about Updown Court, the world’s most expensive house and Donald Trump’s Florida Mansion, the most expensive house in the USA. Although these two mansions have the titles of being the most expensive houses, they still have to be sold. No body has ever paid that much ($139 million and $125 million respectively) for a residential building. Then who was the person that forked over the most amount of money in a residential real estate transaction?
The answer is Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian steel tycoon and the world’s fifth richest billionaire. His London residence at 18-19 Kensington Palace Gardens was bought from Formula One Boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2004 for a staggering $114.89 million (£62.7 million). And for while the house held the Guinness World Record for the world’s most expensive house. The Mittal/ Ecclestone deal still hold the record as the biggest of its kind.
Another interesting fact: Prince Talal Bin Waleed's palace racked up a construction bill of over $200 million when it was build in the late 80’s. But the palace belongs to his country and not to him per se, so his residence cannot be counted as a “private residential house”.
After my previous post about expensive sunglasses, I though it would be interesting to see what expensive designer sunglasses are popular amongst celebrities. It used to be that celebrities wore big bug-eyed sunglasses to hide from the public when they stepped on the street with their designer jeans, but these days, these big sunglasses are coming back. Pictured is a popular pair from Chanel.
