Monday, March 31, 2008
Mastermind Japan - Masaaki Homma on TIMES magazine
from Wrong Wroks
“If given a thousand dollars, a young Japanese consumer wouldn’t spend it on a big, brand-name item. They would go for quality stuff with no logo,” says Masaaki Homma, 37, the designer of Mastermind Japan, a pioneer of what’s known in Tokyo as “street luxury,” a combination of street fashion and traditional Japanese craftsmanship.
“Young connoisseurs are not swayed by prevailing media trends,” he says. “They evaluate goods rather coolly.” Indeed, Homma is part of a growing population of young Japanese designers and consumers who value luxury over look-at-me logos.
“There will always be people who love a logo,” says Jason Lee Coates, a Tokyo-based “cool” hunter and sales and marketing director of H3O, a fashion-p.r. company. “Except now people are starting to learn that luxury and status don’t always need a big flashy symbol.” Appealing to this younger generation, local lines such as Heddie Lovu denim and Kenji Ikeda bags are looking to European brands like Bottega Veneta and Herm�s as examples of luxury houses that shun logos.
Homma launched Mastermind Japan in 1997 with a collection featuring skull motifs—a signature that became popular among Tokyo’s street-fashion tribes. But it was the extraordinary caliber of the fabrics used in Homma’s meticulously constructed designs that ultimately caught the eye of fans like Karl Lagerfeld. Researching state-of-the-art techniques, Homma has developed distinctive materials such as laser-printed leather and waterproof silk (which is traditionally used for kimonos).
“Homma has a great eye. He recognizes the finest quality,” says Masanori Nishikawa, a knitwear-factory owner and artisan who teaches at Tokyo’s prestigious Bunka Fashion College. “He has the guts to try something challenging. So if I propose new techniques, he identifies with them immediately and adopts them.”
Although Homma now shows his collection in Paris and his clothes are sold at 35 local and 20 overseas shops, he didn’t always find it easy to get his message across. When he started out, local buyers and journalists dismissed him as an unknown. It wasn’t until Homma showed his collection in Paris in 2001 that he began to attract the attention of several buyers. “It was in the midst of a Uniqlo boom in Japan, when people were wondering how to look cool in Uniqlo’s $8 pieces,” recalls Homma. “My stuff was already said to be expensive, so I decided to improve on it and go all the way to make really high-quality clothes.” In 2002 a buyer from Maxfield in Los Angeles took note and ordered 20 pieces, including a $2,000 skull-patterned hand-knit cashmere sweater. Celebrities like Tom Cruise and Justin Timberlake began wearing Mastermind Japan, and sales of Homma’s clothes took off.
“When people were all going in the direction thinking that it would be O.K. to make low-priced clothes at a mediocre level, I just went in the opposite way,” explains Homma. He was reacting to Japan’s shrinking artisanal market and to the exodus of its production facilities to China. Not only were factories closing, but the high-volume plants that remained in business were filled with foreigners, as if they were outposts of Chinese factories.
“They will all go home eventually,” says Homma. “The time will come when we won’t be able to make fine clothes anymore because only the high-volume plants will survive. Fine artisans will all be forced out of business.”
Like Homma, Sachiyo Ikemoto, 33, the designer behind Japanese denim brand Heddie Lovu, cherishes Japanese artisanal work. “I wanted a good-looking pair of jeans that I could wear for decades,” she says. “Like a denim version of an Herm�s Birkin bag. But I couldn’t find them, so I had to make them myself.”
To create the jeans without compromising on color, shape or texture, Ikemoto spent a year living in Japan’s denim mecca, Okayama Prefecture, working with local craftsmen to develop everything from the thread to the design. Today Heddie Lovu jeans are among the best-selling premium jeans at Tokyo’s prime shopping complex Omotesando Hills.
“To me, brands are all about individuality now. Logos are not important,” says Kenji Ikeda, 33, a handbag designer who once worked at Givenchy and has started his own no-logo label. When Ikeda launched his brand in 2003, the first thing he did was hire two full-time craftsmen. “If I got a high-caliber staff to create high-quality products, I believed that it would yield results,” recalls Ikeda, whose concept proved to be right. In 2006, sales of his handbags increased 170% over the previous year.
“People are learning, and the market is maturing,” says Kiyoshi Takimoto, a co-designer, with Kazuhiro Kushida, of Coffy, a new Japanese leather-accessories brand that is popular among twentysomething women. “Luxury brands without quality are going nowhere and are only ephemeral.”
For his part, Coates says he applauds consumers who seek more exceptional forms of luxury, which, according to him, owe their existence to a global respect for the skills needed to create luxury goods. In the same spirit, Mastermind Japan’s Homma says he always credits the people involved in his creative process, from textile workers to patternmakers. “I’m always moved by their know-how,” he says. “That’s what propels me to design. There are still so many fine processing technologies buried in Japan that can surprise the world. My job is just to introduce the technology and beauty of ‘made in Japan’ to the world.”
Labels: designer fashion brands, luxury brands, luxury fashion brands
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Michael Kors Black Leather Roadie Tote
Labels: authentic designer handbags, discount designer handbags, michael kors handbags
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Elaine Turner Handbags: Elaine Turner
Shop online get the best prices for Elaine Turner Handbags. Brand new Elaine Turner Handbag selection at BrandsBoutique Online Store.
Designer Fashion - Gucci Canvas Shopper
Labels: authentic gucci handbags, discount designer handbags, discount gucci purses
Friday, March 28, 2008
Designer Fashion - Elaine Turner Maya Bag
Labels: discount elaine turner, elaine turner handbags
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Designer Brands - Trina Turk Macrame Tote Bag
Labels: trina turk handbags, trina turk macrame tote bag
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Designer Brands - Coach Patchwork Gallery Tote
Labels: authentic coach handbags, coach gallery tote, discount coach, discount designer handbags
Spring Savings are in the Air at eFashionHouse.com, Plus Site Welcomes Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner
Sky Valley, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2008 -- After months of winter fashion accessories, spring is finally on its way and eFashionHouse.com celebrates with savings of 25-70% on the latest trends in designer handbags. Committed to offering shoppers the best online prices for purses, eFashionHouse.com, named Best of the Web by People StyleWatch for below retail priced designer handbags and recognized by About.com as the top of three online retailers of off-priced Chanel, just added hundreds of new designer handbags from Marc Jacobs, Prada, Chanel, Gucci, Anya Hindmarch, Isabelle Fiore, Coach, Tano and many more top designers, just in time for spring. The site also added three new designer fashion brands - Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner - to its huge selection of designer handbags for even more savings.
