Celebrities at the Chanel and P.S. ARTS Party

What do Hilary Duff, Rachel Bilson, Kate Beckinsale, Jennifer Morrison, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Lisa Kudrow have in common? They all attended the super chic Chanel and P.S. ARTS Party at the Chanel Beverly Hills boutique on September 20, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. The turnouts were dressed to the nines, mostly all sporting black ensembles and a Chanel piece. Who do you think is best dressed of the lot? Who is worst dressed of the lot? Personally, I love Kate Beckinsale’s dress, it is elegant and fun. I loved Phoebe on Friends, but her ensemble to me is hideous; her outfit looks like a bad memory from the 80′s.

Who is your best and worst dressed at the Chanel and P.S. Arts Party?

Paris Hilton Style: Chanel Perforated White Jumbo Flap Handbag

So much for cleaning up her act. I have no idea why some females decide that Halloween is an excuse to dress like a 2 cent hooker. Sure, it was cool when you were a freshman in college, but to continue the ‘I’m a slutty ________” is downright tacky. And Paris Hilton has tainted young girls minds, dressing as Alice from DISNEY’S! Alice in Wonderland. I mean come on, isn’t anything sacred anymore. And speaking of sacred, what on earth has this girl done to her Chanel Perforated White Jumbo Flap Handbag??? GASP! Such a lovely piece has been used and abused, showing significant wear, tear, and dirt all over it. I understand that a handbag is meant to be worn, but give your bag just a little respect. Then again, when you are used to spending someone else’s money everyday in large quantities, money really has no value to you. I’m just going to keep shaking my head at this girl, and asking her to give me her handbags that she plans on ruining before they are ruined. I promise to take care of them!

Christy Turlington for Chanel

We recently learned from Chanel that Christy Turlington will be the face for their Spring handbag campaign of the “East-West Bag”, as photographed by none other than Karl Lagerfeld. Christy became famous in the late 80s as a model for Calvin Klein, still pulls off gorgeous looks twenty years later. Very well done, I love it – beautiful woman in a beautiful shoot.

The new Chanel handbags come in two styles with white metal. The available colors include white with black, black with white, burgundy with ivory and brown with ivory. You certainly can not complain about lack of variety. Available around March of this year in Chanel boutiques nationwide.

Assouline Chanel Luxe Edition

Assouline was the first luxury brand that used its publications as medium by creating luxury illustrated books dedicated to fashion, photography, art and design. The Assouline Chanel Luxe Edition has been produced exclusively for Assouline and features the signature black quilted Chanel leather on the slipcase with three volumes on the inside. Also, the silver metal Chanel logo is found on the outside. The three books focus on Gabrielle Chanel’s revolutionary style which has affected the fashion world that we know today immensely. The focus of each volume is integral parts of the Chanel brand, including Chanel, Fine Jewelry, and Perfume. This piece is not just a coffee table piece, it is a luxurious mixture of fashion and books which will be a conversation starter and a collectors piece. The Chanel Edition is a luxury edition which can ultimately be seen in the black quilted leather outside, red leather inside, and high price tag. This is a perfect Valentine’s Day gift, birthday gift, holiday gift, etc. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $550.

Kim Kardashian Style: Chanel Ice Cubes Bag

We reported on the Chanel Cruise 2008 Trunk Show in October; revealing the Chanel Ice Cubes Bags. The Ice Cubes bags have caused quite the stir, creating a huge separation between those that love the line and those who do not. The ice cubes are designed with clear vinyl and then placed on top of metallic lambskin leather which gives it the feel of the classic Chanel quilting. Chanel has released an Ice Cubes line, including a 2.55, a shopper, and pouchette (are there any others?). While some think these bags look cheap, it is evident that Kim Kardashian loves the Chanel Ice Cubes 2.55 Bag! She was spotted leaving Prive nightclub with fiance?/boyfriend?/friend? Reggie Bush over the weekend. Kim showed off her stunning curves in a hot turquoise number and paired it with her Chanel bag from the Cruise 2008 collection. On this girl with this outfit, the bag looks stunning.

$1,650 at your local Chanel boutique or call (800) 550-0005 to inquire further.

Chanel Classic Flap Bag vs. Reissue 2.55

One very commonly asked question on our Chanel Forum is on the difference between the Chanel Classic Flap and the Chanel Reissue 2.55 bags. I’ve scoured the forums this morning to educate myself, and our readers about the differences between the two. Let me start with a few historical facts on the Reissue.

HISTORY:

The lock on the Reissue is the original lock, it is called the Mademoiselle Lock as Ms Coco Chanel never married, the ‘CC’ lock was introduced to the Classic Flap Bags only in the 1980s by designer Karl Lagerfeld. The 2.55 in its name refers to the first release of the 2.55 bag in February of 1955. Coco Chanel grew up in an orphanage/convent, therefore, the double chain shoulder strap comes from when the children’s’ caretakers in the orphanage would dangle keys from their waists with the same type of chains as on the Reissue. Also, the zippered compartment on the inside of the front flap of the Reissue is where Coco sequestered her love letters, as she was having an affair at that time. The brownish red color of the inside represents the color of Coco and the rest of the children’s uniforms (the nuns’ were black with white trim: thus, the packaging on Chanel Parfum/Eau de Parfum/Eau de Toilette). The back outside flap of the Reissue actually marks where Coco would stash extra money!

Over the years there have been many variations to the original design of the 2.55, including the leather/fabric, the chain – metal vs. interwoven leather, single flap vs. double flap, and the closure – mademoiselle vs. interlocking CC. The 2.55 refers to all flap-style bags, including variations of the original! The term classic flap commonly refers to the flap with the interlocking CC closure and the leather interwoven chain.

In February 2005, Karl Lagerfeld re-made the 2.55 – exactly as Coco Chanel had made in 1955, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 2.55. It came to be known as the Reissue. Technically the term Reissue should only be used for the bags that were made to commemorate the original – so only those in 2005. However, it has become convenient to call all 2.55s that resemble the original 2.55 Reissues and all 2.55s that have the interlocking CCs Classic Flaps.

Paris Couture Week: Chanel

First, I’d like to say that I’m so incredibly happy that Chanel Haute Couture chose to do something more interesting for their show this season than they did for their show last season. Although, if you find silver and white boring, this may be another loser for you.

It was a winner for me, however. For the first time in his lengthy career, Karl Lagerfeld created a collection that completely eschewed black and navy – in fact, it eschewed color of any sort, save for a few traditional Chanel suits with a culotte twist (I just dry heaved a little bit there), which were rendered in various pastels. The collection was beautifully draped, beaded and rendered in the most unforgiving color palette you can imagine for the construction of clothing, but it all worked exactly as it should have. Of course it did; it’s couture.

Lagerfeld has said that the collection came to him in a 5 a.m. dream-like flash, and he referred to it as “neon rococo.” It wasn’t exactly neon, but it did have a great deal of glitzy intricacy, which more or less fulfills the “rococo” part of that proclamation. While the beading motifs may have reflected an old-world sensibility and craftsmanship, some of the elements – foiled stripes on a white dress, the high-gloss silver booties that every model wore, Baptiste Giabiconi’s metallic suit as he escorted the traditional end-of-collection couture bride – were at least a bit reminiscent of the most fashionable sci-fi movie you’ve never seen. If the people that made those movies dressed their actors in Chanel couture, I might reconsider my hatred of the genre.