Elegant websites?

[V8S]

Chaps!

I am looking for examples of websites that portray a very professional, elegant and upmarket image. Websites that reek of prestigious products / services catering to wealthy individuals, although they do not necessarily have to be in that line - they just need that kind of style.

Does anyone have anything in mind?

Ta muchly.

[PatBateman]

http://www.bentleymotors.com/Corporate/

http://www.breitling.com/en/

[-DeaDLocK-]

Just as an aside, a mark of ultra-elegant sites is that it is near-enough devoid of content. The brand/product in of itself sells, and minimalist presentation is key.

Unless you have a brand or a product that is practically a household name, most new elegant sites get lost in the quagmire of the net because it is very difficult for them to get high Google rankings due to a lack of content (i.e. copious amounts of raw text).

Unless good Google search rankings are not a priority, this is a critical consideration in finding the balance between presentation and SEO.

[V8S]

When I say elegant, I definitely don't mean minimalist. I mean they have quality, clear fonts, a 'classic' (think Laura Ashley but not so fuddy duddy) colour scheme and a clear and precise navigation even if there is a lot of information.

[bingbong]

Here's a good list, although I suppose like everything visual design related it's all a bit subjective

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/05/21/60-eleg...

[agent006]

-DeaDLocK- said:

Just as an aside, a mark of ultra-elegant sites is that it is near-enough devoid of content.

Rubbish. Websites that are near-devoid of content are the mark of a bad web designer who can't work content into a design ethos.

[lotusryan]

bbwcity.com

[molestrangler]

Grays of Westminster, simple, but with the class they actually have in bucket loads.

[alfa daley]

That Grays of Westminster has a great landing page but then you click through and the rest of it is pretty average. The text columns are too wide and with centered images it looks a bit odd. I think the following have a nice clean look

http://www.ultimatetravelcompany.co.uk/
http://www.oris.ch/home.aspx

[V8S]

Thanks all. Any more?

[KB_S1]

One that I always enjoy opening - Fcomm

Seem to remember the Lotus site being nice too.
Oh and Abbey Roads new one looks great, although can be tricky to get info quickly.