"We are excited to add Melie Bianco, Murval and Elaine Turner handbags because the handbag demand has changed from including not only the big designer names to now welcoming other chic designers with more affordable prices," said Anna Miller, eFashionHouse Owner. "Regardless of the Economy, women still want to buy themselves a new purse, and making affordable prices available online is the purpose of eFashionHouse where you do not have to spend a fortune to carry a new quality designer handbag."
With all purses priced under $100, both Melie Bianco and Murval are known for their trendy styles and amazing prices. A favorite among fashion editors, Melie Bianco has been featured in an array of magazines, like Marie Claire, People, Cosmopolitan and Self, because it is "chic and affordable" line (prices range from $30-$75) features funky and wearable styles perfect for the trendy fashionista. Another brand that is known for offering the look of couture without the high price, French company MURVAL was created by two sisters, Muriel and Valerie, who recognized the need for fashionable accessories at accessible prices. With its bags costing less than $50, MURVAL comes out with two collections a year and despite the low price points scores high among the fashion crowd.
Though not in the under $100 category, Dallas-based fashion designer Elaine Turner is still considered a bargain since her line features the finest embossed exotic leathers and signature painted grass cloth bags. Elaine Turner quickly rose to the ranks of the fashion It Bag and the brands popularity continues to grow because of its distinct and creative approach to classic looks in handbags and accessories.
Shoppers who crave the more luxurious designer handbag names can still look forward to savings and shop for the latest trends because eFashionHouse.com has it all. Some of the featured handbag styles available at a discount are: 
In addition to the discounted prices, shoppers can receive an additional 10 percent discount using coupon code OFF10 when making a purchase from the eFashionHouse Sale Section. Plus, budget conscious fashionistas can always take advantage of the eFashionHouse.com layaway plan which allows shoppers to pay over time.
About eFashionHouse.com
Anna Miller is the President of i-GlobalMall.com, Inc. She operates the website http://www.efashionhouse.com/ and sells high-end authentic designer handbags and accessories at off-retail prices. eFashionHouse.com was named Best of the Web by People Magazine StyleWatch for Discount Designer Handbags and Purses. eFashionHouse.com should not be confused with any other website selling a similar product or using a similar name. EfashionHouse.com is the home of five fashion ecommerce stores: BrandsBoutique, LuxuryVintage, DesignersLA, ItalysOutlet, and ValueBags. Anna is considered an Internet Pioneer and Ecommerce Entrepreneur. She has been reselling Designer Merchandise online since the early 90's. eFashionHouse.com has an extensive Press Page and a Fashion Blog Network. Visit the site for more details.
Read about the EFH Layaway here: eFashionHouse.com Layaway Program
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Saturday, March 22, 2008
Fashion special: Still crazy about Coco
Chanel revolutionised women’s fashion, and 25 years after Karl Lagerfeld took over, the label is as iconic as ever, says Susannah Frankel
Ask Karl Lagerfeld to sum up – in only 10 words – the power of Chanel and it's no great surprise when the great couturier, who, let's face it, is far from a shrinking violet where his dealings with the media are concerned, comes back with a rather longer answer than that.
Chanel encapsulates the idea of "modernity" first and foremost, he says. It embodies "a contemporary attitude – whatever the time or the decade". Chanel also stands for "luxury" and "the power of the logo". The iconic double C branding is surely the most instantly recognisable in fashion history. Also, for Chanel, read "the power of the handbag – the most famous in the world". Lagerfeld speaks here of the 2.55 in particular, named after its date of birth in February 1955, quilted, to keep its shape and echoing the texture of classic British outerwear, originally favoured by jockeys. (Chanel, for her part, favoured jockeys in return, but more of that later.) Suspended from a gilt shoulder strap, this was the first purse designed for a woman ensuring her hands were free.
The white camellia, too, says Lagerfeld, is an integral part of the story. It was Chanel's favourite flower and her successor has, in the past, coloured it every which way, on one particularly memorable occasion, even casting it in diamonds the size of boiled sweets as the single closure to a perfectly cut Chanel haute- couture jacket. "I also love camellias," Lagerfeld goes on to confirm, "and gardenias. But I love old-style-looking roses too, like the ones you can only find in Paris at Odorantes in Rue Madame." The black ribbon bow – today a staple of every couture catwalk and no longer just Chanel's own – is treated with similar diversity. "We do this in all kinds of shapes, colours and materials," Lagerfeld says.
Perhaps more significantly, the Chanel name stands also for "timelessness, but for fashion at the same time" – while the recipe may be updated each season in line with the mood of the moment, the main ingredients remain the same – and for "the two-tone shoe, not only the pump but also 'the ballerina' and so forth". Chanel gave this to the world in 1957 – the first pair had a sling-back – in beige with a black tip, which has the miraculous effect of foreshortening the foot and lengthening the leg. Then, continues Lagerfeld, there's "the magic address: 31 Rue Cambon". Chanel set up shop as a milliner in that very street in Paris for the first time in 1910. The plaque on the door originally read "Chanel Modes". Although it is now significantly expanded, it remains the company's headquarters to this day.
Lagerfeld goes on to cite "the mystery of the Coromandel screens she loved and which have inspired her": it is the stuff of fashion folklore that Chanel was always surrounded and indeed shielded by particularly fine examples of these. Finally, the world has Chanel to thank for "the mixing of real and fake jewellery and the invention of fashion costume jewellery", enjoying something of a resurgence just now, incidentally, as seen at the most recent round of international collections everywhere from Balenciaga to Lanvin and from Louis Vuitton to, well, Chanel. True to her unusually democratic stance, Chanel herself thought nothing of mixing diamonds and paste, real pearls with great ropes of more reasonably priced approximations. She wore them well and today Lagerfeld embellishes everything from sunglasses to handbags with more of the same.
