December 2011 - Page 2

A few goofy gifts for the eccentric on your list

Dec 22, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Let’s be real here: Internet Christmas shopping is basically done. It’s the 22nd, Christmas is on a Sunday this year, life is hard. Our super official Holiday Gift Guide 2011 has come to an end, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lots of interesting ideas still left rolling around in our heads (or rolling around the vast and unknowable Internet, for that matter). Plus, Christmas isn’t the only time for gifts – people have birthdays every day, right?

Because we have to come up with content until Christmas and you have to have something to read at the office while you wait for vacation to start and pretend to look at an Excel spreadsheet (I know what you’re doing, I’ve been you before), I’ve found a few weird tchotchkes for the person on your list who would shun any item you could find on a gift guide for reasonable people. Or, if you don’t have one of those friends, here’s some pleasantly odd stuff that you can buy on the Internet. For yourself. Because if you don’t know who the weird one in your group is, it’s probably you.

Clutch or crossword? Somehow, Christian Louboutin solves the puzzle

Dec 22, 2011Dec 22, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Christian Louboutin Cleo Sequined Satin Clutch, $2095 via Net-a-Porter

I miss a lot of things about college, and the crossword puzzle from the University of Georgia student newspaper is probably a lot higher up on that list than you’d expect. It was the perfect level of difficulty – I could finish it in about 45 minutes and feel challenged while still ultimately being victorious. Related: 45 minutes was approximately the length of one lecture class period at UGA. Over my four years there, I did hundreds of them.

Getting your news online brings with it a noticeable lack of crossword puzzles, which has left a sad little gap in my procrastination habits since 2008. The Christian Louboutin Cleo Sequined Satin Clutch isn’t literally a crossword puzzle in the same way that Louboutin has made literal tape measure shoes, but when I squint, it’s close enough for me.

A look backstage: Oscar de la Renta Pre-Fall

Nov 25, 2014Dec 22, 2011 by Vlad Dusil

Check out Prada’s Spring 2012 ads!

Dec 21, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Images via Fashionista.com

We love a good ad campaign around these parts. Because most brands rely on accessories (as well as cosmetics and fragrance) to make ends meet, ads often put the bags and leather goods that we’re most interested in seeing front and center in a way that the runway never does. Prada’s ads are always reliably lovely, and the campaign for Prada Spring 2012 features my favorite of the collection’s runway bags – the framed satchel!

You have two eyes, so I’m sure you can tell that these photos were shot at a service station as an homage to the 1950s greasers and car culture that inspired the clothes. Fashionista.com tells us that Steven Meisel shot five models for the campaign, most notably Natasha Poly, and the results are good, clean Americana fun. Check out two more shots after the jump.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Stocking Stuffers under $100!

Dec 20, 2011 by Amanda Mull

You’ve made your list, you’ve checked it twice and…you’ve found some gaps. Although everyone is covered, technically, there might be some people on your list who you feel deserve a little bit more, or maybe a few people who you’d like to give a token of your appreciation. Naturally, though, you don’t want to go overboard; not only do we all have budgets, but buying something too lavish for a casual friend or colleague can be a faux pas.

That’s where this last-minute installment of our Holiday Gift Guide 2011 comes in: Stocking Stuffers!. From $15 to $98, we have plenty of suggestions to soothe your gifting panic. Hurry up and order, though – shipping takes time, which is something you’re running out of quickly.

The Lanvin Diamond-Print Canvas Tote sparkles

Dec 19, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

Last week, I went with a few friends to see the Collection of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie’s in NYC. From extravagant evening gowns to Chanel bags galore, there was a wide array of items to see. But the driving force behind this viewing for the majority of people there was Liz Taylor’s jewels, and boy did they sparkle! I found plenty of items that were gorgeous (but not quite my taste) that I will forever dream about owning. The overall theme was diamonds, as they were found on nearly every single piece of jewelry she owned.

And just as the saying goes, “diamonds are a girls best friend”, I was completely enamored with all of the bling. So I have been in a diamond state of mind for over a week and recently the Lanvin Diamond-Print Canvas Tote popped up on Net-A-Porter.

