Gilty Pleasures
The former investment banker at UBS who built the sample-sale site Gilt MAN into a $100 million business, John Auerbach has proved that he also knows a thing or two about uniforming urban creative professionals. With his latest Gilt Groupe venture, the full-priced menswear site Park & Bond, for which he serves as president, Auerbach suggests luxury isn’t limited to the elite. “To me, luxury isn’t about exclusivity, or having the latest thing—it’s about quality, beauty, and enduring style,” he says. “Those things often don’t come cheap, but they’re always worth it.” We asked Auerbach for a few of his favorite things this spring.
GLENMERE MANSION “Everything at this lavish, 150-acre estate in Chester, New York, is perfect—the setting, the appointments, the service—and it’s less than 50 miles from the city.”
CONNOR STATIONERY “As the world gets more and more digital, tactile pleasures like personalized stationery feel that much more special and luxurious.”
VINTAGE ROLEX OYSTER PERPETUAL DATE “Others may prefer a Submariner or GMT, but I love the understated elegance of a classic Oyster Perpetual.”
C.O. BIGELOW KUSCO-MURPHY BEACH HAIR “This stuff is amazing. It gives your hair texture and control yet is virtually invisible.”
ORLEBAR BROWN BULLDOG SWIM TRUNKS “Do you need a pair of luxury swim trunks? Absolutely not. But once you get yourself a pair of these, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.”
GENEVA MODEL L “I love the way the Geneva audio system looks in my apartment—almost as much as I love the way it sounds.”
ANTHONY GOICOLEA “Anthony is one of my favorite New York artists. His digitally constructed large-scale photographs are breathtaking, and the detail in his works on paper is unbelievable.”
ABC KITCHEN “There’s never been a better time to eat out in New York than right now, but there’s one place I keep going back to: Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s ABC Kitchen. The food is fresh, inventive, and delicious, and the decor is welcoming and unpretentious.”
