couture

Giles Deacon Officially In At Ungaro

Filed under: Apparel

It's been a rough year for Ungaro but could brighter days be ahead? Designer Giles Deacon has confirmed that he is the new creative director of Emanuel Ungaro. Deacon, who was employed by the fashion houses Bottega Veneta and Gucci before launching is own line, could bing new life to the brand which has faltered a bit since Emanuel Ungaro himself retired in 2004. Last year Lindsay Lohan took a critically derided turn as artistic adviser for the brand and head designer Estrella Archs recently moved on.

Deacon, however, is optimistic. In an interview with Vogue UK Deacon expressed enthusiasm about his new line saying that it will take on a new design perspective and "hopefully we'll make it really interesting and relevant for people." His first Ungaro collection will launch in Paris in October. He describes the Ungaro woman. as very sexy, very French, chic and playful. His own designs have been colorful and a little avant garde, playing with patterns and proportion in some very attention-getting ways.

Tags: couture, fashion, giles deacon, ungaro

H. Stern's Alice In Wonderland Collection

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

Jewelry designer Tom Binn created an Alice in Wonderland collection, now jeweler H. Stern takes a turn with some new couture rings inspired by the 3-D movie "Alice in Wonderland." The rings include representations of the Cheshire cat, living flowers, mushroom forest and the topiary garden. The pieces are done in enameled gold. Swarovski is also selling a line of Alice in Wonderland pieces including cupcakes and other tea party favorites.

Gallery: H. Stern Alice Collection

[via Stylelist]

Tags: alice in wonderland, couture, h. stern, jewelry, ring

Lacroix To Go On In Name Only, For Now

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

We've been following the fortunes of Christian Lacroix as the brand struggled to find a buyer. For a time it looked like there were a variety of suitors ready to snap up the brand but as Fashion Wire Daily reports a French court has now advised that the couture house should undergo a massive restructuring and lay off about 100 employees, essentially turning Lacroix into a licensing business rather than a functioning fashion house.

The ruling from the Commercial Court of Paris says that Lacroix must close down its ready-to-wear business and couture division and won't be part of the upcoming Paris couture season in January for the first time since his show in 1987. The French Industry Ministry has said that it will continue to search for a buyer for the brand. One of the bidders for the company was Sheik Alhassan Bin Ali d'Ajman but the financial woes have recently commanded his attention. Italy's Borletti Group, owner of the Printemps and La Rinascente department store chains, has dropped out of the running.

In order to continue on in name only Lacroix will need to select a manufacturer to license its women's ready-to-wear and accessories collections and close the three Lacroix boutiques in Paris, New York and Las Vegas.

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Tags: christian lacroix, ChristianLacroix, couture, fashion, paris

Harveys Seatbelt Bags for Disney Couture, Handbag of the Day

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

I've written about Harveys Seatbelt Bags on Luxist because I love them. But, one can argue they're not the most traditionally glamorous bags, even if they are different, fun, and functional. But let's say you're a Disney fan, and you like an interesting handbag, and the word "couture" grabs you. Good news! Harveys introduces the Seatbelt Bag for Disney Couture, a website-only special collection in four styles.

Each bag is loaded with Disney details, such as a Mickey ears zipper pull, Mickey charms, custom red Disney lining with a monogrammed Harveys Logo and Mickey ear silhouette, and a comic-strip printed seatbelt body that tells the story of how Mickey seeks to capture Minnie's attention by serenading her. Also featured: black nickel hardware, a Harveys for Disney Couture plaque, interior pockets (one for cell phone), an interior keychain hook, and a drawstring storage bag. Shown at top: the Disney Carriage Baguette, $238. Dimensions vary; prices range from $218 - $268. See the gallery for photos of the other three styles as well as Harveys Disney accessories.

Gallery: Harveys Seatbelt Bags for Disney Couture

Disney Carriage Medium Hobo Website Exclusive Disney Carriage Medium Hobo

Disney Large Make-up Case-Website Exclusive Disney Large Make-up Case

Tags: bag, couture, Disney, handbag, handbags, Harveys, purse, seatbelt, seatbelt bag, seatbelt bags, SeatbeltBag, SeatbeltBags

Christian Dior Couture Sales Up

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Part of the fun of writing up a piece on Christian Dior Couture is the chance to showcase a photo yet another of the fabulous designs of John Galliano. As WWD reported last month, haute couture is hot right now, bearing out the trend that while mid-level luxury is faltering, all is well at the top of the market. Now Christian DIor Couture backs that up with the news that first half sales increased 5 percent at constant exchange rates to 366 million euros, or $560.2 million. Dior released a statement saying that they are strong in China, Russia, and the Middle East as well as Europe. The couture news was released with results for Christian Dior Group, the parent of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior Couture which showed that the revenues at the holding company rose 11 percent at constant exchange to 8.15 billion euros, or $12.48 billion but the group share of net profit dipped 1.7 percent to 352 million euros or $538.8 million. Looks like they'll be turning out these pretty dresses for a long time to come.

