Archive for January, 2005

January 19, 2005

Zac Posen
In 2001, designer Zac Posen was barely old enough to legally toast the immediate success of his start-up business-and at the time, was garnering almost as much press attention for his age as for his comely creations. A favorite of young Hollywood, Posen’s design style is not exactly trend-oriented; instead, his pieces have a timeless nostalgia to them, with bias-cut silhouettes, ruffled satin draping and fishtail hems that often mirror the mastery of Christian Dior and Madame Vionnet. Backed by Sean Combs since 2004, Posen is gearing up to expand his company, planning a menswear collection and a lower-priced bridge line. For his partnership with denim geniuses 7 For All Mankind, Posen has designed three styles of limited-edition jeans made with special Z rivets and a Zac Posen pendant. Pricey but popular, they’re available at Neiman Marcus at only one per customer, per style.

Born in Brooklyn in 1980, Zac Posen attended the St. Ann’s School for the Arts and Parsons School of Design in New York, and Central St. Martins College in London, but soon abandoned school to pursue his career. At sixteen, the precocious Posen interned at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, under the tutelage of Richard Martin; two years later he interned at Nicole Miller, then served as a design assistant at Tocca. A spot in Gen Art’s 2001 Fresh Faces in Fashion show put Posen on the fast track with his fans, as well as his peers. After the success of his first major runway show in 2004, Posen was awarded the CFDA Swarovski-Perry Ellis Award for Ready-to-Wear.
source: www.style.com

January 12, 2005
Bag Blog Posts Relating to This Topic
Celebrity Monday | Anna Kournikova | Fake Louis Vuitton – go!
How to Spot a Fake Vintage Louis Vuitton Handbag! – go!

Tips for determining authenticity for a Monogram Louis Vuitton
There are many ways to distinguish an authentic Louis Vuitton from a replica.

If you feel the urge to purchase an item from a website such as an online auction, do your research. Do not be fooled, they are getting more skilled at cheating people out of their money. You must be careful when purchasing from any websites that are not approved by Louis Vuitton. The ONLY authorized site by Louis Vuitton is eLUXURY.com. Do not be fooled by people claiming they have permission or a wholesale list chances are they do not.

Authentic Louis Vuitton products are sold exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores, by calling 1.866.VUITTON and through the website eLUXURY.com

When shopping online and you see a bag with a cheap looking tag, then it is an obvious fake. They do not tag their bags with a strand of string with a circular piece of plastic marked in brown LV, nor do they tag their items with a cut out portion of the logo.


Most dust bags just have the standard “LV” or “Louis Vuitton” logo. Also the dust bags are not made out of cheap material and most do not have rounded edges.



Depending on the collection, Louis Vuitton uses a variety of textiles to line their bags: canvas lining in red or honey, fine micro monogram textile, cross-grain leather, tone on tone polyester, or microfiber suede. Con-artists pay little to no attention on the interior. Most commonly they would line the interior with plastic or cheap tan or brown suede.




Louis Vuitton uses oxidizing natural cowhide leather that turns a dark golden honey color over time. Plastic is not used!




If the look of the bag is something that appears to not look like anything that Louis Vuitton has ever designed, chances are it is a fake. Louis Vuitton is well-known for their high quality luxury goods. If the piece is of horrible quality or a nonexisting style then it is a replica. Remember, just because it has “LV” logo doesn’t mean that it is.



Pay attention to detail. Louis Vuitton uses brass and gold metal hardware, not gold painted plastic. The zippers should also have the letters “LV” neatly imprinted. If you are given pictures from a seller, then go onto a trusted Louis Vuitton website and compare the styles. Minor details such as this could save from buying a knockoff.


The LV on Louis Vuitton bags are always lined up. The pattern should never be tilted or not proportionate to the other side.


Here are some random pictures from dealers who claim that they are selling the real thing compared to an authentic Louis Vuitton.

Other minor flaws
Easy way to determine authenticity could be done visually. Make sure that the LV’s are lined up and the material is not tilted. Monograms should be clearly printed gold letters with brown lines though the LV’s, not cutout, solid colored, smudged, or have a greenish tint. The threading should look neat, thin and done with accuracy. If the LV’s are upright on both sides, it may be a fake. Many Louis Vuitton handbags have the logo’s upside down on the other side.

Additional tips for purchasing
Ask for additional pictures. They may be using stolen pictures from the Louis Vuitton website.

There is such thing as a good deal. However, do your research to make sure you are getting the true thing. Be cautions of anyone claiming to be selling an authentic handbag for considerably below retail. You see ebay, yahoo, overstock and other auction sites cluttered with replicas selling for below $100. for a bag that retails in the hundreds.

Read up on Louis Vuitton and the new collection. If someone is selling a bag from a collection that isn’t even in stores yet, or there is a waiting list, then don’t buy. If the collection is new in the stores and the seller claims to have them in stock, they are definite fakes.

