It's mid-October again, time for temperatures to cool, leaves to turn, and Neiman Marcus to drop its annual compendium of decadent absurdity in the form of its 176-page Christmas Book.
The catalog, which you can find here, contains just as hypnotic a collection of high-end fashion photography and ridiculously expensive merchandise as it always does. But the Neiman's Christmas Book would not be the Neiman's Christmas Book were it not for the selection of fantasy gifts.
This year's selection includes a 2013 McLaren 12C Spider (the special Neiman Marcus Edition, of course); a $150,000 travel trailer partially made from casks of Bulleit Bourbon; a $1 million pair of his-and-her fairy tale watches; and a heritage hen house, which is more opulent than most real houses.
Undoubtedly the coolest item, however, is the Jetlev R200. We'll let the Neiman copywriters take it from here:
Like the Jetlev R200's creator, you've dreamed about jetpack flight since first seeing it in the movie Thunderball Finally, technology has caught up with fantasy! One part sci-fi, three parts British secret service agent, and 100 percent pure adrenaline rush, your water-propelled jetpack is about to send your spirits - and your self - soaring.
The prose is a bit overwrought, perhaps, but we forgive them; it is a jet pack they're describing, after all.
The Jetlev, which became commercially available this spring, only works on water, which pretty much precludes its use by any superhero, unless there's one devoted exclusively to enforcing maritime law. But still, it's a jet pack, and it can be yours for $99,500. It'll look perfect next to your yacht.
