YSL creative director Stefano Pilati again presented his men’s collection with a short film, this one shot by French actor/writer/director Samuel Benchetrit and starring Benchetrit’s 11-year-old son, Jules. Jules, who portrays a young 21 Jump Streetesque Johnny Depp finds a key to a room at the Bristol Hotel on the sidewalk, who then enters its corresponding suite. Surprising, he’s in no rush to leave, or ransack the venue. In the process of modeling the clothing of the vacant suite’s tennant (as well as delving through his other personal belongings), he also casually performs the iconic Taxidriver scene in front of the washroom mirror. Our pre-pubescent hero is so cool knowing how to manipulate an iPod, or the ability to absorb the lux-ambience around him that he has to portray a cultured someone who’s at least 10 years older, or whatever fantasy-like reality, or rather persona we project into this character. Furthermore, the sound of opera can and will inspire anyone. Even an 11 year old child who reads and recites a passage from Musset’s Confession of a Child of the Century. Yes, there is a latent and overlapping love story told in the plot’s related imagery. And yes, after seeing the film we now know what era, emotions, culture and philosophy had inspired the new collection’s appeal. It’s a stimulating flick. Tim Blank’s review of the collection here.

What Japanese goldsmith Ginza Tanaka decided to do with 850 grams of gold was to craft a beer mug. Apparently, consuming the beverage from a golden mug adds to the pleasure of beer drinking. Drinking beer from a glass the cost of a luxury car is the ultimate cool experience, so states the designer. Ginza is also known for other gold workings, namely the golden threaded bikinis, X-mas statuettes and other luxurious golden miscellanea. Gold wine glasses are also available at $30/gram. The solid gold beer mug’s ticket price: $50,000.

Pic and vid after the jump.

Since 2000, the world’s richest man, Warren Buffet has been auctioning off a lunch date with the proceeds going to Glide, a local San Francisco charity. This year’s bid came somewhat under that of 2008’s which was $2.11 million. Last year’s winner, hedge fund manager Zhao Danyang and his son Zhao Ziyang (in the pic) had his lunch last week with Warren Buffet. Some explain this year’s lower bid is due to the current financial crisis. The auction was initially held live for the first three years. Currently, eBay plays host to the charity fundraiser. The lunch venue is New York’s Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse. The table seats eight. I would think the other six in the party are paying big cash to get an invitation to that meal. No news on the identity of this year’s wining bidder.

pic and info: Reuters

Ross Lovegrove designed this bike for Biomega. The bamboo frame lightens the net weight of the bicycle . More: the company execs state fast growing bamboo is actually harder than steel. The bamboo also adds a natural aesthetic to the environmentally conscious cyclist. Avoid the soiled trousers with their shaft drive crank mechanism. It’s handmade in Denmark.

pic and info: Biomega

Luxury hits the waves. The 129 Makaha is a limited edition surf board, hand made with empress wood. Until now, the empress, or Paulownia wood was used strictly for hand carved instruments in Japanese and Chinese cultures. The manufacturer, New Zealander Roy Stewart based the design on the Polynesian royalty’s surf board. The series is limited to 400 pieces. Made to order. Ticket price: $20,000.

More after the jump.

Don’t know if you’ve ever felt naked without a jacket, or whether anxiety struck when you had to retire and hand down your favorite two-piece. I know I have.

Jacopo Foggini designed this table for Edra. Instead of the formal 4-legged versions, this table’s swerving pipe base adds to the furniture’s sculptural qualities. It’s polished by hand and made in Italy.

pic and info: Edra