Some of the hottest luxury gifts this year have been cars. Pricey vehicles in gift catalogs from Saks and Neiman Marcus sold extremely quickly according to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In less than eight minutes, Saks Fifth Avenue sold all 20 special-edition 2007 Mercedes-Benz CL600s in its gift catalog for a cool $160,000 each. Neiman Marcus' 50 limited-edition BMW M6 convertibles sold out in just 92 seconds. The $139,000 price included a four-day trip to the company's factory in Munich.
50 BMW M6 convertibles sold in 92 seconds? That's impressive! Luxury car dealers have been doing well overall this holiday according to the Miami Herald. In luxury gifts some of the hottest items are cars, flat screen TVs and couture clothing according to ABC News. At some retailers boxed sets and pre-selected combinations make it easier for last-minute shoppers. The box sets have been very hot at Saks according to the ABC News story.
At Saks Fifth Avenue, box sets of clothing and accessories are big holiday gifts this year - and they're pre-selected by Saks fashion experts. For men, you can buy a set of cufflinks, a pocket handkerchief, and tie that go together; for women, there are box sets of cosmetics with gifts like body lotions and fragrances.
If you have time to look through the racks at Saks, there are pre-selected shirt and silk tie combos, like those from Holliday & Brown (retails for $140), and even pre-packaged undergarment sets, like the "Joy To Couture Boyshort Set" from Juicy Couture (retails for $58.)
"Pre-selected combinations are great," said Andree Corroon, Vice President of Communications at Saks. "You come in, look, and boom, there it is."
The article also says the Lutz and Patmos' creme cashmere tunic with a double-wrap belt for $625 is Barney's hot item. Also popular are Ralph Lauren's $200 cashmere cable-knit sweaters.
CBS News talked yesterday with Departures magazine Senior Editor Stellene Volandes who shared some of his favorite luxury gifts. CBS News has listed Volandes' picks in several categories. Some of his ideas include the Cartier Love Charity bracelet ($475 and $100 goes to charity) available at Cartier; the Goyard tote for TK ($855); Pink Champagne from Krug ($250) and Pour Femme by Bulgari, a limited edition perfume ($$120 per ounce).
Luxury gifts don't end with human grown-ups. A Delaware News Journal story covers luxury pet gifts and the Post-Gazette covers luxury gifts for tots in this recent news story. It is getting so late in the year that if you don't make it to the mall tomorrow you probably won't be able to buy one of these gifts in time for Christmas. The other option for procrastinating shoppers is always the reliable gift card.
