Thursday, December 07, 2006

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

....taken from the Dallas Business Journal

Neiman Marcus unveiled its 80th annual Christmas Book Tuesday boasting everything from a $20 tin of holiday cookies to a $3.8 million membership in The Club at Castiglion Del Bosco, an exclusive wine estate in Italy. The Dallas-based luxury retailer's catalog, first published in 1926, is seen by many as a harbinger of the Christmas shopping season.

The "ultimate wish book" has built a reputation for exotic, fanciful and expensive gift options, but many of the items are priced below $100, according to Neiman Marcus. This year's catalog includes 152 pages of more than 500 items, such as a diamond encrusted Montblanc Bohéme Skeleton fountain pin for $160,900 and a Nancy Gonzalez chinchilla shoulder bag for $4,800.

Each year, Neiman Marcus culls the fantasy gift items from thousands of suggestions that are submitted nationally and internationally. Gifts included in the 2006 catalog include an All-Star sports celebrity dream package, a charity auction requiring a minimum bid of $250,000. There also is a $1.76 million, six-person charter into space -- about 63 miles above sea level. The gift includes a four-night stay on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands.

Other gifts include a $139,000 limited edition BMW M6 convertible and a backyard water park starting at $100,000. The Neiman Marcus "His and Hers" gift, one of the catalog's more famed traditions, is a $40,000 his and hers Twike commuter vehicle. The catalog will be distributed to nearly 2 million homes throughout the United States and worldwide.

No comments: