Versace did it. Armani did it. Other designers have thought about it, or talked about it. And last night, Mulholland Brothers, based in San Francisco, unveiled The Mulholland Suite at the Huntington Hotel in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood. Mulholland loyalists know that the company dabbled in the furniture business for a few years with a beautiful line of what we called "boldly masculine" pieces in dark wood stains with complementary leather accents. That, and their particular expertise in leather goods, inspired the design of the suite.

Way, way back in 2005, when gas was only $2.50/gallon in California, I wrote of our adjacent neighbor -- Club Sportiva. Club Sportiva was the first "luxury carshare" concept, started back in 2003; today, clubs like it are popping up all over the country. In late 2005, On The Fly moved in next door to Club Sportiva, and the two companies are separated by a gate that is left open all day so Club Sportiva members can peruse our merchandise, and our customers can ogle their cars. 

But thanks to the growing legion of readers of our blog, Club Sportiva has offered to let me take some of their cars for a spin in exchange for mentioning Club Sportiva six times in a single blog. Club Sportiva. Done. The first car up was a 2006 Aston Martin DB9 in navy blue with whiskey interior.  

Let's get one thing clear: I am not a professional driver. I barely know how to pop the hood on our company SUV. If you want a detailed descriptions of horsepower or torque or reliability, you best find another blog. I will approach these cars from the perspective of someone who will appreciate how the car drives, how it looks, and who looks at you in it. Sound narcissistic? I've been called worse.

The Aston Martin DB9 is a huge car. But to me, that is quintessentially Aston Martin. The new, smaller Vantage could easily be mistaken for a Toyota sports car to the untrained eye, whereas the DB9 makes a clear statement. For this reason, I actually regret not wearing something a little more bold; I opted for a safe Fairway & Greene golf shirt & vest, Bills Khakis Chamois Cloth pants, a Mulholland Brothers Hippo Duffel in Bridle Tan and a pair of one-of-a-kind Michael Toschi wingtip prototypes to match the interior of the car. The sound of it helps as well. The engine is louder at 20 mph than at 80 mph, and it's loud in the best way possible (the beautiful roar made me snicker at the Lexus-like commercials showing a driver in the car unable to hear anything outside).

The ride was surprisingly smooth, although I enjoyed more like someone scared to death of crashing his friend's car than an owner. It accelerates well, although the paddle shifting is not as responsive as other systems I've driven in the past. Fear of fishtailing kept me from testing its cornering capabilities, but a reasonable 180-degree long, curvy onramp near Candlestick Park had me driving faster than all the traffic on the freeway way before having to merge.

Of the entire inventory of cars available to Club Sportiva members -- and you'll see the rest in the coming weeks -- the DB9 has always been one of my favorites. Driving it only reinforced my opinion.

When On The Fly was nothing more than a business plan on a cocktail napkin, courting vendors to sell to an online-only upstart was priority #1.

Lucky for us, Mulholland Brothers was able to see the potential, and was willing to lend a helping hand. Business was already good for them, but 3 years later, no one would have guessed the various directions in which our partnership has taken us. Our showroom is filled with their furniture as well as their sought-after leather accessories. We manage their direct-to-consumer website at mulhollandbrothers.com. There are future collaborations probably best not discussed yet. No matter what happens, we are eternally grateful for their support, and to show it, we are proud to launch our first ever podcast: an interview with Founder & Creative Director of Mulholland Brothers, Jay Holland.

There are many perks to being 2 freeway exits away from Mulholland Brothers' headquarters. One of my favorite perks is seeing new products, sometimes months before they will be shown at market, which is months before they'll be seen in stores. Last January, I got a first look at the Mulholland M-Series line while filming the episode of "Ultimate Retail" for HGTV in Canada and Fine Living in the U.S. The collection made a big impression because it was stunning to look at, and very unlike traditional pieces from Mulholland.

The M-Series is probably the most contemporary line to come out of Mulholland Brothers, although the Momentum line was also a pleasant departure with its cool orange microfiber interiors. The M-Series is a sable grey color with a brownish tint to it lined with an almost chocolate brown leather trim and sewn using a very subtle chocolate thread. The luggage is made of the Endurance® textile known for being both scratchproof and waterproof -- two qualities that are hard to understate given the beating that baggage handlers or Mother Nature can inflict.

At the end of the day, though, it's the details that make the M-Series stand out. Details like the baseball-stitched handles, the square rivets made custom for the M-Series, the titanium hardware, the wheel-and-tire combination, hidden passport pockets, a dirty-clothes bag integrated into luggage pieces, and a "switchblade" luggage tag. 

It's been 9 months since we first laid eyes on it, but the M-Series has finally arrived. Some pieces have already found their way into the Wall Street area of our showroom. If you can't make it San Francisco to see the line in person, you can see it all online here.