Fashion

If only New York’s fashion elite would have known months ago that Michelle Obama had planned to wear Jason Wu to the inaugural balls – he probably would have gotten a better slot at Fashion Week. Nevertheless, we kick off Purse Blog’s coverage of the goings on in the tents at Bryant Park with his Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear show. As it turns out, his show is a fitting aperitif to the more editorial shows to come; his clothes are accessible, beautiful, and would sell if sent to stores tomorrow. After the jump, take a look at his big ideas for what we should be wearing come fall.

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In the current economic climate, many designers that would have normally had lavish runways shows are opting instead for private viewing of their collections for buyers, journalists, and critics. One of those designers is Reem Acra, which may strike as odd anyone that’s familiar with her clothing. Acra is, by definition, lavish – lush materials, floor-length gowns, and lots of jewels. And as a stark contrast to the restraint that a private viewing would indicate, Acra’s clothes were just as posh as ever.

The model over there may be looking a bit like Morticia Addams in that dress, but I kind of love it. A lot. I want Angelina Jolie to wear it, although I think she wore something similar a few years ago when she was still nuts and making out with her brother (anyone else kinda miss that version of Angie?). As it is, I’d like to see it on someone super curvy – perhaps Christina Hendricks? If you don’t know her, Google, my friend. Google.

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Go ahead, let out that sigh of relief. Finally, a designer brand is worn by an absolutely gorgeous and wonderful celebrity. I really wanted to shout out “BRAVO Keira, BRAVO Chanel”! Clearly, it comes as no surprise that celebs, both the ones we love and the ones we hate, can’t get enough of designer clothes, handbags, shoes, etc. And of course, there are fashion hits and fashion misses. But today, we bring you a total Chanel fashion hit!

Keira Knightley was photographed in this amazing Chanel skirt during the Paris Fashion Week Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2009 in Paris, France. Personally, I doubt I can pull off this skirt, but Keira looked absolutely stunning. Although, a guilty pleasure of mine is looking fashion misses, I am more than thrilled to see someone as classy as Keira doing Chanel the justice the iconic brand deserves!

Images via Just Jared

For the most part, we are all pretty familiar with the fact that designers like to collaborate. I’m totally fine with this. I love seeing how two, three or four creative minds can work together in order to arrive at a final product. As some of you might have heard, singer Kanye West has collaborated with Louis Vuitton for a shoe line. I’m going to go out on a limb and say, I’m not a fan. While I come across images of these shoes, what I am more interested in would without a doubt have to be the Louis Vuitton bags he has in toe. In this image, you see an up close and personal image of a Camouflage Louis Vuitton Bag. Unfortunately, I don’t have information on where you can buy it or how much it is, but let’s have a little fun here. What do you think? Last week I talked about Heidi’s Chanel Manicure, which definitely stirred some debate. So when I came across this bag, I thought it might do the same. For those of you who LOVE all things and everything Louis Vuitton and for those of you who just like to admire any handbag you can, what do you think? You see it now, but do you wish you never had?

Images via Just Jared

Not ragging on Santa, but my obscene amount of food allergies typically left me with oranges and fruit like candies in my stocking. Candy is hard to find for someone allergic to wheat, dairy, and tree nuts. And carob chocolate typically tastes like chalk. Totally feel bad for Santa trying to find the perfect treat for someone like me. But I am no longer a little girl, and what I would love now is a sophisticated stocking full of fashionable treats. Who really wants all the candy, when you want to look your best for New Year’s? We asked eLUXURY’s Contemporary Buyer, Jen Ely, for some stylish stocking stuffer tips. She helped us come up with great ideas for gals, guys, husbands, and wives.

Find stocking stuffer ideas after the jump!

Juicy Couture put their name on the map with the infamous Juicy Couture Track Suit. I bet if you look in your closet you have at least one piece, I have many. The girls behind Juicy did not want to settle with the track suits and began to expand the brand, which has catapulted into the market and nudged itself in with many other established designers. The girls ventured into the handbag world, and while some of their bags were too juvenile and overdone, recently some Juicy Couture bags have been swoon-worthy. Some of our favorites at Purse Blog have been the Juicy Couture Narda Houndstooth Bag, Juicy Couture Slouch Leather Tote, and the Juicy Couture Icon California J Tote with Stars. The brand has been constantly changing, facing challenges and criticism, and making itself known for the younger and older crowd as a vying contender.

