POPULUXE

Founding partner of CookFox, Rick Cook visited Populuxe recently to share his "object of desire" with our listeners. As it happens, Rick's training, practice as well as his own curious and empathic constitution create the perfect backdrop against which  a nuanced discussion about luxury unfolded. From a Ferrari V12 engine to a sunlit café in Florence to the new Armani tower in New York City, Rick has a lot to add to ...

Writing in verses comes easily to Monte Packham, author of children's books, who started his career as an art critic. His work evolved into the deliciously playful rhymes that he puts together for young audiences after first having taken a detour into art historical writing. Whether documents of art or illustrated childrens' books, Monte's work is for the committed. His words fall into place as if the story they tell...

Dates, almond oil, persimmon, pomegranate... These recipe ingredients that have given Persian women their legendary beauty from the inside out are also the core pillars of hair brand 14th Night, founded by Negar Mohammadi.

Sun-kissed, athletic, and curious, Negar mastered the technical aspects of business as a young professional working for a major consulting firm in Paris--yes, like Emily in Paris but with real work invol...

Get ready for a new year filled with exciting conversations and inspiring guests.  Season Four coming soon!

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It offers unique stories driven by our desire for meaningful objects and brings to life individual accounts of personal luxuries. The guests, accomplished creatives from across ages, cultures, and professions, relate...

A passionate explorer of nature, a committed adventurer, a tech entrepreneur whose mission is to create a sustainable and equitable travel industry for all, Håvard Utheim moves from idea to idea and from start-up to start-up.

He is the type who has vision, sets the mission, and culls the right people to populate the new business. In doing so, he is also working on ensuring that the beneficiaries are many as opposed to the usual sele...

Her impeccable foresight and vision of market trends, along with her passion for haute couture and luxury leather goods make Diane D’Amato a true force in the luxury market. She is as sharp in business as she is warm and empathetic in her relationships. 

In charge of the luxury accessories categories at Heritage Auctions, Diane brings unique pieces to auction and regularly buys and sells entire collections privately. She ...

Hats, authentic jewelry from Africa, mainly Senegal and Ghana, as well as tie-dye shirts and other accessories are Fallou's Wadje's street hustle in Harlem. 

Her life's calling is creativity. Her purpose is the creation of objects that give luxury a new definition: 'twixt the physical and the spiritual.  A vessel of energy herself, Fallou the artist finds daily inspiration in Central Park where she observes and a...

A century-old Cape Cod wooden house seems to be the point of departure for interiors architect Robert Finger's journeys into desire. 

At first I thought of it very similar to a juicy and delicious piece of candy that releases a range of magical sensations when you bite into it. But after we spent some time chatting, it became clear that that little house is a marvelous container of unique and intense experiences that have shape...

There is so much activity underwater. Reefing takes attention, concentration, and a small dose of obsession. The feat is rewarding and illustrates how our climate works and what preserves life in our oceans. Listen to this captivating episode, in which Adam Simon explains the ins and outs of reefing and how to start collecting live coral.

Adam Simon is a Buy Side Analyst currently pursuing his MBA through NYU Stern's Langone P...

Find out why I decided to own a silk scarf by Hermès and why my collection keeps growing.

What moved you to buy one of your prized possessions? Was it its qualities? Its aesthetic merit? Are your purchases based on emotional associations or simply fashion trends and peer pressure?

I invite you to email me at populuxepod@gmail.com and let me know.

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Mathias Rosenzweig is one of the most talented creative persons I have met. You have probably read his work through the pages of V Magazine, an authority voice in fashion. Mathias started as a writer covering the music scene for Interview Magazine and quickly rose to an editor's role covering fashion shows all over the world. His portfolio includes directing and hosting the podcast V Wanna Know (backed by V Magazine), in which...

Deeply steeped in design, both by training and in practice, Tami Hausman could write a book about a seemingly humble object: A three-legged wooden chair with a molded seat and curved back of sticks.

This is no ordinary chair. It is the Mira chair designed by American woodworker George Nakashima and has been in Tami’s life since she can remember.

Listen to this episode of Populuxe to explore the connections between the essentialism of...

When it comes to identifying the best bag for any job, Adam Brodowski, industrial and UX designer, has a range of criteria to assess his options.

Owning more than 25 bags, Adam is always thinking about how to perfect the utility of each item and how new materials may contribute to an elevated experience. Luxury for Adam goes beyond functionality. Luxury is joy.

Listen to this episode and gain insights into how modern men think about ...

Carol Altieri's passion is to bring big, shiny and well designed objects into your life. She does so through Bob's Watches, an online marketplace she co-owns with her husband Paul. Yes, Paul, no, not Bob.

In addition to buying and selling for her customers, Carol has amassed an impressive collection of vintage watches part of which she is bringing to market through a private sale in collaboration with Goop.
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A sculptural extravagance in blue silk, a dress by fashion designer Mohamed Benchellal made Jenn's heart skip a beat. 

She, in turn, chose the words to describe it with nuance and precision on Populuxe today. Pay close attention to her voice as it carries us back to Jenn's early music education in a household of musicians, in a memory-making family, and a culturally rich career filled with the aroma of coffee. <...

Intrigued by the scent of a Dior red lipstick? Attracted to the texture of red by Guerlain? What's at the root of this intergenerational obsession with red lipstick that resonates with people across cultures, ages, and genders?

I had to turn to the expert. Correction! THE expert, Rachel Felder, author of Red Lipstick: An Ode to A Beauty Icon to dig a little deeper and find out what motivates our desire to apply red on...

A digital media publication with close to two million users, ablogtowatch founded by Ariel Adams, educates, helps, and guides consumers in their decision to buy watches and to build their collections.

In the 20 years that Ariel has been in the watch collecting space both as an enthusiast and a professional, things appear to have changed and social media have played a big role making watch buying more accessible.

Allow me to interrupt the regular format with an episode about one of my objects of desire... and yes, I do have many!

This one is special: A small book with 100 Letters by Italian architect and designer Gio Ponti (1891-1979) gifted to me by my friend Christine Singer who knew Ponti well through her husband's company, M. Singer & Sons Furniture.

Ponti produced some of the most exquisite mid-century moder...

What are your feelings about receiving luxury objects as gifts? Do you take pleasure in these possessions or new experiences? Do they define new rituals that organize your day differently than before? And when have you felt compelled to give an object of great value as a gift to someone else?

These are some of the ideas I will tackle today with my guest, historian and curator Pat Cooke who is based in Dublin, Ireland as he opens a b...