Spiegel Stuff: The Pink Panther Takes Paris

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CLAIRE HOWORTH,
DEPUTY EDITOR

The Louvre had a weekend written by Steven Soderbergh, when several thieves pulled off an Ocean's Eleven–style jewelry heist of the crown jewels from the Paris museum. According to reports, the haul included some of Louis XIV's diamonds and Empress Eugenie's tiara, and it took only seven minutes, with at least one of the culprits wearing a neon utility vest. Read Vanity Fair's catalog of the stolen sparklers, and when you're finished with that, bedeck your brain with these other priceless gems from our archives.

Diamonds Are a Thief's Best Friend

BY VANITY FAIR

The Musée du Louvre is in a state of shock after a spectacular robbery took place on Sunday. At around 9:30 a.m., several individuals forced their way into the Galerie d'Apollon, attacking the display cases and making off with a number of priceless jewels. Most of these veritable treasures of French history date from the 19th century. (Another part of the crown jewels were stolen during the French Revolution, and in 1887, the government of the Third Republic sold a large part of the royal jewel collection.) The jewels in the Louvre are all the more important: They are the last testimony to a fabulous story initiated by King François I in 1530, aimed at collecting the most beautiful gems available on behalf of the state. Most of the pieces, which were stolen from the museum in just seven minutes, tell the story of the first and second French empires.

How Did You Get in My House?

HOLLYWOOD

Stealing Sunset

BY PUNCH HUTTON

Punch Hutton's Spanish Revival home was the stuff of Hollywood real estate fantasies—and the ideal target for Benjamin Ackerman, the city's most prolific thief.

FASHION

The Suspects Wore Louboutins

BY NANCY JO SALES

A bunch of club-hopping Valley kids, motivated by vanity and celebrity-worship, became the most audacious burglary gang in recent Hollywood history—accused of stealing more than $3 million in clothing and jewelry from Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and other stars.

SPORTS

Jocks and Robbers

BY ALEX FRENCH

Inside the case against the men who allegedly robbed a trove of luxury goods and jewelry from NFL and NBA athletes while they played on the road.

L'Affaire of an American in Paris

Kim Kardashian Takes the Stand

BY HUGO WINTREBERT

Kim Kardashian knew she was going to die. In Paris, nearly 10 years ago, two men, one armed, burst into her suite at a luxury hotel and demanded her jewelry. The ordeal lasted 10 minutes, which she spent bound with her mouth duct-taped, thinking of her family and her seemingly imminent death. Earlier this year, the American star told her story to a French court as the suspects, some now old men, finally faced trial.

The case reveals a story of betrayal, greed, and desperation while presenting the meeting of two very different worlds. On one side, an American princess, and on the other, Parisian paupers. The robbery, worth millions, came at an inopportune time for Paris, its image already weakened by the wave of terrorist attacks the previous year. And so, authorities deployed considerable resources to identify the heist's perpetrators, a motley crew of aged criminals. The trial offered a look at a sprawling investigation that held the global reputation of Parisian authorities at stake—and the attention of those who usually keep up with the Kardashians hostage. Almost a decade after the crime, you'll read who the grandpa robbers are, how they did it, and if they feel remorse.