We first told you about The Row’s crazy patchwork fur backpack way back in December, but now we have a price to put to the bag: $16,900. Rachel Zoe’s email newsletter The Zoe Report recently sent out an endorsement of this bag, revealing the exorbitant price, and frankly I’m surprised it’s not a little bit higher.
Month: June 2012
Lanvin takes a page from Celine’s playbook
Whenever a bag becomes as big of a hit as the Celine Luggage Tote, other brands are bound to take notice of what made it so successful. And that’s not just true of smaller brands looking to get a piece of the pie or department store or discount labels looking to capitalize on a trend at a bargain-basement price point; other major designers would be silly not to co-opt design elements that consumers respond to so favorably. Not paying attention when trends emerge is a great way to make a brand irrelevant.
That’s why I’m not particularly surprised that the Lanvin Moon River Tote looks like three Celine bags got together and had a baby: the Luggage Tote, the Classic Box and the Cabas Tote. I also don’t blame Lanvin for going this route; the look fits in with the brand’s aesthetic, and not everyone wants to get in line and buy the same Celine bag that everyone they know already owns.
Fill in the Blank: The Miu Miu Crystal-Embellished Studded Leather Tote is…
It’s been a long work week, but somehow (perhaps magically), it’s Thursday afternoon and the weekend is almost here. I must say I am super thrilled about that and so excited for the shortened holiday week to come. I’m a big fan of adding bling to my summer wardrobe, but typically I stick to my jewelry and shoes for the added pizazz. Miu Miu, on the other hand, wants to bring glitz into the handbag world and is trying to do so with its Miu Miu Crystal-Embellished Studded Leather Tote.
Only thing is, this bag is a little…out there. The outlines of the bag are excessively adorned with crystals in a very arts and crafts project way. From round studs to pyramid studs to crystals to gold to silver, there is a little bit of everything on this bag.
The Many Bags of Rihanna
After two weeks of exploring the handbag collections of celebrities whose tastes run close to those in the fashion industry – really, does it get more on-the-nose chic than Miranda Kerr and the Olsen Twins? – we thought we’d take things in a different direction entirely and explore the accessories whims of someone who marches firmly to the beat of her own drummer. That girl, obviously, is Rihanna.
I really respect RiRi’s style, even if she just as frequently finds herself the object of the fashion press’ criticism as she does its praise. Unlike most stars her age, she has a devil-may-care attitude toward her clothing choices that often results in missteps, but they’re the sort of glorious, over-the-top missteps that hot, filthy rich, 20-something singers should be making left and right. In a world where most famous people are under the relatively conservative thumbs of a small group of stylists, Rihanna serves as a needed counterpoint. But what does she carry? We answer that for you after the jump.
Inside the making of the Hermes Passe-Guide Bag
First released in 1975, it’s been decades since the Hermes Passe-Guide Bag graced the shelves of an Hermes retail store, but the heavily hardwared bag made a comeback for Spring 2012 and will be produced again for fall. In very limited quantities, that is; the design starts at $11,700 for regular leather, and good luck finding one to purchase. What, you thought that Hermes would launch a new bag by making it widely available to all interested parties?
After the jump, though, we have a video from Hermes that sheds some light on why the number of Passe-Guides on the market might be so low: to put it simply, they seem far more difficult and time-consuming than average to assemble. Most of us have seen photos of how Birkins and Kellys are made, which is without a doubt a detailed process, but the Passe-Guide takes things to the next level, particularly in its ultra-structured, hardware-adorned, immaculately curved gusset. See how it’s done after the jump.
That Chloe bag we all loved from the Fall 2012 show comes with a high price point
I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news: the Chloe Lucy Bag, which everyone adored when we included it in our Chloe runway coverage and our Fall 2012 runway wrap-up, has finally become available online, and its first landing spot is at Matches Fashion. Yay! The first sighting of a major runway lust object available for purchase always gives me heart palpitations. The bad news? We need to have a discussion about its price.
Karl Lagerfeld’s black diamond collar will set you back $37,500
What’s Krazy Unkle Karl up to this week, you ask? Oh, you know, the usual. Powdering his hair, dressing like a goth French cowboy, designin $37,500 collars that are so high they resemble bondage gear. Wait, what was that last part?
Ready yourself for the coming holographic trend
There’s no official measure to test whether or not something has officially become a trend, but the unofficial standard that I use goes something like this: When three different pieces from three different brands repeat the same element, and those pieces are all available at roughly the same time, it’s a pretty good bet that more of the same is on the way from other brands and at other price points. Ladies and gents, my spidey sense is tingling over holograms. And it’s not just the whole Tupac-at-Coachella thing.
A couple of weeks ago, we brought you the exciting news that Proenza Schouler will be including several holographic leather PS11’s in its upcoming Resort 2013 collection. Not long after, Sigerson Morrison’s holographic-trimmed suede sandals popped up on Moda Operandi for resort pre-order. Finally, Hussein Chalayan’s holographic leggings came in stock at Net-a-Porter and swiftly sold out before they even made it off the New Arrivals page. That’s three, even if you don’t count the Theyskens’ Theory hologram pants and bags from Spring 2012, and that’s all the proof I need. Want to get ahead of the trend? We have some suggestions after the jump, plus the purchase information for the items above.
Louis Vuitton to open Kusama pop-up shops, including one in NYC
In case you just can’t get enough of Infinitely Kusama, Louis Vuitton‘s capsule collection in collaboration with Japanese modern artist and polka dot enthusiast Yayoi Kusama, you’ll soon have even more ways to shop. Not only will customized windows roll out to Louis Vuitton boutiques across the globe, with the Kusama collection available in all of Vuitton’s 463 boutiques, but LV will also open up a handful of Kusama-only pop-up shops. If you’re sick of the hype for this collection (which some of you seem to be), then perhaps this post isn’t for you. All others: More details after the jump!
Britain is having a handbag moment
It’s been a big year for the Brits. Everyone’s still obsessed with Kate and Wills more than a year after the royal wedding kept us all up into the wee hours of the morning trying to figure out who would design Kate’s dress. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, celebrating Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne, got huge international media coverage and resulted in what appeared to be a weekend-long party for Londoners. Still to come are the 2012 Olympics, which will open in London in July and give the country its biggest international stage since…well, since the royal wedding. Like I said, life’s been pretty swell recently if you work for the country’s tourism board.
London is also home to a number of awesome accessories brands, and this summer, it seems like they’ve all agreed in unison to create Union Jack handbags that celebrate their country in its finest hour. All the way from Alexander McQueen, which has been festooning its box clutches with Union Jacks in a variety of colors and materials for years, to Mulberry, which chose to go for the most subtle pride statement, we’ve got the best of the uniquely British trend after the jump.
A Close Look at Chanel Cruise 2013
Back in May, the Chanel Cruise 2013 collection was shown at the magical Château de Versailles, where designer Karl Lagerfeld brought us feelings of eighteenth century opulence. The show itself was exactly the kind of visual magic that Chanel runway shows are known for, with the long line up of models overtaking the gardens of Versailles.
The collection has now made its way to the Chanel showroom in New York, and earlier this week, Vlad and I were able to take a close look at the clothing and accessories. Chanel had flown in two models who walked in the show to model looks from the collection, but naturally, I went immediately to the accessory section. The collection is full of cotton candy pastels finished with beautiful hardware and…well, see it for yourself after the jump.
