A Chevy for Six, Please

We’re now in LA. A very big (BIG) place. So BIG that no-one is to be seen walking at all. It’s not the heat so much, though it IS quite hot, more the immense scale. Rodeo Drive is a short drive….but for us a 20 minute walk…… from the Beverley Hilton (where Whitney Houston died) where we are staying. Here are the shops for the insanely rich. We came across Bijan (google it). Outside was parked the shop’s Bugati Veron. Inside were the signed photos of each of the last 4 Presidents, and Sarkozy, all of whom are Bijan customers. Somehow, we got through the ‘look you up and down, can we afford anything in here’ security at the door. I was then greeted by Tarek Hafez, the sales manager. What did I wish to see? I said something understated, no suits. He suggested some informal overcoats. I said ‘yes’, that sounded interesting. And interesting it surely was.

I tried a number of one-off leather coats. I say leather. That is to suggest cow, which none of them were. The. MOST amazing one was full length crocodile with a removeable mink lining. I have to say it was extremely comfortable, and that I looked rather good in it. The price, because I know your dying to know, was a cool $175,000. Or was it $195,000? I can’t remember now. I admitted that that was beyond my budget, so was next shown a collection of Lion skins. Beautiful. Light weight. Warm. Georgeous in fact. And it fitted beautifully. The price tag, a mere €35,000. Something seriously to consider. But perhaps not for too long.