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Tags: christian dior couture, ChristianDiorCouture, couture, fashion

High Fashion Immune To Low Stocks So Far

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Like the high-end art market, the high-end fashion market continues to remain afloat in difficult times. This week is Paris Fashion Week and as WWD reports couture, the very top of the fashion world, contains to see strong sales. The number of couture clothes available is very small and clothing is in the thousands of dollars per piece.

So far, the couture business for fashion houses like Giorgio Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix hasn't seen any fall off from the declining U.S. economy. The customers for couture exist at the very highest end of the economic spectrum and are often immune to even fairly dramatic economic shifts. Also new clients from Russia, the Middle East and Asia continue to provide a stream of new customers.

Chanel reports that today's client wants a lot of attention and can be demanding. The Chanel team has flown around the world for fittings and presentations. It seems that today's couture houses have to work harder for their customers than ever before often because today's clients have increasingly busy schedules.

Couture also remains a way to reinforce a brand's image. We can't all afford the gorgeous Galliano gown shown above but the beautiful couture clothing serves as an advertisement for the quality and inventiveness of the designer.

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Tags: couture, economy, fashion, paris

Leona Helmsley's Clothes Up For Sale

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Charity

Leona Helmsley's furnishings and art have hit Christie's but what about her fabulous wardrobe? The Queen of Mean had quite a couture collection that ranged from Ferragamo shoes, Yves Saint Laurent ballgowns and fur coats. Leslie Hindman Auctioneers in Chicago will sell nearly her entire wardrobe, thousands of items, on May 18. Helmsley's wardobe won't earn as much as her Tiffany silver, the whole shebang, right down to the Chanel skirt suit she wore to prison, is only expected to earn around $100,000. The proceeds will be donated to the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.

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Tags: couture, fashion, leona helmsely, LeonaHelmsely, leslie hindman, vintage

Targ�t Couture Leather Padlock Handbags, Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Did you know that Intuition has launched a line of products called Targèt Couture? They collaborated with local LA designers to put together some dazzing designs that all feature a classic red and white logo. We have no idea where they got that idea....

If you're interested in picking up some of the Targèt swarovski-studded designs, there are shirts, jeans, jewelry and, of course, handbags. The Targèt Couture Pave Swarovski Crystals Clutch is probably the flashiest of all their offerings, but the Leather Padlock Handbags are a big draw. Why? It's hard to put a finger on it, but it seems like there is something familiar about the bags. It might be the super-soft leather, available in both camel and white, or the accenting brass hardware. More than likely, it is the padlock detail that accents the magnetic flap closure. It isn't exactly an original idea, but it's cute and hard to beat at only $250.

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Tags: couture, design, handbag, Handbag of the Day, HandbagOfTheDay, intuition, paddington, target

Choco Choco Truffle Handbags, (Edible) Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Handbags

For the Mom who is not only a fashionista, but a chocolate lover, you cannot go wrong with handbag-shaped chocolate truffles. The Choco Choco House is run by an exceptionally talented pastry chef who produces some delicious truffles in traditional and unusual flavor combinations. It's hard to say whether eating them or simply looking at them is more pleasurable, but I'll wager that Mom will opt for eating them.

Individual purse designs are sold in sets of 6 for $20 and 12 for $40. They can also be packed into cute vintage boxes, to make the gift even more special. This is the Spring Romance box, with milk chocolate truffles filled with lightly flavored almond and vanilla ganache. The bags are adorned with a candy violet and sugared pink lilac petal and are packed in an adorable matching box. If you cannot make up your mind, you can pick out your own assortment or opt for Choco's Choice, a premixed selection.