"You see," Lagerfeld argues with an energy and enthusiasm that belie his 74 years, "here are already 12 reasons and you asked for 10... That shows the power – and the staying power – of Chanel. The image, the fashion and the idea of the woman herself as the first modern one. It is the idea of modernity, a life and a lifestyle that women can identify with."
It is now 25 years since Lagerfeld took to the helm of France's most famous fashion house. Chanel died in January 1971 and it seemed only decent that a good decade should go by before anyone dared to step into her perfectly formed, not to mention supremely influential shoes. While contemporary fashion is elsewhere characterised by an increasingly high-profile – and at times inept – game of designer musical chairs where the revival of potentially lucrative status labels is concerned, it is worth noting that Chanel has remained unswervingly faithful to Karl Lagerfeld – by now the greatest couturier still practising the craft – and Karl Lagerfeld has stayed true to Chanel – today fashion's best-known name. Upon hearing news of his contemporary Valentino's retirement announced in the autumn of last year, Lagerfeld said: "I am not very pleased because I think it is not good that he's stopping; he is in great shape. He should continue. It's no fun; he'll be bored."
Although Lagerfeld is the man at the helm of the Chanel brand today, it all began in the hands of the house's namesake, whose life story is as much a part of the label's many signatures as a gilt chain is to the hem of the jacket of a Chanel bouclé wool suit. If anyone might reasonably be described as an autobiographical designer it is Chanel, after all. Even the lining of the aforementioned 2.55 bag is coloured garnet – mimicking, by all accounts, that of the uniform she wore at the convent where she spent her early years.
Equally important is that Chanel's desire to create clothes sprang above all from her wish to dress herself in a manner she saw fit. She was nothing if not reactionary. "If I embarked on this profession it was precisely to make everything I didn't like unfashionable," she once said and she lived and worked by that rule tirelessly. Whichever way one chooses to look at it, the romance of this, perhaps the ultimate rags-to-riches tale, is unprecedented. With this in mind, it is small wonder that, almost 40 years after her death, not one but two Chanel movies begin filming this year: Audrey Tautou will play the young designer in Coco avant Chanel, directed by Anne Fontaine, and devoted to her young life; and Marina Hands (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) is set to play the lead in Coco & Igor, directed by William Friedkin and telling the story of Chanel's relationship with the composer Stravinsky. Potentially less chic is a forthcoming TV mini-series starring Shirley MacLaine.
Gabrielle Chanel was born on 19 August 1883 in the French province of Saumur. Her father, Albert Chanel, was a market trader. Her mother, Jeanne Devolle, was of humble origins, bore several children and died young, in 1895, leaving her daughter to be educated by the nuns at an orphanage in Aubazine. Gabrielle was taught how to sew there and, when holidaying with her sisters, learnt the art of millinery – they loved hats. Aged 20 and based in the garrison town of Moulins, Chanel worked as an assistant in a shop specialising in trousseaux and layettes and then as a seamstress. By night she sang for her supper in cafés and bars and it was there that the slim, slight, dark-haired, black-eyed figure first became known as Coco.
In the early years of the 20th century, Coco Chanel moved in with Etienne Balsan, a famous horse breeder, and although not accepted by the elevated echelons of society in which he circulated, she became an accomplished horse woman and among the first of her sex to dare to wear jodhpurs. In order to deflect the received ideas of a mistress, dressed in the requisite frills and furbelows of the Belle Epoque style, Chanel set to adapting the staples of menswear to her needs, often scandalising others in her entourage by actually wearing men's clothing. "A woman is always over-dressed and never sufficiently elegant," she said later and few did more to correct that fact than Chanel. Her uniform of strictly tailored, unembellished garments topped with nothing more frothy than a straw boater caught on and it wasn't long before she was making hats, in particular, for her friends.
In her mid-twenties, Chanel was befriended by an English industrialist, the renowned polo player Arthur "Boy" Capel, who duly installed her in an apartment in Paris where she became his lover and began making hats on a more professional basis. By 1910, interest in her minimal and profoundly modern designs was such that she had outgrown this space and opened a shop at Rue Cambon, naming it Chanel Modes. It wasn't long before she had expanded her operation to include a store in Deauville selling clothes as well as hats, and then a fully fledged couture house in Biarritz where, by 1916, she was responsible for 300 employees all dedicated to the task of creating naturally feminine and relatively simple clothing, favouring freedom of movement and rejecting anything even remotely ostentatious or superfluous.
Across the Atlantic – and the American market was as important then as it is today – US Harper's Bazaar picked up on her success, publishing a picture of what they described as "the charming chemise dress", again borrowed from menswear – this time, specifically, a man's shirt. A year later, Chanel cut her lustrous dark hair into a neat bob, the better to suit her naturally androgynous silhouette and sun-tanned skin. Although it is often said that she invented the swimsuit – and it's certainly true that she went on to craft stretch clothing in jersey, formerly the preserve of nothing more haute than men's underwear – here Lagerfeld begs to differ.
"There are no images of Chanel in swimsuits and we know only the heavy bathing-suit costumes she designed for the Ballets Russes' Le Train Bleu," he says. Jean Cocteau also worked on the 1924 production and the collaboration between the fashion designer and the artist, who later also introduced her to Picasso, was to continue for more than 10 years. "But Chanel embodies the idea of the modern women and so she inherited that image too. People think she was the first. In fact she was not, but she is remembered that way. Now sportswear is all over the world and is not only worn for sport. Some sportswear and some sports did not exist in Chanel's time, but they represent something she would have liked if she had known it."
