The year’s closing stretch serves as a reminder that luxury, at its peak, still thrives on some good theatrics. From a surrealist hippo that rewrote the rules of collectible design to a Chanel bag that transformed runway wit into auction gold, the market showed its appetite for the unexpected. Elsewhere, Kering treated Fifth Avenue real estate as both asset and stage, while Sotheby’s planted a confident flag in Abu Dhabi, drawing a new generation of global collectors. Together, these moments sketch a luxury landscape increasingly defined by bold bets, crossover appeal, and the enduring power of objects that command attention and, yes, a lot of capital. The Hippopotame Bar Reemerges in Historic Fashion In quite the moment for both the design and the auction worlds, François-Xavier Lalanne’s Hippopotame Bar—a one-of-a-kind, hand-wrought copper creation—commanded US$31.4 million at Sotheby’s New York, shattering pre-sale expectations all the while setting a new global record..