Now you have a chance to Meet the Juicy Girls! Juicy Couture founders Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy will host a meet and greet for all Juicy lovers at their new Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City this Saturday, November 8th. The duo will be signing postcards and giving away a limited quantity of “Viva La Juicy” tees to shoppers who spend over $200.

When: Saturday, November 8th 11AM – 1PM
Where: Juicy Couture Flagship, 650 Fifth Avenue (Cross street 52nd St)

I love to watch designers reinvent themselves. Actually, I will go as far to say they don’t need to necessarily reinvent themselves, but keep us on our toes. Over at Luxaholics, trendsetting and style watching is paramount. There are always certain celeb trends I’d love to be able to sport and of course there are others I could do without. Megs wrote about the Dior Medium Dior 61 Tote about a month ago. And in her post, Megs mentioned how the color of the bag was one of the best parts of it. Since then, we’ve seen countless celebs carrying this statement of a handbag around. But, let’s be honest, dropping $1,850 to get the look might not be an option. Click here if you Dare to Dior.

So this is it, folks! The season (series?) finale of Project Runway! Like last week, I continue to feel kind of…meh. But at the same time, I’m kinda sad that this big fabulous experiment of a show might be coming to an end (the Weinstein Brothers, who produce the show, seem to be bent on ruining it). Consider this show compared to its reality brethren – “Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” “Flavor of Love,” “American Idol.” All of those shows, and pretty much every other reality show on TV, are bastions of crassness, mediocrity, and manufactured intrigue.

Proj Run, at its best, celebrates creativity, talent, inventiveness, and diversity in its contestants, models, and ideas. It certainly has its not-as-awesome moments, but what other show would deal with a contestant’s increasing insubordination with something as subtle as an eye-roll by someone as subtle as Tim Gunn? None of them, but that’s exactly how he does it at the beginning of tonight’s finale. If this were Tila Tequila’s show, someone would have cracked her over the head with a half-empty Jack Daniel’s bottle by now. Hmm, maybe I DO wish Project Runway was a little less intelligent….eh, anyway, make the jump to find out tonight’s big winner!

Last week, on Luxaholics, we talked about getting Lauren Conrad’s Chanel Caviar Jumbo Flap look for less. While we found several amazing handbags that offered a similar look for a smaller price, it got me thinking. Are there certain looks out there where you would rather save your money for the real thing than get a different bag with a similar look but for less? Now, just yesterday I talked about the Bottega Veneta Vibio Large Clutch and the notion of handbags being an investment. Personally, I feel as though everyone has a weakness, be it handbags, techie gadgets, clothing, etc, and with this comes the balance between what you want and what you can afford. So with these weaknesses, pinch pennies or get the look for less?

When it comes to handbags, exotics are everywhere! In all reality, they have been for quite some time now and I don’t see this trend vanishing anytime soon. Everywhere you look, something exotic can be spotted. If you are an avid reader of Purse Blog, you’ve seen some of the wonderful exotics we mentioned which came with a hefty price tag, cough Salvatore Ferragamo Oversized Carlotta Alligator Tote cough or perhaps the Hermes Kelly Long Wallet. Sure, we don’t all have thousands of dollars to drop whenever we want to expand our handbag collection, but when going exotic, is getting the look for less worth it? There are several exotics out there I have my eye on, but especially with the party infused holiday season quickly approaching, I am thinking about picking up a “look for less” in order to tie me over. Click here to get the look for less!

This is a late post to have you remember the last Gossip Girl and be prepared for GG tonight!

ZOMG, y’all. Gossip Girl! Queen Serena is back on top, and I don’t think Blair is going to take it very well. It’s Fashion Week in New York, Serena is hanging with a socialite named Poppy (perfect socialite name) and they’re playing a Connor Oberst song during the opening sequence (it’s called ‘New York City – Gone’ and you better iTunes it). Between my favorite clothes and my favorite indie rock, they’re practically calling my name this week – but to get the goods, you’ve got to make the jump.

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