Valley Piper

swarovski flutes

Pearl Flutes Headjoint Case $125 Pearl Flutes Headjoint Case

Alfred Supplementary Duets for Flutes $7.16 Alfred Supplementary Duets for Flutes

Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes Inline G $1095 Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes Inline G

Pearl Flutes PFP-105 Grenaditte Piccolo $995 Pearl Flutes PFP-105 Grenaditte Piccolo

Pearl Flutes Flute Headjoints Model PH7 886830192739 $359.1 Pearl Flutes Flute Headjoints Model PH7 886830192739

Pearl Flutes Flute Headjoints Model PH7 886830219160 $319.2 Pearl Flutes Flute Headjoints Model PH7 886830219160

Pearl Flutes Grenaditte Piccolo Headjoint High Wave $299 Pearl Flutes Grenaditte Piccolo Headjoint High Wave

Pearl Flutes PFP-105 Grenaditte Piccolo with Straight Headjoint $995 Pearl Flutes PFP-105 Grenaditte Piccolo with Straight Headjoint

Nomata Series 3 Handmade Flutes 886830088575 $2695.5 Nomata Series 3 Handmade Flutes 886830088575

Carl Fischer Three Dances For Two Flutes $17.96 Carl Fischer Three Dances For Two Flutes

Pearl Flutes Deluxe Artistic Wood Flute Stand $49.99 Pearl Flutes Deluxe Artistic Wood Flute Stand

Pearl Flutes 795 Elegante Series Flute $2285 Pearl Flutes 795 Elegante Series Flute

Pearl Flutes PFP-165 Grenaditte Piccolo with Grenadilla Headjoint $1500 Pearl Flutes PFP-165 Grenaditte Piccolo with Grenadilla Headjoint

Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E 88683024 $985.5 Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E 88683024

Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E 88683010 $985.5 Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E 88683010

Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E 88683026 $985.5 Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E 88683026

Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RB1RB - B Foot, Inline G 886830227479 $985.5 Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RB1RB - B Foot, Inline G 886830227479

Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E $1095 Pearl Flutes Quantz 665 Series Flutes 665RBE1RB - B Foot, Offset G with Split E

Pearl Flutes 210 Series Alto Flute Curved Headjoint $1450 Pearl Flutes 210 Series Alto Flute Curved Headjoint

Emerson Model 88B Flutes Inline G, B Foot $2279 Emerson Model 88B Flutes Inline G, B Foot

Obama Inauguration Spawns Luxurious Treasure Among Mementos

   The inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States has produced an avalanche of mementos and memorabilia from special coins to champagne flutes, from magnets to mouse-pads, from dog shirts to bobble-head dolls.

    However, one collectible the Obamas themselves might treasure most is a set of newly-minted commemorative tablecloths fashioned by the 88-year old, ultra-upscale Paris-based linen house of D. Porthault, favored by dignitaries and celebrities for decades. 

  The company has unfurled a unique and luxurious limited edition of tablecloths in honor of the 44th President, and if history is any indicator, they may be a much-coveted collectible in the future.

   The new tablecloths, accented with Swarovski crystals, were designed by D. Porthault's owner Joan Carl and her Paris design team, and depict their artistic interpretation of the Washington, DC skyline - including the Capitol, the Washington Monument and other DC landmarks.

   Over the years, D. Porthault's linens have been the choice of the likes of actresses Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve, the Rockefellers and the Fords, Winston Churchill, the Duchess of Windsor and Jacqueline Kennedy,

    In fact, some of the D. Porthault linens the former First Lady purchased actually found their way back to D. Porthault. Mrs. Carl bought back the linens for their sentimental value at a Sotheby's auction a few years ago, along with a watercolor portrait of Jackie draped in D. Porthault linens in the London apartment of her sister, Lee Radziwell. 

   The famous linen entrepreneurs made their mark with innovative features such as screen-painting by hand, scalloped borders outlined in embroidery and lace trim.

    Mrs. Carl, who maintains a home in Southampton, is actively involved in all phases of the company, from the design of its new flagship store in Paris and its new boutiques in New York (on Park Avenue and in Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Avenue), to the creation of its new production facility in northern France.
 
   She is also D. Porthault's artistic director regularly working with its Paris in-house designers, including close friend and noted floral designer Jeff Leatham, and with teams creating new lines of lingerie and items for children.

About the Author

Alexandra Tatrallyay is a specialist on luxury furnishings and accessories for The Promotion Factory, 5E 19th Street, New York, NY 10003 and may be contacted at 212 217 9065 or alexandra@thepromofact.com