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Luxe Lingerie from La Perla for Valentine's Day

Filed under: Apparel

Luxe Italian lingerie brand La Perla has something for everyone this Valentine's Day, from its latest haute couture collaboration to the traditional luxury classics the brand is famed for. As we first reported earlier this year the famed firm, founded in Bologna in 1954, teamed up with French designer Jean Paul Gaultier on a vintage-inspired capsule collection for the fashion-forward. Prices for the limited edition range from $600 - $1,200. Equally appealing are La Perla's classic creations (above), many of which are made with ultra-luxe leaver's lace. The name "leavers" derives from the antique looms used to create this lace in an extremely complex and costly manufacturing process. La Perla uses the original looms as they're the only machines capable of working with a high number of threads, reproducing the intricate work of handmade lace. The result is distinguished by extremely fine detail. Check out the gallery for an eyeful.

Gallery: La Perla V'Day 2011

Tags: Italy, Jean Paul Gaultier, La Perla, lace, lingerie, Valentines Day

Dolce & Gabbana Lace & Leather Top Handle Bag

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Love the look of lace but find that wearing a lace top feels too trendy or revealing? Experiment with the trendy material with an accessory instead. Dolce & Gabbana's Lace & Leather Top Handle Bag ($2331) is feminine with a touch of sexy and romance. It captures the sophisticated sexiness of the 50's and 60's with a modern update. Styled in buttery soft jet black lambskin with black lace throughout, the lace adds texture and interest. There is a roomy interior with a zippered front flap pocket accented with two silver and gold medallion pulls. Measurements: 24cm H x 32 cm W x 16 cm D. Dolce & Gabbana's Lace & Leather Top Handle Bag is not available untill 3.15.10 but you can pre-order now.

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Tags: dolce and gabbana, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, handbags, lace, leather, leather handbag, top handle bags

Thakoon Draped Collar Coat

by Marsha Reid (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

The classic beige trench coat is completely revamped with the magical touch of fashion design star Thakoon. His Draped Collar Coat ($1090) takes the essence of a traditional trench coat and infuses it with a modern and unique twist that is very appealing.

Made from a mix of virgin wool, mohair, alpaca and a hint of nylon, the Draped Collar Coat boasts a dramatic and oversized relaxed collar (which exposes reversed twill), a curved hem that drops in the back, and crochet lace trim at the collar, opening, sleeves, hem and along the belt.

Contrasting colors of grey and white make for a stand out of a coat that still exudes a timeless elegance. I especially liked the hints of reverse twill scattered throughout the coat.

While you won't be able to wear Thakoon's coat on rainy days like the typical trench coat, it will provide some warmth and serve well as a chic and effortless accent to your outfit.

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Tags: apparel, coat, crochet, lace, thakoon, trench coats

Cesare Paciotti's New "Lace" Soles

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Shoes

Ever since Christian Louboutin painted the soles of his shoes red, all who care about shoes now look at the soles as well as the rest of the shoe. Cesare Paciotti is joining the fray with new "lace" soles, which are a black lace pattern over red (winter) and nude (spring). Paciotti's shoes look fabulous, if not at times unwearable, and the new sole will make it so you won't want them to have a single scuff on the bottom. Save for indoor use only?

Tags: Cesare Paciotti, lace, red, shoes

Rebecca Minkoff Lace Mab Satchel, Handbag of the Day

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

How cute is the Rebecca Minkoff Lace Mab Satchel? Very.

This sky blue canvas bag is covered in a beautifully executed lace print, which calls forth images of black lace gloves and vintage wallpaper. The blacks and blues are subtly adjoined with gunmetal hardware, which completes this icy cool look.

This is the perfect girly bag for hose of you who cringe when the pastels of summer arrive. It's sexed-up good-girl, like Olivia Newton John at the end of Grease, but without all the grind dancing.

The satchel is fully lined, 13"W X 9"H X 7"D, and has a zip top and outer pocket and metal feet. The detachable shoulder strap has a 14½" drop if you're into that.

The Rebecca Minkoff Lace Mab Satchel is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $325.00.

Tags: handbag of the day, lace, rebecca minkoff, satchel

Valentino Laceland Tote, Handbag of the Day

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

The Valentino Laceland Tote is a pretty, feminine bag perfect for the pale shades of this spring.

As we emerge from the dark jewel tones and black velvets of winter into a lighter, brighter, pastel spring 2010, this pale gray Tote can be your friend and ally at work or at play. The laser-cut soft nappa leather includes layered lace and eyelet details, and will age beautifully. The double ruched handles call to mind an antique framed silhouette or elegant hand mirror, creating an even quainter, lovelier overall effect.

At 16"W X 14"H X 5"D, this delicate, girlish tote is large enough to throw over your shoulder with everything but the kitchen sink inside. We love a ladylike bag with some down-to-Earth sense, and that's just what this is. The lining is a durable polyester-satin blend. Magnifique.

The Valentino Laceland Tote is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $3,495.

