On November 17 in London Sotheby's and Louis Vuitton will co-host a gala charity auction of six limited-edition Special Orders Vuitton pieces to benefit the Red Cross and commemorate the organization's 150th anniversary. Since its creation in 1854, Vuitton's Special Orders department has made bespoke creations (see Karl Lagerfeld's here) to suit the whims of customers willing to pay for the perfect carrying case to suit their whims. For the Red Cross benefit sale, Vuitton created custom pieces for Damien Hirst (a butterfly armoire), chef Ferran Adrià (trolley case with knife tray), photographer Annie Leibovitz (camera bags), musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla (instrument case), Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs (dog carrier) and Patrick Louis Vuitton (alligator tool kit), the head of Vuitton's Special Orders department and a member of the fifth generation of the Vuitton family. Each piece was designed by Patrick-Louis Vuitton in collaboration with the celebrity, along with a special Red Cross medical kit trunk (above) with boxes for emergency supplies.

Louis Vuitton has just released two new Monogram watch cases. While Louis Vuitton has been making watches for a while, it is not clear whether or not they have previously made watch cases. Though it makes total sense for the luxury bag and luggage maker to do so. One case is trunk style, and suitable for 8 watches. While the other is more like a roll case, and sized for 3-4 watches. Each are made in France, with the brand's usual style and noticeable exterior.

The inside is made of a microfiber material that should be nice on your watches, while pads are used for the watch themselves (which are removable). The smaller case has a brass buckle, while the larger mini-trunk case uses a lock and key. They both make good travel cases - something which is hard to find for watches as most travel cases take up more space than they are worth. Louis Vuitton also suggests that the cases are ideal for storing watches in while they are in a safe. I'm sure you'll think of all sorts of good ways to show these Monogram cases off. Prices are up there - $620 for the 8.3 inch wide smaller case, and $4,070 for the 13.4 inch wide mini-trunk.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Far be it from me to criticize designers when they get creative, try something new or push the envelope. That's fashion.

But, is it me, or are designers presenting collections in Paris this week getting downright costume-y? More than a few of them have gone from subtle references in their collections to frighteningly literal representations of sea creatures, Roman gladiators or whatever else inspires them.

Take Louis Vuitton's show yesterday. Marc Jacobs used giant Afro wigs-the kind you'd pick up on the Halloween aisle-in his presentation. Disappointingly, the Afros were the only things unifying the collection comprised of everything but the kitchen sink (Davy Crockett fur, American Indian accessories, military looks, hippie, club kid, etc.).

Alexander McQueen called his show Plato's Atlantis. With hair sculpted into reptilian fins, models walked by in oversize platformed shoes that looked like heads-scary in more ways than one (you could probably break an ankle in those things). Reptilian patterns, scales and otherworldly silhouettes brought home the idea that we all came from ancient creatures of the deep.

It was a chainsaw massacre at Viktor & Rolf. Paying homage to the economy, the duo took a chainsaw to tulle gowns, cocktail gowns and jackets. To be fair, you expect this sort of thing from these fashion pranksters. These guys have been poking fun at the industry for years (and laughing all the way to the bank).

Louis Vuitton's latest jewelry line is connected to their ongoing travel initiative, Spirit of Travel. The campaign also includes the recent ad campaign featuring astronauts and the one-off bags by contemporary artists including Damien Hirst and Annie Leibovitz to be auctioned off for charity.

The Independent reports that the elite range will include six sets and that each will boast a unique necklace for $2.5 million, created by jeweler Lorenz Bäumer. The necklaces features Bäumer's unique, ebullient jewelry chaos rendered in exquisite gemstones. The collection will also include a 30-carat diamond ring bearing one of Vuitton's signature diamond cuts. The new jewelry line will be made available to the public on October 15 at the Louis Vuitton flagship store on the Champs-Elysées in Paris.

Luxury Launches says that the bib style necklace with the Vuitton emblem circles shown above is also a reference to the brightly colored collars worn by the Masai people.

A lavish new coffee table book from Rizzoli titled Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture is a seductive anthology of the famed French fashion house's collaborations with an international group of elite artists, architects, designers, and photographers, including Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, David LaChapelle, Annie Leibovitz, Takashi Murakami (whose updated LV monogram is featured on the cover) Richard Prince and Stephen Sprouse. Beautiful images are interspersed with critical essays that examine and position Louis Vuitton's patronage, under the guidance of Artistic Director Marc Jacobs, during "one of the most fertile periods of contemporary art and design." The book is divided alphabetically so as to serve as a sort of encyclopedia of the many collaborations, commissions and sponsorships Vuitton, a cornerstone of the LVMH luxury goods empire, has engaged in over the years.

