Louis Vuitton

I was looking at my handbag collection the other day and I realized that most of my handbags are very “safe”. There are typical shapes you would expect, typical colors, and typical materials. I can’t say that my collection is boring, but the day I was looking at my bags I felt the need for some spice and pizazz amongst my bags. I bought a new Marc Jacobs bag recently (reveal to come this week) that is so loud and edgy, it will surely bring an immediate burst of energy into my collection. But I am craving more.

After I saw the Louis Vuitton Spring 2010 handbags and accessories at the LV boutique in Bal Harbour, I ordered two items. One is the colored fox tail that continues to be seen adorning the Spring bags. The other item I will not reveal, as it is one of the four bags I am having you vote on. But I am second guessing my choice and want your help. Help me decide which Louis Vuitton bag from the Spring 2010 collection will add more spunk and character to my collection.

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I have a hard time putting into words the excitement I felt when I received the press release on the latest Louis Vuitton Core Values campaign. As with the previous campaigns featuring outstanding personalities like Sean Connery, Michail Gorbachev, Keith Richards and the famous astronauts Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Sally Ride, the latest campaign could not have chosen better Core Values icons.

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The latest Louis Vuitton catalog was one of the best photographed catalogs I have seen in a long time. There was a holiday theme which was not over-the-top cutesy, rather sophisticated and perfectly fitting. One of my favorite photos was a fairytale-like forest scene accented with an array of Louis Vuitton Neverfull Bags.

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Between the half-shoes/half-claws shown by Alexander McQueen and Chanel Spring 2010 being show in a barn with smirking models, I thought I had seen every ridiculous thing that Paris Fashion Week had to offer.

And then at Louis Vuitton Spring 2010, creative director Marc Jacobs saw fit to attach furry tails to the bags. Yep, that happened.

As far as bags go, the show started…dreadfully. Most of them appeared to be made of dip-dyed cotton canvas in candy colors with coordinating fluffy appendages streaming off the back, which were sometimes bigger than the bag itself. After a dozen looks, I thought I was in for a very unpleasant show.

But after a little while, things started to look decidedly better. I’m not sure if it was just the fashion show version of Stockholm Syndrome, I guess that’s always possible, but things rallied a bit during the middle and end portions of the show. Instead of canvas bags with animal parts hanging from them, Vuitton returned to the leathers and embossed logos to which fans are slightly more accustomed.

Which is not to say the bags were boring – they weren’t. The opposite, in fact. And they weren’t entirely successful, but I appreciate the combination of colors, materials, and textures that Jacobs attempted in order to make something new out of one of the most recognizable logos in the fashion world. The collection was heavy on messengers, and the ones that combined logo leather with smooth in different colors were probably the best bags of the show, in addition to the duffel bags made of similar textures. Please, Marc Jacobs, if you’re out there: please give the tassel-covered bags a rest. Thanks.

The more I look through the bags from the last half of the collection, the more the eclectic ideas and influences grow on me, and I’m not sure what my final opinion will be once the dust of fashion week has settled. One thing is sure, though; adventurous collections like Louis Vuitton, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen are what make Paris the world’s reigning fashion city. New York has some catching up to do.

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Louis Vuitton has partnered with artist Camille Scherrer to present the new “Louis Vuitton : Art. Fashion and Architecture” book. The book will be available in stores this Friday, September 11th. Now you can watch the animated movie of the book coming to life above.

The Internet and luxury have always been sort of mutually exclusive. The Internet is broad, democratic, and welcomes all kinds; it has changed the way that consumers interact with corporations in fundamental ways that are constantly evolving. Luxury brands are narrow, elitist, and target a very specific clientele. They require a bit of mystery and aloofness in order to be aspirational and make their traditional brand identities work, and they’re generally not interested in changing how their companies interact with…well, anyone. “The way it has always been done” is idealized and worshiped in an almost religious way, and even though many below-the-surface practices have evolved in recent years (most notably, manufacturing), the way that brands want you to perceive them has remained largely untouched for decades.

But the problem with this whole Internet thingamabob is that it’s kind of insidious and it’s changing the way that people of a variety of incomes and social standings shop and inform themselves about potential purchases. Fashion shows are no longer private events for an elite group of celebrities, editors, and clients; they’re presentations of goods that can often be seen in their entirety by average customers within minutes of their completion. There may be exclusivity left in the invitation to attend a show, but not in the information that one gains by attending.

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About a month ago, the Purse Blog team attended the Kayne West Shoe launch at Louis Vuitton Bal Harbour. We did not leave with a new pair of sneakers, but I left crushing on a new handbag. One of our favorite SA’s at LV (the entire staff at LV Bal Harbour is amazing) showed me a new clutch that I adored. The Louis Vuitton Sobe Clutch is the all-around perfect attention getter. The patent leather appears liquified and the LV signature in golden brass finishes the clutch off beautifully.

The original Vernis bags were named after streets in downtown NYC. When I first saw the name of this clutch I wondered if Louis Vuitton named it after another famous city, South Beach. After talking with my SA at LV today I can confirm that the Sobe clutch is indeed named after South Beach, which is perfectly fitting for this clutch. All about style and easy to take out into the nightlife, this clutch is nothing but hot. Fergie wore the much loved belt that accompanies this bag to the LV show last month. Size is 4.3″ x 10.2″ x 2.2″. Buy through Louis Vuitton for $895.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Man’s greatest achievement. Over 400,000 years of generations of men and women gazed to the sky, wondering if it was going to be possible to once reach the unreachable. All these combined visions, unbound imagination and unprecedented engineering led to the ultimate achievement on July 20th, 1969, when NASA astronauts Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin Jr. stepped foot on the moon.

I am way too young to tell you how people felt that day, watching the moon landing being transmitted on their tellies around the world. Ask your parents or grandparents and they will be able to tell you exactly where they were and who they were with, as they witnessed epic history being made. I believe there is no other achievement in human history that taught us that we are only limited by the limitations we impose on ourselves. Imagination is everything.

But wait, space ramblings on Purse Blog?

Read the full Louis Vuitton event coverage!

Last night some members of the Purse Blog team (Megs, Vlad, Intern Joe and myself) had the opportunity to attend an exclusive launch party at the Louis Vuitton store in the Bal Harbor Shops. The event was a little different than what we are used to since the party was for sneakers and not handbags. As many of you know, Kanye West has teamed with Louis Vuitton to create high end designer sneakers. While Megs and I did try and convince Vlad and Joe to snag a pair, I think it is fair to say the sneaks aren’t really our cup-o-tea.

True, these shoes are rather unique (although, do they remind any of you of the old school Reebok high-tops?), but I don’t think I will be rushing out to buy them any time soon. However, there were plenty of others at the event last night that were walking away with boxes and boxes of these shoes. It may or may not come as a shock to you, but a lot of these shoes are close to sold out! Head over to your local LV store and grab some… if it’s your kind of thing.

Image via LA MJC