In 1919, Capel, described by Chanel as "the love of her life", was killed in a car crash and she threw herself into her work creating many of the looks that remain the staple of the contemporary woman's wardrobe to this day. In 1926 she designed her first "little black dress", described by Vogue as the fashion equivalent of the Ford motorcar; in 1928 she came up with her first tweed suit. That is not to say that her personal life was anything but colourful. Over the years she was linked to the exiled Russian Grand Duke, Dimitri Pavlovich, related to Tsar Nicholas II, who introduced her to Ernest Beaux (the perfumier with whom she created Chanel No 5) and to the sparkling beauty of baroque jewellery. She was also the lover of the second Duke of Westminster, Hugh "Bendor" Grosvenor, who shared her life for 10 years, demonstrating the potential power of great wealth – he was widely considered the richest man in Europe at that time – and whose aristocratic English wardrobe inspired her work continuously. "Westminster is elegance itself," she once said. "He never has anything new – I had to go out and buy him some shoes. He has been wearing the same jacket for 25 years." Despite the longevity of their relationship, Chanel refused to marry the Duke. "There have been several Duchesses of Westminster," she would say. "There is only one Chanel."
By 1935, Chanel owned five buildings in Rue Cambon, employed 4,000 people and was at the height of her power. In 1939, however, and just before the outbreak of war, she closed her couture house, stating: "I thought there wouldn't be any more dresses." She would, of course, have been able to live out the rest of her days in splendour, profiting from the sale of accessories and fragrance alone. Throughout the Occupation, Chanel spent most of her time at the Paris Ritz where she conducted an affair with a Nazi officer. At the end of the war she was arrested – though not charged – for collaboration and spent the following years in relative obscurity based in Switzerland. And that could have been that.
Some things are not to be, however, and in 1954, at the grand old age of 71 and spurred on at least in part by her rancour at the immense success of Christian Dior's proudly people-pleasing and retrogressive New Look, she began designing couture collections once more. Dior, she said, was "a madman" for wanting to put women back into corsets and overblown skirts. There was nothing for it but to show the world once again how it might be done.
While the French – by then in the thrall of not only Dior but also Cristobal Balenciaga, Pierre Balmain and Jacques Fath – were less than effusive over Chanel's new designs, emancipated American women were more quick on the uptake, viewing her softly tailored jackets, silk blouses and wrap-over skirts as more fitting for women in the latter part of the 20th century than anything her competitors had to offer. It wasn't long before what was described as "The Chanel Look" was restored to its former glory. It upholds its position as purveyor of all that is quintessentially understated and chic to this day.
"I don't remember the first time I saw the Chanel logo," says Lagerfeld – in its original form, the double C was the fastening on the 2.55 bag. "But I noticed it when I took over Chanel, when real logo power started all over the world. For a company it is very important today because, much more than in the past, we all sell in parts of the world where they cannot read our writing or understand our languages. In one part – a very big part – of the world it is all about signs when they write. They can memorise perhaps the famous "CC" but they have difficulties reading the name first. They find out later. In the past we sold mostly to people who knew our culture and could read English or French. Now it is only a part of our clientele. Logos are the Esperanto of marketing, luxury and business today."
And there is perhaps no more potent signifier of luxury than the name of Chanel – from the logo itself to the cosmetic and fragrance lines, accessories and, of course, clothing. Lagerfeld says that these – and he is speaking of the Chanel jacket in particular – have "a staying-power that is difficult to explain".
The secrets of its success are manifold but inextricably linked to the life, times and pioneering spirit of the late Coco Chanel herself. "Many of Chanel's private dicta have entered into the unspoken rules that still govern fashion," wrote Cecil Beaton in The Glass of Fashion, published in 1954. "Though Chanel herself echoed the theory that fashions are never revived, it is a tribute to her rare and remarkable practicality, and an anomaly in the annals of recorded fashion, that few of her innovations became dated."
More than 50 years on, his words continue to resonate, and of that, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel herself would be proud.
__________
Labels: authentic chanel handbags, chanel handbags
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Ralph Lauren designer fashion brand
from Style.com
photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
Perched on a chair that has a leopard-skin pelt casually thrown over the back of it, the deeply tanned, blue-eyed man in a khaki safari shirt and matching cargo pants looks like he's momentarily stepped away from an elephant shoot. But it's August in New York, and Ralph Lauren is merely relaxing in his native habitat: the Polo headquarters on Madison Avenue. It's no surprise the designer can pull off this kind of unironic theatrical stunt. After all, that's what he's been doing for more than three decades, with clothes of such Gatsbyesque bravado they seem tailor-made to carry out Cole Porter's admonishment "If you want a future, darling, why don't you get a past?"
It's thanks to his propensity for myth-making that Lauren walks off this year with a VH1/Vogue lifetime achievement award—the equivalent of a standing ovation for the fact that, since it was launched in 1967, the Polo label has become as much a part of the American repertoire as Rodgers and Hammerstein or Irving Berlin. Drawing on the sophisticated glamour of the country club; the rugged, shoot-'em-up pageantry of the West; and the sharp, clean-cut flair of the city, Lauren has epitomized what John Lahr calls "the musical's thematic stock-in-trade: optimism, innocence, and abundance." So what better way to celebrate his thirty-fifth anniversary than by pairing his designs with such classics as High Society, Annie Get Your Gun, and West Side Story?
"I've always been inspired by movies and by books and by people," the 63-year-old designer admits as he expresses his appreciation for the great American musical. "I grew up with those shows. Oklahoma! has been there forever, before my time. My Fair Lady. High Society. Every time you watch them, you enjoy them. West Side Story is also one of the greats. You're talking about iconic greats, no matter what's gone on over the years. If someone had to say, what are your best plays, what are your best movies, you're going to find that some of these are on everyone's list."
Topping Lauren's list is High Society. "As a guy, I looked at Grace Kelly and said, 'That's the girl I want to go out with.'" When that didn't happen, he seems to imply, he created clothes for her instead. (At one point in the film, Celeste Holm turns to Frank Sinatra and says, "One of the prettiest sights in this pretty world is the sight of the privileged class enjoying its privileges." It would be hard to find a better description of a Ralph Lauren ad.)
