The New Lap of Luxury

Now, you can take the comfort and style of your closet to your car with Bentley Motors’ latest sport-utility vehicle. The Wall Street Journal reported the British luxury carmaker would offer silk wool blends, handcrafted wood and diamond-quilted leather seats in their vehicles. No price has been set yet, but it is estimated to retail for upwards of $180,000.

Photo from Forbes.com

The SUV prototype, unveiled during the Geneva Auto Show earlier this month, takes the luxury car industry to a new level. The Bentley enters a higher realm of top-of-the-line automobile experiences, it will compete against Italian rivals Maserati and Lamborghini (the latter is expected to debut its high-end SUV next month at the Beijing Auto Show).

Bentley’s celebrity clientele include Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian among many others, though the luxury car brand is no longer just targeting upper-crust billionaires. Now, soccer moms have a stylish way to shuttle their kids.

In addition to new luxury fabrics, the 12-cylinder SUV also features a picnic set with silver cutlery and Lalique crystal. While the average person probably won’t need fine china at the soccer team’s potluck, this SUV offers the option of true domesticity over other high-end speedsters.

Elevated seating and safety are just two benefits of driving any SUV, but the latest from Bentley offers discerning mothers the speed of their sports car with the silver lining from their state-of-the-art closets.

Luxury on a Budget

Bethenny Frankel emerged from Bravo’s the Real Housewives of New York City as a bona fide business woman and celebrity. She started Skinnygirl Cocktails and sold it to Beam, Inc., for an estimated $100 million. She is still closely involved with the brand, which started offering margarita mix last year and will expand with wine and vodka. The mother of 21-month-old Bryn was also featured in a television spot for Bluefly last year and recently announced she will be on her own talk-show produced by Ellen DeGeneres.

Thanks to ELLE, we saw a few treasured pieces from Frankel’s closet and despite all her fame and wealth, Frankel is proud to be a money-conscious shopper.

“I wouldn’t call myself a huge fashion person. I have some good pieces, but I don’t need them to be very current—and I buy them all on sale,” Frankel said. “Every single thing in that closet has been bought on sale either online or on eBay.”

In particular, we liked the commemorative Alexander McQueen clutch she purchased after the designer passed away. Surprisingly, she found it and many other designer items on eBay.

(Photo from ELLE)

Other photos in the ELLE slideshow display items such as a drawing of baby Bryn and ball gowns by Oscar de la Renta and Zac Posen. Although ELLE didn’t get a peek into Frankel’s actual closet, we did spot the gowns and other dresses hanging from slim no-slip hangers. These are great space savers that won’t stretch out your thinnest clothes. We carry similar slim line velvet hangers in our online boutique.

We love Frankel’s ambition and drive. But we love her sensible style even more.