Luv, Love, Luv these glasses.
The Cut's, Amy Odell is reporting that Louisiana is being overrun with Alligators since no one wants to make handbags with them anymore. Let's journey to Louisiana to see how the recession has affected a small, oft-overlooked sector of the luxury industry: alligator farms. Gerald Savoie Jr. has over 60,000 alligators on his farm, but no one to sell them to. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen,” Savoie told Houma Today. “It’s never been this bad. Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, they’re not buying. And if they’re not buying, we’re not selling.” The alligator business is a $60 million industry in Louisiana. Luxist reports that Vermilion Gator Farms Inc. generally sells 75,000 hides a year, but it hasn't sold a single skin in a year and expects to not sell a skin for a year on top of that. Alligators: the recession's cats.
Alligator skins are used for things like bags, belts, and shoes. But things made of alligator are expensive, so no one's buying them anymore. So PETA should be happy right? Wrong. Their hides are already on the market collecting dust. Last month 840,000 tanned hides were on the market in the U.S., waiting to be sold to tanners. Normally there are just 275,000 on the market. But if these farms won't make any sales for another whole year, now would be a great time for PETA to stage a great rescue mission and start a Clarissa Explains It All–inspired campaign to get the nation to take them in as pets.
Things that make you go hhmmm!
"Man is free at the moment his wishes to be."---Voltaire
Lovin Life, Truth Is
Today's showings had Louis Vuitton, Miu Miu, and RM by Roland Mouret. Here's just a bit of Louis Vuitton's Collection.
Marc JacobsThis is a cute shoe!
Madonna and Marc: When Marc Jacobs found himself in a meeting on a recent Monday morning to brainstorm about Louis Vuitton’s next fashion advertising campaign, inspiration struck. “I just blurted out, ‘I think we should do Madonna,’” said the designer, Vuitton’s creative director, mentioning he’d attended a concert by the pop icon the night before in Paris. “I was totally just blown away by it, and moved by her performance, by what she had to say, and her energy.”
Fashion graffiti has reemerged as global luxury brand Louis Vuitton brings out yet another graffiti pop collection. The spray-art inspired collection for Louis Vuitton is a collaboration with artist Stephen Sprouse for the second time around. The first time was with the graffiti collection back in 2001 which took the fashion world by storm; this time they are elaborating on past success. Spouse has now recreated the graffiti print, and it’s just the bags this time that have been under the spray can - the graffiti luxe touch has been added to sneakers, shoes, sunglasses as well as a range of clothing. No doubt the graffiti art scene is growing in the streets, and that is all good, but the fashion graffiti craze is a little beyond me… Too much going on. I can’t wait to see this fad turn back to basics again. 
Navigating all the sales is a real job. But finding the good stuff is sooooo worth it!
Louis VuittonLuv these little retro-styled glasses!
Valentino
Seriously, I tried to walk away....slowly....But I couldn't...it's just soooo beautiful.
After the international fashion week dust settles, those craving a taste of iconography needn't look any further than Christie's. On October 30, the auction house will host a retrospective auction of iconoclastic design. Resurrection: Avant-Garde Fashion, an extensive collection of 20th century fashion previously held in private hands, will be sold in London at the South Kensington saleroom. The auction includes items from designers from the 1960s to the 1990s who challenged cherished norms with new materials and innovative ways of cutting fabric. Pieces by Pierre Cardin, Paco Rabanne, André Courrèges, Rudi Gernreich, Ossie Clark, Vivienne Westwood, Norma Kamali, Azzedine Alaia, Gianni Versace and Issey Miyake will all go on the block.
Whether it's the pop art influence or the revival of architectural couture, the collection offers over 250 pieces of apparel, accessories and jewels. Estimates range from £500 to £10,000. Key items include Rabanne's aluminum riveted plate dress, Cardin's space age bubble cape and a rare gold leather evening dress from Versace. Expect a bidding war.