Just as anyone who admits to an intimate knowledge of show tunes risks a certain amount of ridicule, Lauren's jaunty retro approach has had its share of critics, especially in an industry that, while it may quote from the past, derives its real energy from the new. It's the burden of being popular. "It wasn't like I did this amazing collection in Paris, and everyone just got up and applauded and said, 'You're marvelous,'" Lauren says. "I would have wished that happened to me when I first started. Not everyone always loves what I do. And it took a long time for them to even recognize me. But consumers recognized me. People bought the clothes."
However worldly and elitist it looks, Lauren's vision has always been for the masses. All his role models are men who play to large audiences—Ernest Hemingway, Gary Cooper, Frank Capra. "People might say, well, those are a little hokey, but you know, they're uplifting. Rocky was uplifting on a simplistic, mindless level. Everyone has that sort of dream, certainly in this country. We grew up with that dream. We came from nowhere and we built something."
Lauren often speaks of his life as if it were the plot of Oklahoma! With the grandiosity of a showman, he describes "starting with nothing," "building piece by piece," and wanting "to keep a sense of honor." And what about getting the girl? (Lauren has been married to his wife, Ricky, for more than 37 years.) "Yep, get the girl, get the dream, get the life." It's as if he can't help expressing everything as an epic narrative, even his childhood in the Bronx. "When I was a kid, Westerns were very important to me," he says. "I wanted to be the cowboy who rode the horse." (Instead he cast himself—along with countless bankers on weekends—as a chaps-wearing Marlboro Man. Who doesn't own a piece of suede fringe thanks to him?)
In fact, one of the things Lauren seems to appreciate most about his career is that it has brought him in contact with so many of the idols of his youth. "They called me; I didn't call them," he explains, with seeming disbelief. "Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant—they both became friends of mine." As for West Side Story star Natalie Wood, "she gave me an award once," he says, and adds conspiratorially, "I was always attracted to her as a kid."
Today Lauren's own children seem to share many of his preoccupations, although he is quick to say that what he wants for them "is to do what they love doing. Because I love what I do." Daughter Dylan's hugely successful Upper East Side candy store traffics in nostalgia, even if her version is straight out of Willy Wonka. Andrew is producing a rap-star remake of the Great Gatsby, set in the Hamptons (his father costumed the men in the original Hollywood version). And David works for Polo, expanding and refining the company's Internet presence. "They're good kids," says their father. "They have good values, and I'm proud of that."
Looking back over 35 years, Lauren, sounding like Ziegfeld or Zanuck, is also proud of "developing an audience and keeping that audience—that's an accomplishment, I guess." Just as certain songs stay in your head long after the curtain has come down, his clothes tend to stick around. What girl hasn't had a Polo player attached to her left breast every summer since she was 13? And that's exactly what Lauren wants. "I've always said that if it looks better next year than it does this year, then I've done the job right."
"Ralph Lauren" by Valerie Steiker has been edited for STYLE.com; the complete story appears in the November 2002 issue of Vogue.
Labels: polo brand, ralph lauren, ralph lauren designer fashion handbags brands
The Perfect Pair - Black & White Designer Handbags
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Sunday, March 16, 2008
Galliano: The “today Travel Bag”
from Sfilate
The “today travel bag”: New Galliano line of accessories....he special “today travel bag” event marks the debut of the Galliano Accessories line. A perfect mix – contrast&layer mode – of shapes, materials, prints, appliqués and embroideries, the new line is in total synch with the Galliano style. Offering a complete selection of items, the collection includes: handbags, small leather articles, travel accessories (trolley bags, laptop bags, beauty cases) and little evening clutches.
Thanks to a variety of models in multiple sizes, shapes always make a strong statement. Starting with a must: the famous demon, a chunky bag revisited from season to season in different materials. Then there are the hobo, the doctor bag, the volume, the messenger and the north-south.
All the models come in three main themes:
Ever a highlight of the brand, “bricolage” makes a sure and inevitable statement with the latest take on the signature Gazzette print: over the top in nut brown hues and in black&white, on faux-parchment and zebra-stripe leathers, also in the form of a jacquard fabric and in an exclusive interplay of papery nylon and ultrasoft calf.
The recurring “romantic” theme featuring a lovely flesh pink tone makes the most of a logo-weave jacquard and of a ‘lived-in’ sheepskin, with sophisticated lace-covered gemstone embroideries, patch appliqués, plus heart-shape metal charms, key and unmistakable “g” all in ‘old’ silver.
Lastly comes the most mannish of the three: “urban” in shades of gray, black and the darkest of browns. As for materials, it’s faux-oilskin leathers, washed nylon, vintage (distressed) calfskins, kilim-print corduroy. With folk-flair embroideries always heightening the impact.
The new Galliano line of accessories is fruit of the partnership, officialized in January of 2008, between Plus IT S.p.A. and Les Jardins d’Avron S.A., for the design, production and distribution worldwide of a new women’s collection of Galliano bags, leather accessories and travel items.
The collection will be distributed through Plus IT: insignia of IT Holding Group’s designer accessories presently counting 75 retail locations around the globe, from Milan to Paris, Athens to Moscow, Casablanca to Dubai, Beijing to Bal Harbour and Mumbai.
Labels: Galliano, Galliano travel bags, John Galliano
PARIS FASHION WEEK
By Suzy Menkes
PARIS: Fashion may be an eternal merry-go-round but Karl Lagerfeld made a big statement with the carousel in the center of his Chanel runway on Friday. Instead of the usual fairground seats of sculpted horses, this whirligig was fitted with super-sized bags, shoes, pearl chains, camellias and even Coco Chanel's signature hat. And at the end of a show, in which the only bag was a tiny egg-sized clutch for evening , the models clung to the giant accessories as the carousel twirled.
Lagerfeld was spelling out his story-line in black and white - not least because it was the color theme of the show that included hose with a lacy front, the back plain black. They seemed designed to make the eye trace a long line, even when skirts were short. Yet the stand-out pieces were calf-scraping hemlines on tweedy skirts paired with big sweaters or a lighter, lacy blouse.
The message about accessories was clear: No more relying on all those house codes, from gilt chains to quilted bags, to pronounce this a Chanel show. There were some new Gallic berets, but embellishment was mostly built in, as in a stylish quilted tunic top or collars that turned inexplicably inside the tweed jackets.