Today and Friday Christie's is holding its Interiors sale in New York, featuring property from the estates of prominent collectors. Some 900 items, including fine art, furniture, silver, ceramics and decorative items will go on the block, including this set of beautiful vintage Louis Vuitton luggage. Two of the suitcases feature the classic LV monogram and the third is plain leather bearing the initials ESS; offered without reserve the lot is estimated at $2,000 - $3,000. Also on offer is a classic Eames rosewood, aluminum and black leather lounge chair and ottoman designed for Herman Miller in 1956, estimated at $2,000 - $3,000, as well as photographs by John Jonas Gruen of artists like Jackson Pollack, Robert Rauschenberg, and Jasper Johns taken in the Hamptons in the '50s.

On November 17, 2009, several celebrity-designed luggage will go up for auction at Sotheby's. The purpose is to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Red Cross, which is about as worthy an organization as one can imagine. In all seriousness – most people have no idea the true range of services and support that the Red Cross offers. If a soldier overseas needs to be reached because of an emergency back home, the family can call the Red Cross, which will do all the legwork. So, it's exciting to see some big names getting behind this cause.

Among the designers, however, are some artists who have been in the news lately. Annie Leibovitz, fresh from her negotiations with Art Capital Group over her $24 million loan, is finding some time for goodwill despite her financial situation. Her contribution is a red-lined backpack designed specifically for camera equipment.

Damien Hirst has also gotten in on the charitable action. The taxidermist artist who developed a name dumping maritime life in formaldehyde and affixing as many diamonds as possible to skulls has put together a tall black trunk with little drawers to hold surgical devices – which is what Hirst uses to build his ... ummmm ... stuff. This piece, in particular, should be in high demand, now that a Damien Hirst piece may actually have been touched by Damien Hirst. Last November, he laid off 17 of the 22 people involved in his pill cabinet creation.

Let's hope that these pieces – and the others brought to Sotheby's in two months – sell for fantastic prices. Art market be damned! This event is for a great organization, and every extra dollar of success will help someone out who needs it.

What are OTKs, you ask? Over-the-knee boots. And if you follow fashion even a little, you know that OTKs, or thigh high boots, are having a moment.

This is no small trend. Shop for OTKs online and not just designer shoe companies pop up (Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo, Sigerson Morrison, Stuart Weitzman and Sergio Rossi have some of the best versions). More than 300 brands have gotten in on the action, including denim labels like 7 For All Mankind and Lucky Brand Jeans.

Clearly, designers are ready to cash on what they're betting will be a big, big trend this fall. But this week, I talked wto noted trend expert Tom Julian who's currently flying around the country promoting his book Nordstrom Guide to Men's Style. He's been speaking to random shoppers-both men and women-and all say they will buy items that have a longer lifespan than just one season. Whether or not OTKs fit the bill remains to be seen.

OTKs present another problem, too. Because of their close association with the world's oldest profession, pulling the look off can be downright, ahem, tricky.

Here's how the designers think you should do it: Miuccia Prada paired high-high leather waders with tweed short shorts and heavy sweaters. Hussein Chalayan added garters (pictured above) to his high-heeled versions, then presented them with short dresses and tailored boyfriend jackets. Louis Vuitton balanced his tough-girl versions with nothing but flounce-ruffles, balloon dresses and draped skirts.

At New York fashion week, several trendsetters took their shiny new OTKs out for a spin. Most, like Halle Berry on Jay Leno a few nights ago, chose to pair the boots with a super short dress. It was sexy, but was it chic? What do you think?

Here's my take: As long as you meet head-on the sexiness of an OTK with something NOT sexy, you'll wipe out even the tiniest whiff of stripper. For example, the sexier the dress, the flatter the boot should be. Got a killer pair of OTKs with a stilleto heel? Rock the look with a boxy boyfriend blazer or slouchy sweater. Julian says that when it comes to knitwear, the cardigan is the new layering sweater and works best in luxe fabrics like merino wool and fine gauge cashmere. Works for me.

We've written before about the allure of vintage luggage, expressing the glamour and decadence of a bygone era when journeying to a foreign land involved adventure, romance and style. While certain pieces do turn up at auction from time to time, the Germany-based Vintage Luggage Company has now amassed the world's greatest collection of classic travel items made by the likes of Louis Vuitton, Hermès and Goyard, which they can have professionally crated and shipped worldwide. Among the prizes in their inventory are an amazing selection of bespoke trunks, including a 1920s Vuitton desk trunk which converts to a writing table complete with a typewriter. Another trunk from 1925 houses a full set of plates, cutlery and cooking equipment, each with its own bespoke leather case. Others contain a long evening's worth of champagne, a complete collection of hats, a portable library - pretty much anything you could wish for while on the road.

