FOUNDER, PHILIP CRANGI; GILES AND BROTHER BY PHILIP CRANGI. NEW YORK

You know you've made it when Miss Piggy is on the cover of a magazine wearing your jewels, so when we caught up with Philip Crangi, he was still riding the Muppet high. Crangi along with his sister/biz partner launched their two collections, Philip Crangi (a fine jewellery collection) and Giles & Brother-their costume line that continues to be the object of our affection-in 2001. Crangi graciously welcomed us into his N.Y.C. abode, which he shares with his equally talented partner, Darren. Let's just say Darren is the man responsible for our racked up credit card bills at Barney's: he works as the accessories designer at Proenza Schouler (and formerly Balenciaga). Good catch, right? Crangi quickly brewed us a pot of coffee to get our Coveteur creativity on and we got right to it. We were instantly swept away to Crangi's Floridian roots through his palm tree wallpaper. (Ed note: You may recognize it from the Beverly Hills Hotel and alsoNicky Hilton's pad.) As per usual, we were eager get our hands on the sparkly accessories, which we soon learned were heavily inspired by Greco-Roman artifacts, Baroque ironwork and Japanese armour. The thoughtfulness behind each piece lent itself to the stories embedded in Crangi's décor. Behind his tattoos and cute grizzly beard is a laid back, sophisticated man who likes to curl up with a good book, and even needlepoint from time to time-schedule permitting, of course.

Things I can't live without:

• 1. Public Radio- WNYC.
• 2. A good book.
• 3. New York.
• 4. Hammacher Schlemmer noise machine.
• 5. My man Darren.
• source: thecoveteur.com