"Knowing when to splurge is an art. There are just two rules: Splurge on the most classic item in the world. You will have it forever. Splurge on the most insane thing in the world. You will have it and cherish it forever." - Isaac Mizrahi
What's your insane thing?
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Splurge.
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My most cherished splurges are my Jane Slivka paintings!
Haven't done an "insane" purchase as of yet!
Insane splurge - $1000 b'day present to myself 3 years ago: original painting by Sandy Welch.
Classic splurge - my sleigh bed. I know this year they are "out" or "over" and should be "hooked up to a pair of clydesdales and hauled away" but I have wanted one for 20 years and now I have it. I love it. If I could drive it, I would.
A loveseat that is so hard it is completely unsittable. And so gorgeous I don't fucking care.
I like Isaac - he has a great point. Now, I just have to take his advice!
Joy
Insane and classic: cartier tank watch. I paid more for it that I have ever paid for something I couldn't sit on or drive, but I wear it everday and it will never go out of style, (and even if it did, I wouldn't care).
It's insane because, let's be frank, a timex serves the same basic purpose.
Classic splurge: Le Corbusier chaise (cliché, I know)
Insane splurge: ostrich skin bag
Classic splurge: A large colonial home on 3 wooded acres in New England.
Insane splurge: Spur-of-the-moment airline tickets that I may not actually use.
Insane splurge: Percy, the faux pet sheep who lives in my foyer. He instantly reveals the sense of humor (or lack thereof) present in anyone who steps inside my front door.
Vintage ...I splurge on insanely amazing vintage pieces and love them for years.
Leopard print (and pettable!) dansko clogs and pink cowboy boots with rhinestones!
The most insane thing is when you splurge on things. My mother died this afternoon after her life was reduced to the 4 edges of her bed for the last 3 months after a severe stroke. Now we have a house full of things which will be donated/thrown away. What's the sense behind this?
Very sorry for your loss, Petra. Hopefully, the things that surrounded your mom brought her joy and comfort at some point. Maybe a painting that brightened her day. Or, an old chair that brought back cherished memories...
I love Issac. He is so right. I done have enough insane splurges. It's all too well thought out and careful. I need to live a little more. My Louis tote makes me smile. Insane I know.
Petra, my heart goes out to you today. I'm so sorry for your loss.
my insane splurge: my 50's frenchy-french sofa, purchased at a yard sale in florida, with absolutely no idea how on earth i would get it home. but i wasn't gonna let that stop me! and i've had it so long now, i guess it's a classic splurge too.
I have to wear head-to-toe black everyday to work. I splurge on vintage brooches. It makes me stand out in a sea of black.
We wiped out my 401K to adopt our only child. The resulting family unit has been worth every damned penny.
A big splurge was framing a needlepoint I did at age 18 of a medieval scene, that is quite famous but i can't remember quite what it's called. It's small, about 10x14 but it cost me $250 to frame it many years ago. It's gorgeous, of course, and I will never regret the money I spent on it, with the various mats and trims, etc.
I think it says something about my upbringing, something sad, that most anything I consider a "spluge" I ultimately regret "splurging" on. Sigh. Perhaps I'll either change my notion of "splurge" or refine my splurging skills.
I don't know if these would count as insane or classic, but these are a few of my recent splurges: Ayala Moriel perfume; Dempsey and Carroll custom-engraved stationery; paying someone else to do waxing and dyeing that I could quite easily do myself.
I expect to have none of these things forever and I think that's why I consider them splurges.
Hearts go out to you Petra, the loss of your mom is the worst EVER! I know this, as I lost my mom at a very early age.
It is a very sad thing, and while the stuff we have is ultimately not "real", or even important in the grand scheme of things, and won't bring lasting or real happiness, they can sometimes bring pleasure. That is something we could all use from time to time.
My biggest splurge up to date is a Linda Lee Johnson necklace, that I had to put on layaway for 8 months (and it was CHEAP by her standards), but I hardly ever take it off.