Tags: gray, grey, handbag, handbag of the day, HandbagOfTheDay, lace, Tote, Valentino

Five Fab Finds and a History Lesson: Lace Edition

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

The most beautiful, intricate, and valuable lace is always handmade, created with painstaking care and based on the methods started by women centuries ago. With its beginnings traced back to the darning of tattered fabric hems, lacemaking really gained traction in Europe in the 1500s when weaving it out of cotton, silk, or flax became a prestigious and sought-after skill of high class women as they strove to make themselves and their outfits more beautiful and extravagant. Depending on the method used (by hand, with needles, or by some other variation of technique) it was not uncommon for a single inch of lace to take a skilled woman 2 hours to complete. No wonder it was so expensive!

Today lace is available in every size, color, and pattern imaginable (as demonstrated in our gallery below) but I still love the set of old, yellowing doilies my grandmother gave me the most.

Gallery: 5 Fab Finds: Lace

Christian Louboutin Candy Lace & Patent Spike Pump

AurÃ©lie Bidermann 18-karat gold lace ring

Red Valentino Lace-detailed jersey T-shirt

Tags: 5 fab finds, 5FabFinds, fashion, five fab finds, FiveFabFinds, history, history lesson, HistoryLesson, lace, lacey

Ahilya Cashmere Scarves are Among the Finest, in More Ways than One

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Manuela Moollan's ahilya scarves take their name from an 18th century Indian queen, Ahilya Bai Holkar, who was graced with the title of goddess and called "The Philosopher Queen" for her benevolent rule and municipal gifts. Moollan's scarves, however, are products of Kasmir -- which is to say, they're cashmere.

But not just any scarves and not just any cashmere. To paraphrase the deliciously delivered education Vesper gave to Bond: "There are scarves, and there are scarves. ahilya is the latter." The throats and underbellies of Kashmiri goats are combed for threads that are twelve to fourteen micrometers thick, the standard of the most exemplary woven wools and cashmere. It would take seven of those fibers to equal the thickness of a human hair. The fibers are then hand spun, hand woven, and hand dyed. There are no mechanical processes in their creation -- you know, kind of like the way the finest things have been made since before the days of Sanskrit.

ahilya offers five collections, from the for-kids Tumble line of blankets and smaller scarves (kids love goats, you know), to the diamond weave Touch, to the diaphanous Ethereal. For the ornate, look no further than Lace, which pairs a Chantilly or Calais trim to the woven body of the scarf. And for the ultimate, there's the obviously-named Ultimate collection if you think leafed gold or silver thread will help keep you warmer, or at least better looking. When you're ready to wear a scarf, you can find ahilya online starting at about €215 ($318 U.S.).

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Tags: ahilya, cashmere, lace, scarf

Fall Fashion Fabric-Obsesses to Distinguish Itself from Mass Market

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

As the fashion world eagerly awaits New York Fashion Week in a matter of days, the clothes we're seeing now in stores and tempting ad campaigns are focused on rich fabric and unique detailing -- in many cases, hand-crafted lace made by Parisian artisans or breathable lace from Japan. The goal goes beyond creating one-of-a-kind pieces: designers are hoping to make it impossible for mass brands like H&M or TopShop to copy their work when the materials themselves are out of reach. Designers made use of age-old, labor-intensive techniques to distinguish themselves from the knockoffs, many of which appear on shelves before the originals are even produced.

And shoppers are responding to the shift, favoring an investment in iconic brands that are easily recognizable (think Prada florals, Dries van Noten marbelized prints) instead of the cookie cutter clothes glutting the market. Because as fun as the cheap thrills are, there's nothing so demoralizing to a fashionista as walking down the street and seeing a bratty thirteen year old wearing the identical hippie tunic from Forevs 21.

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Tags: dries van noten, DriesVanNoten, forever 21, Forever21, hm, lace, prada, topshop

Stacey Dash's Luxe Lingerie to be Available Online

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

Letters of Marque, the luxe, vintage-inspired lingerie line launched by beautiful actress-turned-designer Stacey Dash last year, will finally be available for purchase online beginning July 4. Dash, a onetime Playboy model who's currently appearing on NBC's reality series Celebrity Circus, based her sexy debut collection on an exquisitely-crafted 150-year-old piece of Victorian lace lingerie which she'd worn herself for over a decade on, ahem, special occasions. "To me, the most important place to feel luxurious is in your home being intimate with the one you love," Dash tells Luxist. Her pieces are woven with the same rare French and English Leavers lace that was used in the piece that inspired them. The line's name has a historical antecedent as well; Dash discovered that one of her ancestors was a Dutch privateer with a letter of marque officially authorizing him to capture booty. Check out www.lettersofmarque.com on or after the 4th to snag some for yourself.

Gallery: Letters of Marque

Tags: Celebrity Circus, CelebrityCircus, Lace, Letters of Marque, LettersOfMarque, Lingerie, Playboy, Stacey Dash, StaceyDash

Lace Watch

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

A bit of frippery for your wrist, this Lace watch by Van Der Bauwede has a delightfully feminine look. The stainless steel watch is set with a row of 78 brilliant-cut diamonds (0.53 carats) on the case. The dial has a lace work motif with Gothic numerals set with diamonds and the crown is set with a briolette-cut diamond. The watch has a quartz movement and a sapphire crystal. The embroidered strap closes with lingerie hook. It's pretty but I think it would be far more appealing if the numbers on the dial were vertical instead of horizontal.

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Tags: design, fashion, lace, timepiece, watch, wristwatch

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