In 2007 we had the exclusive on the Chanel Diamond Forever Classic Bag which came with a $261,000 price tag. But today $261k appears to be nothing compared to what the Guinness Book of World Records crowned as the world’s most expensive purse.
Here is the outrageous “1001 Nights Diamond Purse” which is valued at $3.8 million. The heart-shaped bag is encrusted with over 4,500 diamonds – of that 105 yellow, 56 pink, and 4,356 are colorless. Total carat weight is a staggering 381 carats.
We all make mistakes from time to time. Today I caught a handbag-world mistake from one of our favorite stores, Barneys, in labeling a handbag. The bag is marked as the Lanvin Large Leather Cabas, but this is no Lanvin bag. This bag is in fact a mix between the Proenza Schouler Keep All and Shopping Tote – meaning it is a Proenza Schouler Bag.
More info via Barneys (for $1,990). Just a little Friday Barneys Blooper for you all!
Can you believe 2010 is coming to a close? We certainly can not. Either way, with the end of 2010 we decided to start the first annual PurseBlog Readers’ Choice Awards. There are two categories, premier designer and contemporary designer. We picked the top 16 designers for each category that we believe have made the largest impact in the handbag world this year. The final choice, however, is up to all of you.
We want you to vote for the brands you believe have made the most impact in 2010, through their innovation and designs. You can vote once a day in each category. Voting ends January 7th and we will announce the top three in each category on January 10th.
If you’ve visited the fashion-loving part of the internet at all in the past week, then you’ve undoubtedly heard of Google’s new fashion venture, Boutiques.com. As the name would indicate, the site’s intent is to gather fashion from around the web together in one easily shopable place that allows celebrities, designers, fashion people and anyone else who might have some spare time to create their own “boutique” that is tailored to their personal style and preferences.
Google is one of the most successful companies on the face of the planet, period, so I had high hopes that its nerds would come up with some sort of magic algorithm to recommend great things to me after I filled out the site’s length style questionnaire. But other than successfully banishing all brown from my results, the site’s recommendations were middling at best: my first round of options yielded items as seemingly random as a red silk Alexander McQueen gown, a pair of white tennis shoes and a $50 pleather purse. Not only are none of those options relevant to my shopping life, but the McQueen dress was the only thing I’d be caught anywhere near. Can Google really create an algorithm that replicates personal style?
Recession? What recession?
With Hermes set to report a 30% revenue increase for the third quarter, it’s not difficult to understand why LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault has such a keen interest in the company. According to Women’s Wear Daily, the increase centers on the success of the silk, leather and timepieces categories, which make up the backbone of the Hermes tradition and represent the company’s most sought-after products. All told, family representitives believe Hermes may be on track to have its most successful year in company history.
So not only has Hermes weathered bad economic times in a profitable, growth-minded way, but this report also makes it clear that the growth was not a coincidence or the result of a temporary tactic. Instead, it represents real consumer interest in the things that Hermes does best, which only portends more future growth and gains in market share for the French luxury giant.
WWD specifically mentions the success of the crossbody Jypsiere bag as being a cornerstone of Hermes’s continued growth, and giving fans of the brand a new bag to obsessively collect surely increases sales. With new creative director Christophe Lemaire scheduled to make his debut for Fall/Winter 2011, only time will tell what the company’s next handbag move will be. What would you like to see from Hermes in the future?
Source: Women’s Wear Daily.
As was widely reported last week, luxury giant LVMH now owns over 17% of competitor Hermes, and although the company has publicly stated that it has no plans to acquire more shares of the French family-owned company in the next six months, luxury watchers remain atwitter over what the future may hold for two of the world’s largest names in handbags after that time period expires.
Now that more of the story behind LVMH’s share purchases has emerged, Women’s Wear Daily reports that the company used a number of stealth maneuvers, including cash-settle equity swaps and use of several cannily named LVMH subsidiaries, to increase its stake in Hermes by over 14% without identifying itself as a competitor to Hermes brass. Seemingly adding insult to injury, LVMH notified Hermes of these developments only hours before releasing the information to the general public. So not only did Hermes not knowingly sell the shares to LVMH, but LVMH execs also seemed to be well aware that the family wouldn’t have sold, if given all the pertinent information.
I love to see designers using their brands for a good cause. Breast cancer affects everyone in one way or another and having designers get involved is a great way to help spread awareness and support to help fight this horrible disease.
Kooba will be giving away a Kooba bag to one person who donates to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure fund. All you have to do to enter is make a donation amount of your choice and contact Chris with your receipt (information above). Kooba already has 45 donations, with a goal of 50, so let’s help them get there!
RHOC: “The ones who don’t talk about it are the ones who are doing it even more.”
RHBH: “What name did Giggy call you on Twitter?”
RHBH Reunion: “Being friends with you is like playing chess with Bobby Fischer.”
RHOA: “I doubt very seriously that Emily Post has a chapter in her book about aggravated assault.”