The overall effect was slightly confused. Was Lagerfeld really consigning accessories to the carousel of history, while hinting that they will come around again soon? Or was he just offering something for everyone, from celebrities like the petite Olsen twins, who would drown in the longer lengths, to Rihanna, who might be the only person to choose a mesh mini dress under a long spider's web of a coat?
YVES SAINT LAURENT downtown handbag designer purse shoulder bag designer handbag brown.
Yves Saint Laurent had used the same Grand Palais setting the previous night to very different effect. Containing the vast interior space with the billowing white sails of an artistic set, Stefano Pilati marched YSL into the future. The models had android heads covered in black fringed wigs as they strode out on high and hefty shoes.
"Creating a space with tension - and everything that entails," said Pilati elliptically backstage. But his comment was comprehensible in relationship to the clothes, which seemed to be designed like architecture: an over-size felted jacket; wide-cuffed pants rounded as if with the swirl of a compass; a skirt with a flying asymmetric hemline; a dress bracketed with curving shoulders and a shining path of satin down the front.
Pilati has created a look for Saint Laurent: a tough chic that is not for the faint-hearted. The hair alone, with its bowl cut - sometimes with narrow eyeglasses and always with shiny black lips below - suggested the aggressive power that was echoed by cinching belts and coats cut away sharply at the front.
The overall effect was of a designer pushing himself too hard to be "modern" and hiding a romantic, decorative streak that existed in his earlier work. If the Saint Laurent show lacked sensual allure and French frivolity, it did make a purposeful statement.
Since a 1980s revival is quivering in the fashion air, why not take a glancing look at the opposite side of that era? Sophia Kokosalaki did that by re-drawing the fragile, sloping shouldered silhouette of Romeo Gigli. Her cocooning coats brought freshness to a show that was otherwise a rather familiar exercise in the drapes, curvy dresses and translucent inserts. Kokosalaki is playing down her Greek heritage, contrasting filigree with straps wrapped sinuously around the neck.
A landmark moment came at the end of the Sonia Rykiel show, as the flame-haired designer walked the runway not just with her daughter Nathalie, the label's president and creative director, but also with the designer Gabrielle Greiss, who has been working for two years at Rykiel.
The show dissolved into a jumping, leaping dancing party. But the German-born Greiss, who trained at London's Central Saint Martins school, had time to show off her own vision: the famous knits in mohair, with deep dolman sleeves and splodgy patterns; short, bright purple coats; and details like multi-colored buttons running down the side of pants (not to mention Sonia Rykiel's face in studs). The soundtrack glorified Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where Rykiel established a kooky, Bohemian presence 40 years ago and where the house has just refurbished its flagship store.
Suzy Menkes is fashion editor at the International Herald Tribune.
Labels: authentic chanel handbags, authentic yves saint laurent bag, chanel ligne bag, paris fashion, ysl downtown
Saturday, March 15, 2008
How to Pronounce Fashion Names
Wall Street Journal
Most of the first French names to appear in the U.S. were a cinch, like Dior and Chanel. But a lot of the names in play today need to be spoken with a real lilt , like Jean Paul Gaultier (zhan paul GO-tee-AY), Alber Elbaz for Lanvin (al-BEAR el-BAHZ for lon-VAN), and Nicolas Ghesquière (NEE-ko-la guess-KYAIR).
Mamma mia! The Italian names can play tricks on you, too -- such as Bulgari (BOOL-ga-ree), Ungaro (OON-ga-ro), Versace (ver-SAH-chay) and Zegna (ZANE-ya). And from Spain comes the tricky Loewe (LO-ee-VAY). (To hear every last nuance of pronunciation, check out the audio tutorial at WSJ.com/Fashion.)
Even some American designers can leave you tongue-tied. Last year, Target shoppers were faced with the challenge of pronouncing Proenza Schouler (pro-EN-za SCHOOL-er), when the American duo sold a collection that included $49 bustier tops there.
Don't worry that you'll sound affected. Why not try to get it right? The more syllables, the more delicious it sounds: I just love to say the name of Swiss watch maker Vacheron Constantin (va-sha-RON con-ston-TAN).
But don't force a fashion-y flourish on American designers whose names sound just like they look: It's Ralph Lauren (rhymes with "foreign") and Donna Karan (sounds like "Karen").
Labels: authentic designer handbags
Monday, March 10, 2008
Paris prefers a little discretion
two pocket designer purse.
Opulence is out and understated sophistication is back on show, says Andrea Byrne
Paris prêt-à-porter season was the final stop on the international catwalk circuit. The city closes proceedings because she is the grande dame of fashion, garnering the most excitement and invariably providing the finest moments.
Though an impressive array of A-listers were there (Julianne Moore at Yves Saint Laurent, Twiggy at Stella McCartney, Dita Von Teese at Louis Vuitton, and a heavily pregnant Jessica Alba at Lanvin), the French capital doesn't rely on their presence for exposure and column inches. It's much more about the clothes. So much so, that while many important American fashion buyers chose to snub London, they turned up to Paris in their droves.
However, like other fashion weeks, PFW was accused (with a few exceptions) of designing clothes and looks that were reflective of the gloomy period that is forecast, by shunning opulence and opting instead for more discreet sophistication. Yes, Paris was uncharacteristically more wearable and, yes, minimalism was the byword, but even so it did give us some awe-inspiring moments. Who provided them? For me it was Alexander McQueen, Alber Elbaz for Lanvin and Yohji Yamamoto. Before his show, McQueen announced that his company had reported considerable profits. Admittedly, much of this success stems from his hugely successful accessories business, which accounts for more than 30 per cent of sales. But judging by his latest collection, further financial gains look to be on the cards. Taking inspiration from history, most notably past queens of England, McQueen didn't do it in the same satirical, garish and rather unsightly way that D&G did in Milan, but, instead, focused on regal elegance.
The jacket was the main focus and big talking point of Yohji's collection -- presenting itself in every conceivable shape and fabric, although most notable and nicely in leather. It had a distinct equestrian feel to it. But what I loved most was the extent to which it was different, original and memorable. Similarly, fellow Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo, the brains behind Comme des Garcons, provided something startlingly interesting and different.
