Man Buys $228k SHIRT made of gold

[RoseRelish]

 http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1312026--gold-shirt-sold-to-indian-businessman-for-228-000
 
Gold shirt sold to Indian businessman for $228,000


An Indian businessman with a passion for bling has spent $228,000 for a custom-made shirt fashioned out of 3.5 kilos of gold.
The 140,000 “small pieces of gold” took 15 goldsmiths 20 days to hammer together, jeweller Shailesh Ranka told the Star on Tuesday. The back and collar are fastened with six red Swarovsky crystals as buttons.
Businessman Datta Phuge accessorized the outfit with gold chains and wristbands from his seven-kilo daily collection, he says in a video.
The 42-year-old “Gold Man,” as he is known in his city of Pimpri-Chinchwad, says he was broke for a long time but has worked hard and is pleased he can afford luxury living now.
“The gold shirt has been one of my dreams and I am elated to collect it today,” he told the localPune Mirror newspaper on Dec. 28. His plan was to wear it to a New Year’s Eve party.
“It will be an embellishment to my reputation as the ‘Gold Man of Pimpri’.”
Phuge is married to a local councillor, Sheema Phuge, who was charged last summer with submitting fake documents in an election, according to Indian media.
Ranka, whose family jewellery business dates back six generations in the west-central Indian city, said his store is hoping to enter the garment in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The Pune Mirror newspaper polled “style gurus” for their opinion of Ranka’s 22-karat creation.
“Kudos to the designer for thinking out of the box, though I wonder which man would pay to wear it,” said celebrity designer Swapnil Shinde.
“It is not my style and it has no structure or shape. And looks very busy with the red buttons,” said classic designer Maheka Mirpuri.
“As if there is not enough bling on clothes,” sniffed veteran Mumbai couture designer Narendra Kumar

[Jack]

That gives "money laundering" a whole new meaning!

But seriously, as long as he didn't pay much over the commodity price of it, it my not be that bad an investment (but wearing it in public, vulnerable to criminals, is another story).

[strider3700]

india tends to store a lot of it's wealth in the form of gold.  usually it's bracelets or chains but yeah so long as it's close to commodity cost this is just another investment over there.

[ShavenLlama]

I hope he doesn't have a hairy chest (or back), it would suck to get pinched by all those peices when he moves around.

[RoseRelish]

3.5 kilos of gold is 123.5 ounces of gold. At today's price of $1,660 that means the shirt has $205,010 of commodity cost - so he paid about $23,000 to have the shirt made.

[sheepstache]

What I really consider the fashion faux pas is that it's short sleeves.  Short sleeve button-downs on a man are questionable anyway, but he's going to wear it to a New Year's Eve party??  Then I thought about it a little more and realized long sleeves would cover up his bracelets.

[Jamesqf]

Honestly, cloth of gold is so much more comfortable, and stylish.  This?  Well, you might as well make a chain mail shirt of gold.

[kkbmustang]

Re-tar-ded.

[Hamster]

If he wants to be taken seriously, he really needs to get some gold (or better diamonds) in his grill.

[Self-employed-swami]

If he wants to be taken seriously, he really needs to get some gold (or better diamonds) in his grill.

Ahahahahahhaha!

[Phoebe]

The worst part is that it's ugly!

[grantmeaname]

I love that he has worked his way up from poverty to hear him tell it, but he's a sixth-generation jewelry store owner.

[James]

I love that he has worked his way up from poverty to hear him tell it, but he's a sixth-generation jewelry store owner.

Sure he worked his way up, from average rich to filthy rich...  :)


I actually don't have too much of a problem with this, it's not your normal "consumption".  Something new and interesting was created, it will probably be displayed and even used for generations to come, and it's an interesting thing to do with gold rather than just more chains, etc.   He will probably display it in a shop to help promote his business so I wouldn't be surprised if it pays for itself just in publicity for his business.

[grantmeaname]

It's really a pretty smart marketing move, and since we're hearing about it all the way over here, it's probably been pretty effective. It's just also a disgusting show of wealth and excess. I guess if you're a jeweler, you're less turned off by that than members of some other professions would be.

[sheepstache]

[Left]

well, it's gold, it's an investment if you look at it as such lol

[The_Dude]

I love that he has worked his way up from poverty to hear him tell it, but he's a sixth-generation jewelry store owner.

Shirt owner = Datta Phuge
6th generation jeweler = Shailesh Ranka

But yeah gold shirt = stupid :)

[c]

I don't understand why it was accented with red Swarovski crystals. That amount of money and workmanship, it deserves a better accent.

I was always taught that you add the more expensive accents to a piece of jewelry - add gold accents to a silver ring, never add silver accents to a gold ring.