June 2008 Archives

Fab Sugar news: Jacob the Jeweler lands jail time!

Beauty Snob travels in style with Ooh La Spa!

55 Secret Street - How To Not Look Old (Hint: Start Young!)
Bag Snob discovers the Parisian chic of Gerard Darel!
Stiletto Jungle features cheap-chic summer fashion finds.
All About the Pretty- Redken's Glimmer Shimmer Treatment.
Bag Bliss has fallen for Valentino's version of the YSL Nadja Purse!
Bohemian chic never looked so good with modern tye-dye fashions, says Coquette.
Fashiontribes salutes Viktor & Rolf exhibition.
I'm Not Obsessed shows you how to get Nicole Kidman's Lady Like Style.
KRiSTOPHER is wanting, wearing, and hating DvF dresses
My Fashion Life takes a look at this season's key sunglasses
Papierblog goes to Chicago to view the SAIC Runway fashion show.
Second City Style finds two smashing Sex in the City outfits for less.
StyleBakery likes short shorts - find out their favorites and how to work the trend
Stylehive shows you 10 Bridesmaid Dresses you'll actually want to wear again!
The Shoe Goddess finds the perfect Fendi pump and dress for fall!
WE LOVE BEAUTY.com: favorite summertime product picks for poolside beauty!

Has enough time gone by for us to do yet another Chanel bag? Well, you have been warned, Chanel has a strong collection this Fall so start saving, girls! Nice evening bags do not have to be exclusively clutches, I mean, we all know the drawbacks of clutches - nowhere to put it down in the bathroom, can't hold it when dancing and drinking. But this can also work for nice formal events, which is the beauty of this beauty. Go across the body for big nights out with big drinking involved and keep it at your side on the shoulder for wine sipping events. It is patent calfskin with oh-so-Chanel metal and strass jewel details, there are a few bags for Fall with this detail but I love the youthful fun of this one. The new Robertson boutique in Los Angeles has the best selection of bags I've seen and they are all the cute young bags that are meant as the centerpiece of your outfit. The store is already full of tourists, but that is to be expected on Robertson these days, that is why a lot of designers are leaving the street and opting for Melrose Place instead, which I love. The quaint and quiet street is conducive to serious shopping and it is of course the most beautiful street in LA. But Chanel is too huge for there, they need the big exposure - like the other day I was in the Rodeo store and Usher walks in, bringing along with him a gaggle of female fans. He was very very nice and took pictures with all of them but he was not able to do much shopping (too bad because I really really wanted to see what he was going to buy). Gotta love Chanel! This bag is $5,495, call (800) 550-0005 to them locate it for you.

Beauty Snob has the seceret to soft lips with 'the lip scrub' by Sara Happ!
Tot Snob loves the adorable Handbag House!
Purse Blog is infatuated with the Gucci Small Hysteria Bag!
Fab Sugar has the dish on Janet Jackson's new lingerie line!

Grandma is trying to convince us to move to Alabama. I told her I need to go to NY once a week so she is looking into a private plane for us. Stay tuned… this could become a real life City Slicker story. In the meantime, I have not lost touch with reality. Say you have a long day out, shopping, running errands, meetings, whatever and in the evening you are meeting friends for dinner. So here is what you do. You get this Lanvin shopper and throw the pochette in there. It is the perfect solution for long days when you have too much stuff with you but for each activity you only need a portion of it. You keep the shopper in the car (sorry city girls) and just take the pochette with you when you run in and out of stores. Or for your meeting, you take the whole shopper with you. There is no reason to match the 2 since you will not be using them at the same time. The shopper in the bronze is the perfect day color that will go with most things and of course the anthracite pochette is your all around go-to clutch. This shopper is as cute as can be and LIGHT!! The drawstring closure allows you to change the shape and look as you wish. The foldover clutch is one of the few that actually works perfectly. In satin, it folds flat and is easier to manage. The navy stripe with the anthracite is super casual chic. Pop Satin Pochette is $995 and Papilotte Satin Shopper is $1390, both at Barneys New York.

While Tina is in Europe, I am here in good ‘ole Alabama visiting family. And not in a city or town either, I am on a farm, like there are cows outside my window (and not to get too political on a fashion blog, but there are also Confederate flags everywhere). People here just don’t find anything in my world relevant so I am a bit lost in a foggy state of fashion hell. The only thing I could do to stay sane is shop online, thank god for internet!! So in my quest for civilization, I did come across something good, not blow your savings good but hey, I will settle for good enough at this point. But that is not fair to say because Celine has been climbing the bag designer hierarchy by the season with hip bags like this. Their quality has always been there, they have been around for over 60 years but they are no longer the frumpy house of horse carriage toile and tassels (although I am not opposed to tassels in general). This bag will not impress your trend whore friends but is for you gals who go in the office and show them who’s boss. I am not a lawyer but I do believe this would be perfectly appropriate for court, except you will have an extra bounce in your step showing up with a candy apple red patent leather bag instead of a dull black leather briefcase (but of course not our bag snob lawyers). Celine is staying true to their clientele of professional women but it is refreshing to see them do something that is not only beautifully made but fashionable, as well. There is a flap in the front that opens to a compartment big enough for documents and a center zip compartment in the main cabin that will fit a laptop. The chain is removable. Although I am in love with the red patent, the incredibly beautiful and lush steel grained leather is probably a better choice for serious professionals. This appropriately named “Watch me work” bag is at Net a Porter for $2100.

