RIDILUX: Billionaire Couture's $50K Umbrella

Yes, I know that it has been a while since I've broken out the "Ridilux," or ridiculous luxury, posts on here. Believe me, I haven't slacked on them due to a dearth of things to feature, rather the opposite. 

Today, however, I ran across this Crocodile Umbrella from the brand Billionaire Couture, which more than qualifies for Ridilux. The Croc Umbrella symbolizes everything that makes me slightly ill when it comes to bad products: excessive use of exotic skins, zero practicality or function, ugly-ass design and a pricetag to get you kidnapped regardless of country. $50,000 will get you a single useless umbrella; heaven forbid it gets wet! Only Farnsworth Bentley could sport this (on loan) and get away with it. I rest my case.

[Via Born Rich]

Swingin Pad: A Shower to Shout About

Occasionally I find myself wandering over to check out the various design-y loveliness at Trendir.com, only to have my soul curl up in coveting. Today's feature of the "Why Only White (WOW)" Collection of shower backdrops brought out the rare domestic side of me, the one that maybe in forty year wants to have a house to (tastefully) fill with cool crap. 

Should you come to my first housewarming party in the year 2048, you may gawk at my awesome shower, which will have the math pattern shown above. Of course by then showers may be 360-degree and instant, but in that case I will have a math-patterned 360-degree instant shower (or Bisazza, since they will probably always be around). 

On the Lickability of Covers

Checking out this very colorful, scrumdidillyumptious AM NY cover from last week, I am reminded of an old Jezebel post on the licking habits of the editor of Cosmopolitan.

It went a little something like this: "My sense of a good cover that will sell is if I want to lick it... and the Beyonce [December 2007] cover I licked several times... before the sun came up."

Now reconsider this AM NY front page. It has gourmet donuts with an added bonus of chocolates, a hot couple nuzzling on a picturesque beach, Daniel Craig looking dashing, something about Madonna and something for the sports buffs. If there is one thing I have learned about print and online media, people will read anything about multicolor baked goods, be they overpriced cupcakes or rare macarons. Now add some great graphic design to the mix and you have a very lickable issue. 

What's more is that everyone can identify with Cosmo's linguo love; I, for one, want to lick almost every page of every issue of Monocle. This is especially true for when they break out the illustrations in the retro style of Miroslav Sasek, or when they put a Frankfurter on the cover. I remain a reluctant fan of Tyler Brule, however, as his articles are so heavy-handed and pretentious. Like we get it, you love Toto toilets and Valextra. Anyways, I digress. Go lick some print journalism while its still around.

[Image via Urbanite]