Highlights include:You don't have to be present to bid. What a great opportunity provided you can stand the bidding wars. The catalog for the sale will be available 3 weeks prior to October 30th and you can order it online right now at Christie's.
"Thank you Nola Weinstein and "Michelle" for contributing to this story"
"Art is a fruit that grows in a man, like a plant , or a child in it's mother's womb."---Frank Auerbach
Lovin Life, Truth Is
Next stop US.
Louis Vuitton Malletier has been awarded more than CAD1m (US$0.94m) in damages and costs after rogue traders in British Columbia sold fake copies of its accessories.
The luxury goods company, part of the LVMH empire, had sought to set a precedent in bringing the case against 46353 BC Ltd, which traded under a number of retail names including Wynnie Lee Fashion, Wynnie Lee, Francisca Hung-Yee Ngan, Lisa Le Dung Tran, 560148 BC and Jacqueline Lee, all based in Richmond, British Columbia.
Sitting in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, Justice Mary Ellen Boyd said the defendants had acted "wilfully and knowingly" in selling fake copies of Louis Vuitton scarves, handbags, purses, wallets and belts.
Awarding a record amount of C$20,000 per violation, Justice Boyd said the retailers had continued to sell the fake goods over a six-year period, ignoring a series of court orders, Federal Court judgments and cease and desist notices.
They had sought to avoid detection by hiding the items in drawers in the shops and refusing to offer receipts for goods, the court heard.
Louis Vuitton Malletier had originally brought the action after seizing hundreds of fake items from a Wynnie Lee store in 2004.
"We are extremely pleased by this precedent-setting victory in our global fight against counterfeiting, particularly in Canada where the legal framework for the enforcement of Intellectual Property rights is not as strong as in other countries," said Nathalie Moulle-Berteaux, intellectual property director of Louis Vuitton.
Louis Vuitton also pointed to an earlier case brought against Lin Pi-Chu Yang in British Columbia last November, which led to a payout of over C$260,000.
"Through these decisions, the judges have sent a strong message to counterfeiters that their illegal activities will not be tolerated by the Canadian courts," said Moulle-Berteaux.
Thankyou Mary Dan from Just Style for the story.
"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."---Abraham Lincoln
Lovin Life, Truth Is
I was brutally yelled at by a dear friend and avid reader of the blog that I must not forget to mention the various Menswear Fashion Week. As we all know some of the best ideas in women's fashion are inspired by the ensembles that men don on a daily basis. So guys, enjoy your fashion week{s}
Men's Fashion Week
Milan
Saturday June 21st 2008
12:00p COSTUME NATIONAL HOMME
2:30p JIL SANDER
3:30p MISSONI
4:15p BURBERRY PRORSUM
6:30p VERSACE
7:30p EVISU
Sunday June 22nd 2008
9:00a BOTTEGA VENETA
11:00a GIANFRANCO FERRE
12:00p ROBERTO CAVALLI
1:00p SALVATORE FERRAGAMO
2:00p VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
2:45p ANTONIO MARRAS
3:30p EMPORIO ARMANI
4:15p ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
7:00p PRADA
Monday June 23rd 2008
12.00 GUCCI
3:30p MOSCHINO
5:30p ALESSANDRO DELL’ACQUA
Tuesday June 24th 2008
9:00a MARNI
10:00a ICEBERG
11:00a DSQUARED2
12:00p FENDI
12:45p ETRO
1:45p CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION
3:30p GIORGIO ARMANI
5:30p ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
6:30p BELSTAFF
Paris
Thursday June 26th 2008
2:30p LOUIS VUITTON
5:00p JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
6:00p YOHJI YAMAMOTO
8:00p DRIES VAN NOTEN
Friday June 27th 2008
10:00a JUNYA WATANABE
12:00p THIERRY MUGLER
1:00p KRIS VAN ASSCHE
15.00 KENZO
4:00p COMME DES GARCONS HOMME
6:00p GIVENCHY
8:30p JOHN GALLIANO
Saturday June 28th 2008
2:00p ANN DEMEULEMEESTER
6:00p EMANUEL UNGARO
8:00p HERMÈS
9:00p RAF SIMONS
Sunday June 29th 2008
11:00a LANVIN
2:00p DIOR HOMME
5:00p PAUL SMITH
7:00p AGNÈS B.