I have not been a huge fan of Louboutin bags so when I saw this one I was excited because it is elegant and beautiful.....until I noticed the shoes clasp. It is kind of cute, like if it was a keychain but I find it hard to be elegant with a hokey charm on your nice evening clutch for your "Loubounight" out. I have said that he should stick to shoes but if he really wants to do bags then do bags, don’t do bags that rely on to his shoe fame by clinging so close to it, and so literally. I do appreciate the fact that all his bags have red lining, that is a smart tie-in that everyone loves, but the line should be drawn there. Other than that, the pewter is the perfect neutral without being black for an evening clutch. The pleat detail is very clean and crisp, unlike the ruching that everyone else is doing. At 8" by 5", it is not tiny and because it is pleated and rounded it will fit more than you think. At Saks Fifth Avenue for $795.

My initial response to this bag was eww but you have to give it a second because it has totally grown on me. It is simply adorable and lovable, like a sharpei. At first glance you want to hate it but then suddenly, all you want to do is hug it! I would love to see this in another color, maybe a plum, but this graphite will certainly suit all your needs for Fall. It is also very functional with a deep shoulder drop (9") on the thick strap and quite roomy with the big round bubble shape. If the ruffles were horizontal, it would be a whole other story because it would look like a skirt you wear for some Latin dancing. I find that Prada has been grasping for a while now but they are again doing bags that make girls want to stop paying rent to get one on their arms. I even think the nylon backpacks are something I want to bring back. They still sell them, always did, but now it is totally retro and it wasn't like backpacks were no longer useful. I am thinking of getting a white one for the summer with all traveling and outdoor activities. And with the nylon you can definitely go white because it cleans up beautifully with just mild soap and a soft cloth. The ruched hobo is $2120, shop Prada at Saks.

Hello sweetie darlings, I have finally arrived in London! After two weeks in Paris I am ready for some Brit love. Not that I don't adore the Parisians but we all know the Brits launched Bag Snob three years ago when we were merely two best friends dishing about handbags; they loved our brutally cheeky comments and told the world about us-- starting with the London Guardian followed by the fabulous 3 page article in British Vogue by Linda Grant (which has been translated and reprinted in almost every Vogue in the world!), then it was London Times, UK Grazia and countless other profiles by our friends across the pond not to mention all of our avid readers here that have really made us who we are today-- so there is a very special place in my heart for the UK :)

Limited edition Speedy in pink ostrich, $12,000. Photo courtesy of Louis Vuitton
While touring the Louis Vuitton atelier last week, I spotted a craftswoman working on something pink... something ostrich.... something totally Tina. I ran over to her and grabbed the bag out of her hand and found out it is the new Speedy (you should have seen me there-- I was a wild woman running around breaking rules and taking photos of areas that no one, not even WWD nor Vogue have ever taken photos of before! I was shocked they didn't kick me out, in fact, the LV staff was quite gracious and even offered me champagne-- which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am sorry it's taken me so long to put it all together but I promise to have it up soon!). I reluctantly handed it back to the stunned worker and watched as she meticulously finished off stitching the sides of the bag-- it makes me want to buy this bag even more knowing the care it took to make it. Fabulous and stylish for those who adore pink (though I could do without that gold "Speedy" emblem on the bag), this is a lovely modernization of the timeless Speedy bag (but the original will always be available for its loyal fans!). It has a gorgeous structure without being rigid and the ostrich skin is superb. The size is around 30cm, it is fairly lightweight and opens to a large interior-- a ladylike yet functional bag, in pink no less. What more could a girly girl ask for? At Louis Vuitton boutiques worldwide in July. On a different note, I was invited to the Louis Vuitton Resort show in New York today but am still in Paris... sigh. So much to do so little time. I would have liked to attend this show, LV ready to wear is always so sumptuous and luxurious. Next time, next time....

Judging from the comments of the last entry, all of you will go nuts (either love or hate, GD invokes great passion from you girls!) over these bags. I have to say that if I lived in Paris, I would hesitate buying a Gerard Darel bag, mostly because every cute little fashionista on the streets of Paris has one! But 99% of them have the leather version, so it does make me feel a bit better about my python. In any case, I don't live in Paris-- I live in a city where women have never heard of Gerard Darel so I can pretend I'm special every time I carry it :) Anyway, the purple python above is 1200 euro, but the python skin is not as nice as my gray one for some reason. It's kind of scaly and itchy. The ivory and natural python versions, however, are butter soft and feel like suede. These are only 880 euro. If any of you speak French, call my girl Maryse at the Gerard Darel boutiqe on rue de Passy-- she might be able to help you. 33-1-4288-0111 More photos after the jump!