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With an array of vaunted leather luggage, delectable designer bags and other accoutrements sold only through its own stores and boutiques, Louis Vuitton epitomizes luxury. No surprise, then, that it's a finalist for a Readers' Choice Award in the Best Leather Goods Category.

Founded in 1854 by a Frenchman of the same name, Louis Vuitton started out specializing in travel trunks. The sturdy luggage was favored by legendary explorers such as Pierre Paul François Camille Savorgnan de Brazza, in whose honor the Congolose capital of Brazzaville is named.

Georges Vuitton carried his father's tradition into the 20^th Century, peddling his wares around the world as international travel became accessible to more and more people. But it wasn't until its merger with Moet and Hennessey in 1987 that Louis Vuitton became a true global luxury powerhouse. The resulting conglomerate, LVMH, now pulls down billions in revenue even amid the worst economic downturn in a generation, thanks in part to handbags that often fetch five figure prices.

Chaired by billionaire Bernard Arnault, LVMH has continued its historical trend as outfitter to the stars. Recent ad campaigns for Louis Vuitton have featured celebrities from Gisele Bundchen to Andre Agassi; others -- like the self-styled "Louis Vuiton Don" Kanye West -- have provided publicity for free. Even former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has been featured in Louis Vuitton ads, proof of the brand's incredible power.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

The Britain-based Topshop is one of fashion's fastest-growing names. With 300 new styles each week, it's also one of the most up-to-date. Hungry customers devour its offerings to the tune of 40,000 pairs of shoes per week, 2500 dresses per day, and eight underwear sets per minute -- and our readers have nominated Topshop for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award in the Best Boutique/Department Store category.

Topshop has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time, especially when compared to its 19^th Century-born peers. The company started out in 1964 as a single boutique in the North of England, buried in the basement of a department store called Peter Robinson. Later that year, Topshop scored a spot in the chain's London location and soon became a standalone retailer.

By 1994, Topshop had grown so much that it expanded to fill the entire 90,000 square-foot space and became the retailer's flagship. The store now attracts more than 200,000 people per week, while Topshop.com attracts an average of 700,000 visitors per month, according to the company's website. There, customers can browse outerware, handbags, jewelry, and just about anything else one could wear, including collaborative collections with fashion luminaries such as Kate Moss and Celia Birtwell.

Topshop currently operates 300 stores in the U.K. and 100 abroad, including a new fashion emporium in New York's trendy SoHo shopping district -- a long way from a basement in northern England, indeed.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

Laurence Graff, the British billionaire jeweler to the stars, has seen diamonds all the way from the rough to the ring for decades. Not since Harry Winston has a single man been so involved in every aspect of the world of diamonds. Graff's panache and success have earned himself and his company, Graff Diamonds, many accolades -- including a nomination for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Jewelry Line.

Things weren't always so peachy for the East London-raised Graff. He grew up in a single-room apartment with his mother, a Romanian immigrant; his father left to fight in World War II. The young Graff did so badly in school that his parents urged him to drop out and learn a trade at age 14, according to Forbes. He soon scored an internship with a London jeweler; Graff's duties included scrubbing toilets.

By the age of 24, Graff had made some inroads in the London jewelry scene, but he was getting restless. So in the early 1960s, he jetted off to the Far East, where he would gain expertise buying and selling diamonds out of his briefcase. Once ensconced, he made several connections that endure to this day, including a friendship with one of the princes of Brunei. When he returned to London to operate two small stores, his royal friends often visited him to schmooze -- and to buy his wares.

Today, Graff helms a vertically integrated diamond empire with two-dozen retail outlets in Monte Carlo, Dubai, New York and Moscow, to name a few. Graff's gems have adorned the necks of stars from Oprah Winfrey to Paris Hilton. He shows no signs of slowing down: on December 1, 2009, his five-carat Vivid Pink diamond set a world record for such a stone, fetching $10.8 million in a Hong Kong auction.

Cast your vote for the Readers' Choice Awards at http://www.luxist.com/awards-vote/accessories-awards.

The first written record of a decorated Christmas tree was in 1510 in Riga, Latvia when men representing the local merchants' guild decorated a tree with artificial roses, danced around it in the marketplace and then set fire to it. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, roses were used for many years and are considered to be a symbol for the Virgin Mary.

During the 17th century, apples were commonly used in Germany to decorate Christmas trees, according to the National Christmas Tree Association. This practice was a holdover from the 14th and 15th centuries when evergreen boughs hung with apples were the only prop used in the "miracle plays" that were performed at the churches on the day before Christmas. December 24th was known as "Adam & Eve's Day" in the early Christian calendar, and the plays were used as ways of teaching the Bible to a largely illiterate population.

During the 18th century, edible ornaments were so commonly used on Christmas trees that they were often called "sugar trees." During this time, lighted candles started being used as decorations in France.

German settlers introduced the Christmas tree to the United States during the 19th century and they rapidly grew in popularity. At first, Christmas trees were tabletop in size before the floor-to-ceiling-sizes became more commonly used, according to the association.

Do you want to make your Christmas tree a striking one this year? Here are a few tips to help you:

1. Choose a theme and color scheme
Begin by choosing a theme and color scheme for your tree. Such is the tradition in the White House, where First Families have selected a theme for the White House Christmas Tree each year, beginning with the Kennedy family in 1961. There's no need to throw out old ornaments that don't fit into your current theme, as they might be work with themes selected in the future. This year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York decorated its 20 ft. tall blue spruce (above) with a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan angels and cherubs among its boughs. Flanking the tree's base are groups of realistic crèche figures flanking the Nativity scene at its base. The tree is currently on display in the Museum's Medieval Sculpture Hall.

2. Work from the inside out
Once you have figured out what your theme is, work from the inside out. Be sure to string your lights before hanging the garland and ornaments. Metallic-colored ribbon works well as garland.

3. Hang your "filler" ornaments
Decorate the backdrop of your tree with your filler ornaments (solid colors or simply decorated) before hanging the thematic ones. Wire or ribbon works best for hanging ornaments, as they will provide more stability. While many ornaments come with hooks attached, these tend to fall off the branches easily.

4. Hang large ornaments low and small ones high
Larger ornaments often work best on the lower branches of the tree; use the smaller ones for the higher branches. Metallic ornaments and garland are a great choice, as they will reflect the light emitted from your Christmas lights.

For a peak at some of the most beautiful Christmas trees in the world, click on the slide show below. Here you will see a range from traditional Christmas trees to those that are futuristic.

Some of the items up for auction at Wright Auction House in Chicago on October 6 might make potential buyers of a certain age nostalgic for their New York City youth. When the pieces were designed by Philippe Starck for Ian Schrager for the Paramount and Royalton boutique hotels in Midtown Manhattan were first unveiled over a decade ago they were like nothing that the hotel industry had ever seen before. Now Starck's avant-garde design prototypes can seem almost tame. Almost. They still have a whimsical appeal that holds up. Could Starck be a classic? The bar stools shown above were originally designed for the Royalton Hotel and are estimated to sell for $2,000–3,000. The NY Times talked with Richard Wright, the auction house owner, who said that Starck hasn't come a collector's favorite because he's so ubiquitous but this is the chance to buy the originals that spawned a furniture army or at least a few glamorous hotel nights.