**Images courtesy of Men's Style.com
royal crown earrings with an ascending There we're several things that I didn't get a chance to do this past weekend -like see Sex and the City movie {yes, please gasp and cry for me as I did the same thing as well}- but of the few pleasurable things that I did manage to squeeze into my weekend, coveted jewels were one of them; jewels of the Billionaire Boys Club type. I remember late summer of 2004 when I first heard of about the collaboration between legendary design house Louis Vuitton and N.E.R.D. co-founder Pharrell Williams I thought "oh this can't possibly be good, it's going to be one of those 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' type of deals." Then, my mind grew even more concerned when I heard rumors of Pharrell being overextended and overwhelmed from the pressure of designing a collection with the legendary French fashion house. But nearly two years later and a You Tube video of the work that Pharrell had done, I must say that he accomplished the feat of silencing any negative thought I originally had about this endeavor. The Blason Collection is here just in time for spring and includes antique staples that have been modernized like a miniature LV logo encrusted with blue diamonds, or a golden cherub brooch that is clutching a white diamond in his two little palms. Watch the video below and let us know what you think. Also, for more information about the Blason Collection check out the Louis Vuitton website.
Today, the re-interpretation of this 60s collection is a celebration of the flower-power generation made fresh for the 21st Century in a range of vintage styles and thoroughly modern shapes for the fashionable world traveler. The 2007 introduction is a limited edition release available in the original iconic black-on-white floral print, as well as a contemporary update in white-on-black. All the 
bags have the orange interior to them. It really makes them pop! It's spring in my book and on my calendar. They say, "April Shower's Bring May flowers." True. True. So in the meantime
"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."-- Albert Einstein
Lovin Life, truth is
While I was busy looking in my purse this morning I noticed that I WANT A NEW WALLET. So you guessed it, I'm goin shoppin
“To me, every cubic inch of space is a miracle.” ---Walt Whitman
Okay, I bought my first designer handbag when I was in the 9th grade and I have been in love with well made designer bags every since. It was a blue Gucci , with the monogram, and a red white & blue ribbon in the center, a sort of button with the Gucci label in it, which nobody can seem to believe I bought when I did! (I'm not tellin!, not even the name of the bag!) One Fashionista that I know asked me about that bag and I knew immediately that this person knows her stuff! My next bag was a Coach, black, with a little black coach tag hanging. My next was my absolute favorite, Louis Vuitton. So went my upward love of handbags (started not a moment too soon!) I learned that Louis Vuitton was founded in 1854 and was the hallmark of style and craftmanship. I also learned that it was the creme de la creme, the best of the best when it came to craftmanship. So that's what I'll focus on today. There is something to be said for those individuals who can buy an item today knowing that it will never go out of style. Not only is it satisfying, it makes it easy for you to approach all of your shopping in "investment mode." You should buy all of your clothing, shoes, jewlery, everything from someone who can bring you both style and fashion. And I mean "BRING IT." Let's take a look at some current styles of Louis Vuitton Bags. For Louis Vuitton's Handbag collection: Palemo Pm and Palemo GM are two bags that are classics. In the luggage line Alzier, Bisten and Cotteville are classics. So there you have it, the first three designers that I bought my handbags from way back in ....(I'm still not tellin!) Which were the top 3 designers of the moment and arguably today. For all you Fashionista's out there here's a list of some other popular hand bag sites: http://www.balenciaga.com/ http://www.burberry.com/ http://www.chanel.com/ http://www.chloe.com/ http://www.christiandior.com/ http://www.hermes.com/ http://www.jimmychoobags.com/ Of all the people in the world...NOT ONE...is more PRECIOUS, LOVED AND DESERVING...than YOU. Lovin Life, Truthis