There was a lot of austerity in the Parisian colour palette, where dark tones (black, charcoal and midnight blue) reigned supreme. However, it was interspersed with flashes of pillar red, soft peach and canary yellow.
Second to Chanel, Lanvin is my favourite label. It's practical, wearable, luxurious and beautiful. Though largely black, the collection was anything but trite and predictable. Ribbons were everywhere, heavy embellishment was key and dangerously sexy one-shoulder dresses went down a storm. The shy and limelight-shunning Elbaz rightfully earned a standing ovation from the crowd. Lanvin championed the return of the LBD for next season -- as did Givenchy and Balenciaga -- though the latter did it in a way that was a little too futuristic and wayward for my liking.
Much like the celebrities at the Oscars, there was a lot of red in Galliano's collection, with undertones of both Sixties and Seventies styles, particularly in the prints. All-in-all, it was a very polished and wearable collection.
Ireland's own Sharon Wauchob presented a collection that possessed an edgy feel while maintaining her usual floaty, ethereal femininity. She embraced what looks to be one of the biggest trends for next Autumn/Winter -- ruffles.
All eyes were on Valentino's successor, Alessandra Facchinetti, to see if she could continue the success of the brand. She didn't disappoint. Bravely and rather commendably, she didn't try to emulate what Valentino did best but instead did her own thing.
After a disastrous showing of his eponymous label at New York Fashion Week, Marc Jacobs redeemed himself with his collection for Louis Vuitton. The coat was the key piece -- in soft, muted creams and beiges. It was grown up and timeless. So, with the six-week fashion show cycle now over, what will we all be wearing next season? The focus is still very much on the waistline; therefore, a belt, particularly of the skinny kind, is a must. Ruffles were everywhere -- from tops to dresses to shoes. Lace and tulle were also ubiquitous. Trousers will have a more masculine feel in their tailoring, the waistline will go higher, the length longer and the leg wider. The skirt is voluminous, the sleeve is billowing. The coat is cocooned in shape. The dress will vary in hemline (maxi to knee-length) and in style (one-shoulder dresses to tiered).
Bags, which have been the ultimate accessory for countless seasons, will take a back seat for Autumn/ Winter, replaced instead by footwear (chunky platforms) and costume jewellery. Think cuffs (Lanvin), layered necklaces (Givenchy), tiered pearls (Chanel), brooches (Lacroix) and chandelier earrings (Dior).
Anti-fur campaigners have tried everything to turn people against fur, by sexing up their image and getting various celebs on board to denounce the wearing of pelts, but despite their best efforts, they just can't quash its allure. In fact, this winter, fur promises to be bigger than it has been in several years -- with John Paul Gaultier championing its cause more than anyone else. He went so far as to send models out with full-faced foxes on their heads -- which is about the only trend I won't be embracing next season.
Labels: authentic designer handbags, designer accessories, designer brands
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Update Your Spring Wardrobe with the Hottest Trends in 2008
- 1970's: Thought bell bottoms and high waisted pants where something only seen on "That 70's Show," or in your parents old photos? Think again. The seventies are making a big return in 2008 and will be making a cameo in the denim department of your local clothing store. High waisted jeans are going to be big this spring as are bell bottoms and retro print tops and dresses. Think groovy to achieve that 70's cool thats super hot on the runway and in the streets.
- 1930's: Fashion is traveling back even further this spring to bring you that classic 30's influence. Though we saw a small flash of this decade in winter 2007, spring 2008 is really delving into the this delicate era with clothing that takes on a simple yet classic twist. Look for lacy tops in a multitude of colors to really bring the past into your present. There will also be an influx of streamline striped suits reminiscent of this decade. The goal here is to play up the silhouette and look classy, elegant and sophisticated.
- Lingerie: This spring lingerie inspired pieces will hit the rack to further add to that classic chic look. Everything from tops to dresses will be inspired by your bedtime favorites. Lace, boning, bows, and other intimate influences will be a huge thing this spring. There is a movement towards transparent fabrics showing just enough skin without it being tasteless. Layering these lingerie inspired pieces, specifically the transparent ts is fun and sexy way to really bring this fashion trend to your daily life.
- Greek: If you thought the 70's and the 30's were a real blast from the past, you'll be even more surprised to find that many designers are bringing back styles from ancient Greece. Think layers, draping, pleats and flowing fabrics. This trend will heavily influence the all hailed maxi dress which in and of it's self is the perfect this style. Look for long flowing dresses inspired by our Greek ancestors to really feel like a goddess this spring.
- Safari: When you think spring you think warmer weather but designers want you to think hot with various safari inspired looks ranging from the simple khaki colored hat to tribal inspired dresses and tops. With field jackets in olives and croissants, you'll look like your ready to hit the African desert. In keeping with this springs hot adventure, look for accessories and complimentary tops funky tribal designs as well animal prints like zebra stripes.
Labels: authentic designer handbags, spring handbag trends
Friday, March 7, 2008
Fashion Icon: Chanel 2.55 Handbag
We all love a nice handbag but the Chanel 2.55 is much more than that. The inspiration behind Coco Chanel's original design goes deeper than most of us realise. Female First look at the story behind one of our favourite ever handbags. The 2.55 bag was first introduced in February 1955- hence the name 2.55. Coco Chanel designed the bag for her own use so some of the features tell us a little bit about her lifestyle as the original fashionista.
When it was first brought out the Chanel 2.55 caused a stir amoungst the upmarket fashion lovers because it was one of the first to have a strap. Coco recognised that women on the go needed to have their hands free to hold glasses of champagne, eat canapes, read theatre programmes etc so the chain strap was added to make the bag easy to carry on the shoulder.
But this isn't the only reason why the 2.55 bag is such a fashion icon- it also tells the story of the life of Coco Chanel as she went from riches to rags and back again. Gabrielle Bonheur “Coco” Chanel was born the daughter of a doctor and a lawyer, Brigitte and Johan Chanel. She devolped an interest in fashion from a very young age after her mother took various tailors and showed her around the land of clothing and needles. However her mother was killed in a bizaare boating accident, leaving Johan to take care of Coco and her brother, Lawrence on his own.
