A gift from Cartier ~ Assouline published "les must de Cartier" and describe it: "1968--the year all certainties were shattered, it was in good taste to burn what one loved and to trample underfoot the values of yesterday. If, in this new world of dissent, luxury was no longer appropriate, the taste for beauty didn't completely disappear. No, luxury was not dead! It simply needed to be reinvented. In the midst of this new counterculture, which burned all belongings and luxury markets by creating a lighter that landed with the impact of a bomb - "Les Must" de Cartier saw the light of day. Hovering somewhere between tradition and modernity, Cartier's lighters, pens, watches, glasses, jewelry, leather goods and perfume engulfed the world. Cartier justified luxury by offering a more perfect modernity. Protected by a panther-skin slipcase, this limited-edition volume invites you to visit the delirious parties that followed every new "must"."

Flipping through the 400 pages images in this Cartier logo embossed leather bound, gilded paged, panther print covered slipcase of a book... i just relived the decadence of the late 60s, 70s, and 80s... and it looked like a hell of a lot of fun. Take a peek of some of my favorite pages on the next page... from a young christopher walken in bond flicks, to elephant polo, to warhol and studio 54... good times.

TO PAGE 2 of "les must de Cartier "! ----->

Tags: books - cartier - gifts - luxury

Cartier is taking on love ~ and was kind enough to surprise me with a DHL package this morning with a little gift in it (more to come on that later) ~ in part announcing their new Love.Cartier site. Today i learned the story of their classic "love" bracelet - the iconic piece with the screw heads along the band - and a screwdriver to lock you in - "In the 1970's, imagination soared to new heights and any folly was possible. Cartier created the ultimate symbol of loving commitment: in the manner of handcuffs, the famous bracelet closes with a tiny screwdriver. Its humorous impudence appealed and was immediately adopted by legendary couples as a cult jewel. Love is a provocative talisman, a rallying cry for modern love, totally free from convention."

In their marketing comeback, they have created a site dedicated to love - manifested in music, art, and film. The music is nice if you're into that romantic mood setting stuff... and the art seemed a bit buggy on their flash site for me... but i was surprised that the films are what really caught my eye, and i actually sat here going through all 12 in order and loved them. The filmography is absolutely breathtaking ~ the black and whites, playful uses of light, gorgeous parisian backdrops... *swoon*... and they go through 12 tiny fragments of love stories tackling: The Declaration, Forgiveness, The Kiss, Infinite Love, Hero of Love, First Love, A Life of Love, A Loving Liaison, Love on Hold, Knowing How..., Seduction, and The Decision. Personally my favorite are First Love, Seduction, and Love on Hold - i'm sure you'll see why - if you have the time i recommend you go through them in order though, renowned director, Olivier Dahan, ends every pieces with a hint of what you see at the start of the next ~ and weaves them all together in such a beautiful way... see a few screenshots on the next page...

TO PAGE 2 of "Cartier on Love"! ----->

Tags: accessories - cartier - film - jewelry - love - luxury - paris - video