No matter how skilled you think you are at gift giving, chances are excellent your paltry presents pale in comparison to the blinged-out baubles the world’s wealthiest will be unwrapping this December 25.
All these privileged types want for Christmas? — think diamond-encrusted designer handbags, five-figure overnight resort stays, a beautiful Tuscan vineyard worth $5 million. And that’s just some of what’s reportedly set to be received by pampered multi-millionaires and billionaires this year.
Employees at high-end concierge companies in Los Angeles, London and New York dished the details on the gaudy goodies with Business Insider as the annual goods exchange draws near.
“For the person that has everything, why not have diamonds on your handbag too?” Nicole Pollard, founder of luxury styling firm Lalaluxe, asked rhetorically, revealing she sourced just such an accessory for an unnamed client last year.
The secret shopper said a regular old Hermès Birkin bag wasn’t good enough for their loved one, requesting that it come with a little bling.
Pollard procured a Himalayan Birkin — made from the underbelly of crocodile — with sparkling diamond hardware. The cost? A cool $750,000.
The opulent accessory has been described as “the world’s most expensive handbag” — requiring its own security detail during shipment.
Pollard proclaims that similar items will also be on billionaire wishlist this holiday.
Monogrammed Goyard travel bags, worth upwards of $10,000, are another hot designer item for the season, she spilled.
Meanwhile, Winston Chesterfield, founder of London-based consulting firm Barton, says some of his uber-rich clients believe physical items are out of style this holiday season.
Instead, they’re gifting experiences to their loved ones.
“People seem to be a bit exhausted with what you’d call hard luxury,” Chesterfield explained.
Rather than another Rolex watch or Moncler coat, one of his clients decided to rent a private island in the Caribbean for two weeks instead.
Elisabeth Brown, a New York-based client manager at the concierge company Knightsbridge, said her clients were looking at renting luxe private villas in Africa.
The conservancies of Ol Jogi in Kenya and Saanane Island in Tanzania are particularly popular with the world’s wealthy, where the cost of accommodation can run at $40,000 for a single night.
Trips to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and Patagonia in South America are also proving popular, with the filthy rich looking to experience the pristine natural wonders — while they still can.
Brown also revealed that some billionaires prefer to buy, rather than rent, their holiday homes.
Her company helped facilitate the recent sale of a $5 million Tuscan villa for a client, which was intended to be given as a Christmas gift.
The spread purportedly comes complete with its own honey and olive oil production facilities.