Johan couldn't get over the death of his wife and committed suicide six months later leaving Coco to the care of an orphanage. Following the tragic death of both her parents Coco became sad and withdrawn and in fact she didn't speak at all from her father's death until she was six. Her only comfort was the sketches she loved to do. Coco's time in the orphanage had a big impact on her life and influenced her future designs. The double chain design of the shoulder strap strap was inspired by her memories of the children’s’ caretakers in the orphanage who would dangle keys from their waists.
The brown/red colour on the inside of the 2.55 bag in fact represents the colour of the uniforms Coco and the rest of the children had to wear in the orphanage. It wasn't only Coco's childhood that went into her designing. The 2.55 also has an secret compartment in the inside of the front flap and this is rumoured to be where Coco would keep her love letters during an affair she had with Nazi spy, Hans Gunther von Dincklage. Another secret pocket is featured in the outside flap at the back of the bag. This is where Coco would keep a little bit of extra money she wanted to stash away.
The quilted material from which the bag was made was based on the coats worn by jockeys. It was believed that Coco was fascinated by horse racing and wanted to pay tribute to that in the very personal design of the 2.55 bag. Coco chose to close all her shops during the Second World War and took up residence in the Hotel Ritz in Paris throughout the fighting. It's rumoured that it was her relationship with Von Dicklage that allowed her to remain there. When the war was over Coco and the Chanel brand struggled to make a come back in the fashion industry- mostly due to her romance with the Nazi but she continued to live in the Ritz for 30 years until she died in her private suite on January 10, 1971, at 87 years old.
Since Coco's original design there have been many variations of the original design 2.55, including different colour leather/fabric, changes to the chain - metal vs. interwoven leather- and the fasten - mademoiselle vs. interlocking CC. In 2005 Karl Lagerfeld revived the 2.55 design exactly as Coco had made it for it's 50th anniversary and the new Reissue was even more popular than the original release. Although Chanel 2.55 may just look like another designer bag each aspect of it's design contains a little part of the fashion icon that was Coco Chanel- therefore making it a true icon of fashion itself.
Caz Moss- Female First
Labels: authentic chanel handbags, Chanel 2.55
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Big is certainly beautiful
In every era, the definition of fashion has varied. What may have been fashionable 50years ago would not necessarily be so now. But some fashion items are eternal, and resurface in a redefined form every now and again. Clothes, shoes, handbags, sunglasses and hairstyles of different designs have all undergone transformation or revival.
The big craze now is accessories or excessive accessories. Some of these accessories would include jewellery such as earrings, bracelets, rings, ornamental hair combs and necklaces. Gone are the days when only women wore accessories to complement their outfit or to cover the plainness of their outfit. Men can also be big fans of fashion accessories. Some men wear an earring on one ear or a nose-ring, bangles, rings. If you look around carefully, you can find all sorts of great accessories.
Accessories are becoming a must-have item for most people. Colourful bangles and earrings have been eye-catching recently. The discerning person now prefers wearing locally-designed accessories to suit the weather and culture. Many local designers come up with all sorts of ideas to make their products outstanding and conspicuous.
Another two fashion accessories noticeable everywhere and anywhere are handbags and sunglasses. Those big old bags our ancestors used in ancient times are back in fashion but this time, the size and designs are slightly modified to be even more eye-catching and stylish. Matching the desires of the 21st century fashion statements, big fashion handbags and sunglasses are the most demanding accessories in Fiji.
Large bags really matter especially when innumerable accessories have been produced to fit the different compartments in the bag. These large almost duffle-looking bags are also very convenient. The many compartments sewn into it are spacious enough to fit anything and everything including wallets or purse, mobile phones, diaries, clothes and even shoes. Amazingly, the more stuffed the bag is, the more fashionable it looks.
In Fiji, almost every second female walking the city streets is seen with one of these fashion bags. With every change in fashion comes a change in designer handbags. Some of these latest handbags have cowboy leather frills tagged in the front giving off that funky yet casual look. Other coloured fashion handbags have silver linings and rings on the bag straps and front pockets radiating a mix of heavy metal and hip hop frenzy.
Huge go-go sunglasses are also setting the stage for a unique look. However, not just any particular go-go sunglasses, these are the ones similar to those in that Austin Powers movie. Thick bands for the sunglasses have designs that spell out distinctive' and exceptional'. Apart from serving its original purpose of keeping the eyes safe from excessive light, sunglasses are now fashionable, unique and gorgeous. Fashion accessories are setting the stage for new looks in Fiji.
Labels: designer accessories, designer handbags
Monday, March 3, 2008
Couture is crazy about you!
Labels: couture, designer handbags, designers, efashionhouse, final clearance, layaway plan, no sales tax
Designer Tote Bags
Everyone carries a bag, and there are all sorts of bags available: affordable ones, pricey ones, big, small, new, and traditional. Everyone needs a bag to accommodate all important belongings. But women with busy lifestyles have a propensity to look for a bag in which they can bring along everything they need wherever they go. No other fashion accessory matches a woman’s need better than a beautiful designer tote bag. When your suitcase is too large or your purse is too small, a designer tote bag always makes the right choice.
Smaller than a briefcase but larger than a purse, a designer tote bag is just right for a woman who is always on the move. Designer tote bags are perfect companions to have by your side for business, pleasure, or whenever you want to combine the two—this kind of tote bag is not only suited for the business professional, but for anyone who needs more extra space than a purse or pocket. You can easily carry your cell phone, wallet, perfumes, sunglasses, checkbook, and even your make-up kit with this latest fashion accessory.
This very versatile fashion accessory comes in a wide array of colors and styles, so you’ll never run out of options. But designer tote bags not only vary in colors and styles, they also differ in the materials used. Some tote bags are leather; some are made of canvas; some come in denim; and some can be even personalized. But the flexibility of designer tote bags does not end there. Another great thing about tote bags is that they are washable. You need not worry about stains and the like because you can easily have your designer tote bags washed.