[via Duncan Quinn]

We've written about Louis Vuitton's close involvement with world-class sailing before - the long-running Louis Vuitton Cup followed more recently by the LV Pacific Series. Now the famed French luxury goods house, linchpin of the LVMH group, is sponsoring a new World Series of sailing, destined to be second only to the America's Cup. The Louis Vuitton World Series, undertaken in association with a new professional sailing group called the World Sailing Team Association (WSTA), will kick off with a regatta in Nice in November. Eight racing teams, including K-Challenge (France), BMW Oracle Racing (USA), Emirates Team New Zealand, Mascalzone Latino (Italy), Team Artemis (Sweden), Team Synergy (Russia), Joe Fly Italia (Italy) and Team French Spirit (France) will compete for starters, with others expected to sign up shortly. A series of international regattas will determine the ultimate winner.

[via JustLuxe]

Louis Vuitton applies it feminine touch to the otherwise manly Tambour Diver watch. The new Tambour Diver Lady is a charming line of watches that come in 35mm steel or pink gold cases (the latter having some diamond decoration). You can get the Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver Lady watch with a Swiss quartz or automatic mechanical movement. The dial is available with the classic Louis Vuitton floral pattern or pink mother or pearl.

Look for the Tambour Diver Lady on a textured rubber strap in pink or white. The watch uses the same shape and has the internal rotating diver's bezel just like the handsome, larger men's version. The timepiece is a fully functional diver being water resistant to 300 meters, and having a thick sapphire crystal. With its good looks, durability, and desirable name brand, this Louis Vuitton Tambour Diver Lady watch line could be the most notable women's diving watch to come along in a long while. You won't find the watches that easily as you'll have to look at special Louis Vuitton boutiques only. Price will likely be around 3,000 euros.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Spotting a Louis Vuitton timepiece is a rare occurrence. The brand supplements its ubiquitous luggage and bag products with just a few watches to go around. While the LVMH brand group has watches in their DNA (owning such brands as Tag Heuer, Hublot, and Zenith), the actual Louis Vuitton branded watches are very hard to come by.

A new collection of two-tone Louis Vuitton Tambour watches is available in a chronograph, GMT, and three-hand version with a subsidiary dial. Each are automatics, each contain high grade ETA mechanical movements, and each has the fashion-forward style that the tapered Tambour watch case is known for. In a similar fashion to the Baume & Mercier Riviera, the type of the two-tone pieces creates an alternative look that helps the colors blend in without distraction, but still allows for an attractive case. As such you will see steel and 18k gold playing together in a pleasing harmony.

The new Two-Tone Tambour watches come in a few varieties with men's and women's models. For the men there is a three hand version with a subsidiary seconds dial at 9 o'clock, a GMT model, and the pictured chronograph model. Each with the eye soothing deep yellow hands. I am impressed that Louis Vuitton actually chose yellow gold for the watches, as the "standard" color of gold is hard to find these days in relation to other types of gold such as rose or red gold. Look for these new two tone gold and steel Tambour watches at select Louis Vuitton stores around the world soon. Prices for these models is sure to be in excess of $4,000 - $5,000.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Sadly, the only media going to print in big numbers this fall is fashion.

Patchwork, zebra, leopard, floral, tweeds, plaids, psychedelic and Deco graphics, watercolors and paint-splattered fabrics all made a huge statement on the runways. Fait attention! This is the season to forget every rule you've learned about wearing prints. It's time to go Wild and Crazy Guys, not head-to-toe Pucci.

In other words, designers made an eye-popping show of mixing and matching multiple prints on one look. Much like Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin's comedic get-ups on Saturday Night Live back in the late '70s, floral prints were shown with plaids. But then we saw tweeds hooking up with cougars (there must be a joke in there somewhere), leopards pairing up with stripes and stripes in primary colors working well with rich paisleys.

The Mulleavy sisters, designers of Rodarte, are perfect examples of the newest generation of print maestros. Their California-based label had catwalk models in big-cat prints, metallic and watercolor-like fabrics all pieced together on ethereal cocktail dresses (pictured above).

The latest collaboration between artist Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton isn't something you wear, it's something you watch. His latest work for the brand is called Superflat First Love, an anime short film. The movie was directed by anime-master Mamoru Hosoda and is based on Murakami's ideas and characters and of course there is plenty of Louis Vuitton product placement as well.

As Fast Company reports this is the second anime that Murakami has created for Louis Vuitton. The first, Superflat Monogram is after the jump.

Every season it seems the European fashion houses try to outdo each other with one incredibly decadent item of men's clothing; despite the recession it seems this year is no different. We've seen Salvatore Ferragamo's $250,000 crocodile trench coat and Hermès' $150,000 crocodile pea coat; now here's an alligator officer's jacket from Louis Vuitton's Fall/Winter 2009/10 collection recently shown in Paris. Louis Vuitton mens design director Paul Helbers described the collection as inspired by "the traveling wardrobe of an African king." The jacket has not been priced yet is expected to sell for somewhere in the $50,000 - $75,000 range, and will probably only be available by special order.

[via JustLuxe]