Image via Vogue.com

Did you look through the show shots from Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 and think to yourself, “Self, there’s a whole boatload of crocodile in this collection, and I’m not just talking about bags?” If you did, Women’s Wear Daily‘s report that LVMH has invested heavily in a family-owned Singaporean crocodile tannery makes so much sense that it’s almost silly.

Images via Vogue.com

While cutting the photos for yesterday’s post about Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2012 runway bags, I almost missed this little darling. Cutting photos is mind-bendingly tedious work, and it’s easy to glaze over and become something of a Photoshop robot while in the process, particularly for a show as handbag-heavy as Vuitton‘s. Just before I went into full zombie mode, though, I realized that a lone model wasn’t carrying a bag at all, but instead a Louis Vuitton Flask.

Images via Vogue.com

Every season, waiting for the Louis Vuitton show is torturous. It comes at the very end of Paris Fashion Week, which is the last city of the season, and its arrival taunts handbag lovers for a full month. Unlike some designers whose brands make a great deal of money from accessories but you largely eschew the use of bags on the runway (we’re looking at you, Yves Saint Laurent), Vuitton knows exactly what we want – THE BAGS.

Images via Women’s Wear Daily

As I learned first-hand last week, Fashion Week isn’t just runway shows. Like any huge trade show (and at it’s core, that’s what it is), Fashion Week brings with it a whole slew of special events, openings and parties that are designed to cater to those who are attending or interested in the shows. Which is why we have these pictures from the Milan, where Louis Vuitton has staged an exhibit of outfits mixed and matched from Marc Jacobs’ tenure at the brand at the city’s newly reopened Via Montenapoleone 2 flagship store.

As you guys know, I’m a little obsessed with ad campaigns. Not only do the big brands almost always give bags and accessories a front-and-center showcase, but fashion ads allow us a bit of a closer look at the story behind a collection and how a designer invisions his or her clothing. For fashion junkies, ads are more than just ads.

Because Monday was a holiday, we skipped Man Bag Monday this week, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate our male audience. Au contraire! And for our female audience, we figured you would probably appreciate the male model eye candy in this behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 Men’s show. And who doesn’t need a little pick-me-up on a lazy Thursday afternoon?

       

I opened up my inbox this morning to find an oddly alluring email about Smurfette wearing designer accessories in new issue of Harper’s Bazaar. First off, I had no idea The Smurfs movie was coming out and second off, I find it hilarious to see Smurfette posing with high end designer goods.

Normally on Man Bag Monday, we highlight a single men’s accessory that we love. This week, we have the pleasure of bringing you detailed shots of the accessories from the recent Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 runway show, from the bags all the way down to the shoes.

There are also some scarves and watches thrown in for good measure, but as with the Vuitton’s women’s shows, the leather goods are the real stars of the show.

If you went to Google’s homepage this morning and found yourself thinking that the search giant’s new Doodle looked familiar, it might be because you have some of the artist’s work hanging in your closet. (Or maybe because you’re just a contemporary art fan in general.) The logo above, commissioned by Google to celebrate the first official day of summer, was created by famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, he of the longstanding Louis Vuitton collaboration that all of us know and some of us love.

For the past few years, Louis Vuitton has been on such a great roll with resort collections, and for good reason. The brand’s identity is built around the idea of luxury travel, so it follows naturally that it would be particularly suited to a season that came about out of the need for pre-season travel goods for those who have the money and flexibility to escape the winter weather in less exotic locales.