If I ever get married, she is going to make the wedding rings. (I should start saving, just in case)
Continuing to renovate our house is absolutely an insane splurge -- and we don't even have walls yet.
My bi-weekly splurge is getting our dog a new toy. Last week it was a stuffed pink hippo.
classic splurge - vintage bone china royal doulton dinner service...
insane splurge - as above. i've never used it as it's so precious and i like my dinner guests to relax. also, who really needs soup tureens and loads of demitasse cups?
i guess i do.
Oh Petra -- I am so so sorry.
"Things" seem pointless and wasteful in the wake of such a loss. But please don't get rid of all your mother's things too quickly though.
My best advice having gone through it too:
if you're not sure of what to do with an item, bring it to your own home and you will instantly know if it belongs, or just makes you sad to look at it. Some things just look worn-out and others will become a wonderful reminder of your Mum from before she was sick.
Really (wirklich!)
I picked my wedding dress to match my shoes. And the shoes in question cost 1/3 the price of the dress.
Classic splurge: Vintage (1920's and before) silver 16 place settings plus all the cool serving pieces that aren't made anymore...pickle servers, asparagus tongs, fish forks, citrus forks, ice cream cutters, butter piercers, and the like. We don't just reserve it for special occasions, we use it all the time. I've taken care of it, and know it will be around forever.
Insane splurge: several Porsche convertibles over the past 10 years. I work hard and quite enjoy driving with the top down in a nice car. Colossal waste of money, yes.
Future insane/classic purchase: I've always wanted a 1956ish Porsche 356. I've wanted one since I was a kid and my dad had one I wasn't allowed to drive. I wanted it before Rachel Zoe got "Dylan McKay's" car and before there was a 90210 and a Dylan McKay.They are beyond insanely expensive, but will always hold their value.
Classic splurge - my Omega Seamaster watch bought in 1995. Back then the price was outrageous to me but I still wear it almost every day.
Insane splurge - 2 HUGE carpets from my trip to Morocco for my bedroom and living room. The bedroom is not big enough (duh) so they are now stacked in the living room. They are beautiful and remind me of my trip and someday I will have a place for them both.
My iBride Polar Bear tray. Sure it was only $60, but if you knew my salary, you'd understand why I consider that a splurge.
A custom chair I had made in red, and an uber-classic Mitchell Gold sofa I got half off; both of which were big time splurges for me!
Too conscious of what I need to have set aside for the big things to be able to have any insane purchases. It's been years since I shifted that silly bill money over to buy a pair of thigh high, butter soft, pink leather boots but oh, regrets I have none.
Classic: Patent leather Manolo mary janes with 3" heels and an ornate Federal-era gilded mirror (both when I actually made money).
Crazy: Pucci evening gown (Mario's superbowl sale). I am not exactly a regular attendee of black tie events. But it is crazy-fabulous.
Sweetest: I didn't buy it- my sister splurged on fabric and made my wedding gown based on one we saw in Florence (she had come to visit me when I lived in Assisi). It's just a thing- but it reminds me of so much- of my wedding day, and the way every time I looked around for him at the reception I saw my husband looking at me, and of the lengths my sister goes to for the people she loves, and how lucky I am to be someone she loves.
Shoes. Oh, god, the shoes.
Bags and every once in a while, a great shoe.
Petra,
I am so sorry. My mother died after spending 4 torturous months in the hospital and I felt exactly the same then as you do now.
Please know that you are not alone.
Petra,
I am so sorry. My mother died after spending 4 torturous months in the hospital and I felt exactly the same then as you do now.
Please know that you are not alone.
face jugs. that's right i said face jugs.
While in Cartagena, Colombia, I purchased a Gabi Arenas all leather "purse" but it's really a femmed out gun holster. But it's beautiful! Red, green and brown and everything I need fits in it.
Tag Heuer watch. But I love it, so that's what really matters! I'd rather spend money on something I wear every day.
Also - my favorite surfboard. Beautiful shape, and I've never seen another like it.
Weed!
Only, contrary to Mizrahi's theory, it doesn't stay with you forever. :^/
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