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: Sweet Accessory Treats, from chocolates to cookies

Dec 16, 2011 by Megs Mahoney Dusil

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is all the treats. Whether it’s homemade batches of grandma’s cookies or peppermint chocolates or a warm cup of hot cocoa with whipped cream, my sweet tooth is on hyper-drive for the entire month of December (ok, it started with Halloween). I receive sweet treats as holiday gifts and I enjoying giving them out as well.

If you’d like to give the perfect sweet for the gal who loves her accessories, I have found 9 of the best choices out there to surprise and delight your friends and loved ones. From chocolate shoes to handbag-shaped cookies, there is the perfect option for the sweet love in your life.

Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2012 ad campaign is just as sugar sweet as the collection

Dec 16, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Images via Fashionista.com

Because I know we have so many Louis Vuitton fanatics around here, I couldn’t resist posting these first looks at the Louis Vuitton Spring 2012 ad campaign. If you followed our coverage of the Vuitton runway show a few months ago, you probably could have guessed how this campaign would look – pale, precious and ever so sweet. The brand tapped Steven Meisel to shoot Daria Strokous and Kati Nescher in the world’s most luxurious ice cream shop, and the result fit the mood of the clothing and accessories perfectly. Check out another shot after the jump.

MarcJacobs.com is selling limited edition Olympia Le-Tan Book Clutches

Dec 16, 2011 by Amanda Mull

I will admit to not fully understanding how the Marc Jacobs website works (People kept saying that they were having a 70% off sale yesterday but everything looked like it was full priced to me? What?), and the fact that Jacobs is using it to sell Olympia Le-Tan Book Clutches is just another thing about it that confuses me. I can’t think of another major high-end brand that sells things that aren’t actually its own products on its website.

Which means that as soon as I saw the clutches, I was ready to write a post about how Jacobs was the latest designer to jump on the book clutch bandwagon, but instead, it looks like the brand is using its huge reach to support an independent designer. Kind of a refreshing move, right?

You cannot possibly understand how fervently I wish this Reed Krakoff tote were leather

Dec 15, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Hey, handbag designers! We need to talk. Huddle up, it’s time for a chit chat.

I know that relatively inexpensive canvas totes probably sell well for you guys. They’re extremely low-margin compared to leather bags (which are already pretty low-margin compared to lots of consumer products), and having a strong brand name means you get to mark them up like crazy. I get it! I just don’t like it.

Take the Reed Krakoff Leather-Trimmed Canvas Tote, for example. When I first saw it, I got that little sparkly feeling in the back of my brain that happens as soon as I set eyes on something that I really like. Printed bags are under-appreciated, and this graphic python print in particular is quite nice. For a moment, I had hope that the bag was leather. Those hopes were quickly dashed.

Emilio Pucci goes with bright python for spring

Dec 15, 2011 by Amanda Mull

December 15th: It’s 10 days until Christmas and we’re in the thick of the holiday party season, where everyone’s wearing great winter textures like cashmere and fur and wool and leather and heavy beading. This is the greatest time of the year for someone who truly adores clothing and accessories, and yet, I feel as though I’m stuck in a spring state of mind. The brights just won’t let me go!

With bags like the Emilio Pucci Python Box Clutch and Emilio Pucci Python Shoulder Bag starting to pop up for resort and spring, it’s tough to get excited about charcoal and navy. I appreciate subtlety, but I really appreciate candy-neon snakeskin.

Jimmy Choo makes coozies now too, but you should stick to Hermes

Dec 15, 2011Dec 15, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Being a full-time accessories blogger means that, of all people, I’m usually pretty “up” on the trends. Not because I’m extra super cool (even though I am, trust), but merely because it’s a requirement of my continued employment, and like all of us, I’d very much like to continue to be employed. With that in mind, even I couldn’t have predicted that luxury leather coozies (FINE. They’re cup holders. But “coozie” is a much better word, and not all that wrong.) would become a thing that we all now have available to us.

I first covered the Hermes Coozie a couple of weeks ago, and now that the Internet at large has begun to discover its existence, people are pulling random leather cup holders out of all kinds of weird corners of the accessories business. As a result, we have the Jimmy Choo Rika Cup Holder in embossed croc to present to you today. Watch out, though – it’s only $25 less than the Hermes version. This is why they hate us, ladies. But wait, what? There’s now a CROCODILE version of the Hermes cup holder?