Ship, Crate, Barrel

It's no secret that I love Crate & Barrel. And in typical fashion regarding everything that I love, I wanted to know more. You see, in the luxury retail industry, everything has a story. From the inspiration for design, the time-tested treatments for fabrics and materials for that oh-so-perfect aesthetic, the history and heritage of a company's origins - everything has a story. Part of the allure to luxe companies and products is that romance.

It's a general understanding that people want to feel good. We want to experience success and happiness, good health, and harmony. So when someone creates a dynamic product, presents it in a mind-blowing manner, and goes against the grain of complacency and mediocrity, I am more than pleased to not only patronize the business, but tell everyone about it.

So I wanted to know more about Crate and Barrel. I found the most charming story on their official website:

Back in the '60s, a young Chicago couple by the name of Gordon and Carole Segal had just returned from a honeymoon in Europe. One night, while washing their dishes after dinner, they lamented there was no place at home to buy the contemporary, affordable housewares they had admired throughout their travels.

Passionate to make these designs available to others, the Segals hired one employee and leased an abandoned elevator factory on Chicago's Wells Street. They traveled throughout Europe buying directly from glassblowers and ceramicists, from factories making beautiful French copper pots and simple white bistro dinnerware. With no money left for displays, they stacked the shipping crates as shelves and filled the overseas barrels with fun merchandise. So out of necessity came the unique Crate and Barrel style…and name. And on a cold December day in 1962, just moments before the official opening, Gordon and Carole realized they had forgotten just one thing–a cash register (no kidding).

A lot has changed since that first store opened. Instead of the one employee we had in 1962, we now have 7,500. Instead of one small storefront, we now have 160 spectacular stores in markets across the US.

And now, we’re honored to share our passion with our first international Crate and Barrel store, now open at Toronto’s exciting Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Coupling this lovely story with the many years I've shopped C&B and their hipper, younger minded CB2, I thought I needed to shop the website and see what was new. And what did I discover that I'm absolutely LOVING?! Crate and Barrel has teamed up with Tumi, one of the most durable and delightful Italian luggage ranges for their very own T Tech by Tumi for Crate & Barrel.


Durable and lightweight, with tons of pockets and zippered compartments, and accented in my favourite bright red piping, this collection is perfect for those jaunts across Europe, those African safaris, those adventures to Asia, and that mid-week business trip to St Louis. Affordably priced from just under US$100 to US$350, this collection is sure to exceed all of your travel needs.

Mobile Luxe Guides

Last year I told you about the Luxe City Guides, a fabulous collection of guidebooks for the ultimate luxury experience while away from home. Now, the lovelies at Luxe have gone mobile!

The mobile guide is just like the version you already know and love - but available on your smartphone - like iPhone, BlackBerry, Sony Ericsson, Nokia, and HTC - and each version comes with a year of complimentary updates and upgrades automatically delivered to your mobile device. And if you're worried about expensive data plans or roaming while abroad, each mobile guide is fully functional both online and offline, so there's no need to worry. But, if you do have wifi capabilities or internet access, the application uses your phone's map/GPS function for added user friendly insight. Even better? After your first year of fabulous travel, you'll be able to extend your updates for half price!

I've said many times that the iPhone has revolutionized my life. Now, it's changing the way we travel. Bravo Luxe!

Travel with Louis Vuitton

For Christmas last year, one of my very good friends gave me the Louis Vuitton guidebook to Rome. Normally I'd reference the Luxe City guide collection, but I thought I'd try something new. After all, Louis Vuitton has been the purveyor of luxury travel bags since the 1800s. If they make longlasting, quality goods, maybe they know a thing or two about travel as well.

Just read a few sentences from their introduction. "Traveling is a multifaceted art born of dreams and imagination and one to be savored. The art of travel cannot be completely improvised; it must also be organized. ... But a suitcase, no matter how handsome, is not enough to turn a trip into a dream journey - a voyage n ourished by encounters with fascinating people and places. This is where the Louis Vuitton City Guide, a valued travel companion for over ten years, excels. ... A subtle blend of the avant-garde, the established, and the iconic, the Luis Vuitton City Guide is a unique trend predictor. Written by specialist journalists and authors from a inside viewpoint, it is an attentive, highly informed commentator on the changes that are shaking up cities, with an alternative outlook on fashion, design, well-being, contemporary arts, and fine food."

I must admit - knowing Louis Vuitton wasn't exactly inexpensive, I was nervous that all of the recommendations would be expensive as well. While there are the several-thousand-Euros per night hotel rooms and couple-hundred-Euros per meal dinner recommendations, there are also incredibly inexpensive options and suggestions as well.

Take for instance the Osteria della Frezza (Via della Frezza, 16). "Taking its lead from young chef Marco Gallotta, the Osteria della Frezza serves Roman cuisine with a nice balance betweent radition and modernity, in a fashionable decor, but with music played at nearly unberable levels." To be honest - it wasn't as loud as I was expecting, considering I've visited many Abercrmobie & Fitch stores - but the food was absolutely delicious and worth the trip for sure.

With over 30 European city guides, and a handful of non-European cities as well, I definitely recommend these guides. Anyone can find out where a good restaurant is - but knowing what to expect, average pricing, tips on atmosphere and dresscode, and even names of chefs, managers, and owners - these guides provide the insight and information that well versed locals only rival. Well done, Louis. Bon voyage!