Fashion Accessories (Page 9)

During Spring 2008, Botkier will be celebrating their fifth anniversary. Monica Botkier, the designer behind the bags, has experienced great growth and success with her handbag line. Her handbags have caught the attention of handbag lovers world wide, and are carried at stores such as Saks and Neiman Marcus and seen on the arms of countless celebrities. Many of you will remember our fabulous Botkier Sasha Giveaway (which is still one of my favorite bags ever!). As this is the case, Monica has decided to move to the next level and launch a Botkier Shoe line. Their inaugural shoe line will be composed of nineteen different styles; varying from chic sandals to retro ballet flats, glamorous hammered ring stilettos and mod, peep toe ankle boots. The Botkier shoes take on a varitey of colors, including beautiful bronze and copper metallics, nude snake skin, bright fuchsia, and royal blue. The prices range between $200-$500 and all shoes are made in Italy. I am looking forward to seeing the shoes in person and trying them on. Botkier has always delivered fashionable and practical bags, so their shoe launch is something to look forward to. Some of the shoes are available on Botkier online now. Make sure to check out Monica Botkier’s new venture and let us know what you think!

Assouline was the first luxury brand that used its publications as medium by creating luxury illustrated books dedicated to fashion, photography, art and design. The Assouline Chanel Luxe Edition has been produced exclusively for Assouline and features the signature black quilted Chanel leather on the slipcase with three volumes on the inside. Also, the silver metal Chanel logo is found on the outside. The three books focus on Gabrielle Chanel’s revolutionary style which has affected the fashion world that we know today immensely. The focus of each volume is integral parts of the Chanel brand, including Chanel, Fine Jewelry, and Perfume. This piece is not just a coffee table piece, it is a luxurious mixture of fashion and books which will be a conversation starter and a collectors piece. The Chanel Edition is a luxury edition which can ultimately be seen in the black quilted leather outside, red leather inside, and high price tag. This is a perfect Valentine’s Day gift, birthday gift, holiday gift, etc. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $550.

Small accessories make great gifts for the girl who has everything. If your budget will not allow for you to buy a handbag, go for an accessory, because most of us have handbags that can carry tons of accessories. Whether you are in school or just the gal with the agenda that is attached to your hip, the Fendi Selleria Pencil Case is a cute little pouch that is quite feasible. To be honest, I would also consider this to be a great tampon holder. Ok, so lip gloss came to mind for you first, but when you have to take out your unmentionable, if you carry it in a cute case like this there will be no shame toting it into the bathroom. The case is made with pink pebble grain leather and there is a zip top. There is also a removable key ring, but I would not attach my keys to this. There is a sterling logo plate on the front and contrast stitching. Dimensions are 6″ x 2.25″ x 1″; perfect for pencils, lip gloss, pens, and tampons. Buy through Barneys for $210.

Many ladies have a touch of obsessive compulsiveness when it comes to checking for food in their teeth or how their makeup looks. I only worry about food in my teeth, because I am not much of a makeup wearer. Face it, the guy you are out with, no matter how great, many times ‘forgets’ to tell you a piece of arugula from your salad is parked in between your two front teeth when you are out to dinner with, I don’t know, your boss. There is never a great way to check, unless going to the bathroom. But by the time you have excused yourself and smiled from ear to ear to excuse yourself, everyone at the table has seen this piece of food. This is why so many ladies carry mirror. Many Leiber bags come with mirrors, along with many evening bags, but if yours does not you must always carry a mirror with you. And when you are dressed to the nines head to toe, do not carry a little plastic mirror with you. Try to add a stunning elegant mirror, like the Leiber Crystal-Detailed Compact Mirror, so when anyone sees you using it they are distracted by its beauty. This mirror is available in clear or ruby Austrian crystals which are adorned on a silver-tone case. Buy through Saks for $475.

I suppose the reason I am pleasantly surprised by the price of this agenda is because I own a Hermes Globe Trotter Agenda as does Vlad. Available in gold and white Suhali goat leather, the Louis Vuitton Suhali Agenda is the perfect carry around size, 4.1″x 5.6″, with a very sophisticated polish look. The inside of the agenda is also lined in leather and the golden brass hardware really gives a great touch to the agenda. And there is a feeling reminiscent of Louis Vuitton trunks, with their snapped flap closure, corners, and LV stamping around the perimeter. The inside also has two interior pockets. While my Hermes agenda is a zip agenda, this is just a snap closure. It makes it easy to fling open to write something important down, like, say, ‘Spa for massage on the 12 at 11 am’. You know, something very important . Buy through eLuxury for $410.

Vlad is not an advocate of buying generation one electronics. Something about blah blah blah generation two is better. I kept trying to pretend I agreed with him and was waiting out the iPhone because of slower connection or some other blah blah blah issue, but my parents thought it was a great Christmas gift, and let me tell you I could not be more thrilled! The only issue is the fingerprints that smudge all over the screen, the rest of the iPhone is brilliant. Sure, the internet connection is no where near as fast as the 3G connection that our business phone has, but it gets the job done and looks beyond sleek and cool doing it. When toting a sleek phone like this, the case must be just as chic! The Louis Vuitton Taiga iPhone Case is a perfect slip on slim case for the iPhone. There is a notch at the top of the case for extra protection and there is a clip on the back which means this can be carried on your belt. I would never carry this on my belt, but that is just me. The inside is lined in microfiber, which will cushion the phone perfectly. Love this accessory! Via eLuxury for $260.

Still looking for the gift that keeps on giving? Your children may be in school, may be asking for designer goods, and may be day dreaming of the latest Prada bag. Stuff their stocking with the Prada Pencil Case which is designed with red leather and gold hardware and comes with two designer pencils. This way, while the professor is rambling on about bull and bear markets, your child can be secretly enjoying their designer case. Really, it may be more distracting than anything else to the younger crowd, but to those that have school discipline it is perfect. Also great for a colleague or any Prada lover out there! Inquire at your local Prada boutique; price $205.