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Tags: cake, couture, edible, food, gift, handbag, handbag of the day, mother's day, order, present

Hand it to Mom Handbag Cheesecake, (Edible) Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Handbags

Elegant Cheesecakes certainly did an elegant job with their Hand it to Mom Handbag Cheesecake. The cake is a nice sized satchel built out of a triple mocha cheesecake with a shortbread crust. The exterior of the cake is finished with high-quality Belgian chocolate that has been colored and shaped into the stylish bag that your Mom deserves to receive this Mother's Day. You might want to set it on its side before you serve it, though, otherwise you will need to get some new dessert plates to hold those extra-tall slices. For an extra $5, you can have the tag personalized. Serves 12. Price $150.

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Tags: cake, couture, edible, food, gift, handbag, handbag of the day, mother's day, order, present

Eleni's Designer Handbags, (Edible) Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Handbags

Eleni's makes some of the finest cookies in New York City - both in terms of taste and appearance. Every cookie her bakery puts out is hand decorated with a level of detail that anyone (especially Moms) can appreciate and enjoy. Of course, Eleni's already has great taste covered, assuming you can bring yourself to eat these! The Designer Handbags collection includes 18 sugar cookies that are decorated to look almost exactly like the real thing, though they are only 2.5x2.5-inches. Each of the 18 cookies features a unique design and they are all packed into a lovely gift tin. Price: $75.

To see all the individual designs, click past the jump.

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Tags: cake, couture, edible, food, gift, handbag, handbag of the day, mother's day, order, present

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Dean and Deluca Sweet Couture, (Edible) Handbag of the Day

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Handbags

We are kicking off a week of edible purses in preparation for Mother's Day, which is only two weeks away. Fortunately, there is still plenty of time to order one of these treats if you know it is something that Mom will like. And when you're combining fashion and food, what's not to like?

Today's purse is the Sweet Couture Cake from Dean and Deluca. It is a four-layer vanilla butter cake that sandwich a decadent chocolate filling. The bag itself, which covers the cake, is made out of a pink fondant embossed with a crocodile-skin pattern. All the "leather" trimming is hand done. Price: $150.

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Tags: cake, couture, edible, food, gift, handbag, handbag of the day, mother's day, order, present

Custom Couture Designer's Portfolio

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Once little girls are old enough to accompany their parents on shopping trips and start having an input in what they want to wear, it is not a big leap for them to want to design their own outfits. Most girls don't get the opportunity to do this, but with the Custom Couture Kit they can make their dream a reality. The design portfolio that is included has fabric swatches, pencils, sketchpad, and a questionnaire, which will help determine the final design. The design will then be made by a professional designer in New York, who will consult on color, fabric and fit, before completing the garment and sewing in a custom label bearing the designer's own name. Price: $800.

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Tags: apparel, couture, custom couture, custom design, designer, dress, exclusive, fao schwartz, fashion, girl, kid, kids, kit

Fashionblogging: Attending the Elsie Katz Couture Show

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

I'd always wanted to attend a fashion show, just once. Consider it research in a fabulousness I will never attain. Yesterday afternoon, I attended the Elsie Katz Couture show as part of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Donna Baxter, the designer, is famed for gowns with a vintage feel.

If you are part of the ordinary people, at a show you sign in, get your seat assignment on a little card and then cue up until they let you in to the show area. There were plenty of famous people there even though this show, Elsie Katz Couture was one of the afternoon shows. I didn't recognize that many by name but I did see Jane Seymour who is taller than you would think and just gorgeous. Janice Dickinson teetered by on high heels. Looks exactly like she does on TV except louder, so much louder.

You sit, you hold your program, the lights go down, the music swells and the magic begins. The models are as thin as you would imagine and gawky, unwieldy in their flawlessness. This show, Elsie Katz Couture, was all about vintage glamor. Satin gowns hanging off languorous limbs. The looks varied between 20s flapper chic and fur looks that made the models look like tiny Russian dolls. Smoky eye makeup, a cascade of ringleted hair, dark matte lips and even beauty marks completed the look of decadent luxury. All that was missing were cigarette holders and Brylcreemed men in tuxedos dancing attendance. One thing I didn't know about fashion shows was that people often applaud the looks they like. Particularly gorgeous flowing gowns in gold and jewel tones received warm smiles, a couple of looks that seemed sort of woolen and bulky were met with a silence. No fashion show would be complete without a little nip slip, and yes we got one here too (you can see it in the Getty images of the show). Many of the dresses seem red-carpet ready and I am sure we will be seeing some of them at awards shows in the future. Check out the pictures of the show at Getty Images or watch video clips of this and other shows at the IMG Fashion World website.

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Tags: couture, elsie katz, ElsieKatz, fashion week, red carpet

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