There is no such thing as a Louis Vuitton “wholesale list” or “closeout liquidation”. That’s just another way for scam artists to get your money in return for a list of disconnected/ out of service numbers.

If debating to bid in an auction, do your research the seller. Usually they have a feedback section where people who have purchased from them can leave their opinion. I would be suspicious of any seller who’s feedback negatively reflects their ability to be a seller.

Don’t bid on anything from a seller who has negative to zero feedback, or has been a member for less than 30 days. Most people who sell fakes are covering their tracks well. I know for instance that ebay does not require accurate information.

Date stamp does not guaranteed authenticity. Whether your handbag has the stamp or not, does not prove that it is genuine. Louis Vuitton started to use date codes to mark their items in the early 1980′s. Counterfeiters are even copying these, so I would not recommend basing authenticity singularly on this. You may need to search for the date stamp, they are occasionally hidden and may be difficult to find in some models.

Some date codes used
FRANCE: AO, A1, A2, AN, AR, AS, BA, BJ, CT, DU, FL, LW, MB, MI, NO, RA, RI, SD (also USA), SL, SN, SP, SR, TH, VI
USA: FH, OS, SD (also France)
SPAIN: CA, LO, LB, LM

If you purchase a handbag from a seller who excepts returns only if a written letter signed by a sales representitive is obtained, be aware. It is extremely rare for a Louis Vuitton representitive to give a written authenticity statement. They will offer to mail it in to one of their experts. Don’t worry, they will not confinscate it if it turns out to be a fake. That way you could try to recover your loses.

Also be aware that sellers are even forging receipt. There are people online who actually sell Louis Vuitton gift boxes, bouitque shopping bags, authenticity card, or even a care booklet.

Louis Vuitton does not sell handbags on street corners, nor do they give permisson for street vendors to carry their items. Don’t buy one in China Town!

Counterfeiting
It is illegal to sell or distribute trademark counterfeit goods. Although it is not illegal to purchase these counterfeit items, I wouldn’t recommend doing so.

Artisitic license
allows designers such as Guess to copy the triangular Prada label. Such as replacing the word “prada” with “guess”

Guess also copies Coach’s signature “C” design by replacing it with their “G” logo, of coarse this is allowed through creative expression.

More info on Counterfeits
Smugglers get the counterfeit items into the U.S. by importing the items without labels. Customs will not seize items without the designer labels because then there is no proof. The tags are added to the goods before sale.

Have you ever walked past a street vendor who claims to be selling authentic Louis Vuitton’s for only $30. 00? Do you ever wonder how that’s legal, or why they don’t get arrested? Commonly, when the uninformed shopper purchases the items, the seller cheaply glues on a fake label. Buying counterfeit merchandise feeds the ongoing criminal activity.

It contributes to keep sweatshops and child labor in third world countries open.

There is evidence that selling counterfeit goods contributes to organized crime. Government sources have evidence that the bombing of the World Trade Center in ’93 was funded by the sale of counterfeit apparel.

Selling counterfeit items is a tax-free, cash only business. Law-abiding citizens get stuck with paying taxes, while counterfeiters sneak around it. In the United States alone, counterfeiting gets away with not paying somewhere in the area of $200 billion a year. If you get caught with selling counterfeit items you could face up to 5 years in jail and/or fines up to $250,000.

January 9, 2005

Betsey Johnson
Not for the fashion faint of heart, the Betsey Johnson collection has the same whimsical, over-the-top exuberance as its spirited namesake designer – a woman who cartwheels down the end of her fashion show runways. Founded in 1978 with ex-model Chantal Bacon, in conjunction with their first Soho retail store, Johnson’s eponymous label remains true to its original vision, and now boasts a network of stores worldwide. In business nearly 30 years, the designer recently purchased a Mexican hotel and added an infant-to-young girls collection to the company. The “original wild child,” Johnson still owns the majority of her organic homegrown label and continues to pull the strings as dramatically as she wants.

Colorful and capricious, a celebration of exuberance. Froth, embellishment, detail and sexiness describe the clothes, which can range from pink tulle ballerina skirts to silver micro-minis, floral-patterned stretch lace tanks and embroidered lace dresses. It’s a collection that’s embraced by both the prom-going set and long-time fans that are all grown-up.

Betsey Johnson’s love of movement and costumes stems from her days as a dancer. Later, as part of the Warhol scene in the sixties, Johnson put the velvet in the Velvet Underground (she later married band member John Cale) and dressed legendary models Twiggy and Verushka; Edie Sedgwick served as house fit model. Her foray into retail began with the Betsey Bunki Nini boutique in 1969. Now in her 60s, Johnson, seems unstoppable, and the awards continue to pile up: In 1999, the CFDA created the Timeless Talent Award just for her, and in 2002, she was inducted into the Fashion Walk of Fame on New York City’s Seventh Avenue. A survivor of breast cancer, Johnson remains an advocate in fighting the disease, creating one-of-a-kind items for auction and serving as Honorary Chairperson for the Fashion Targets Breast Cancer initiative.
source: www.encyclopedia.com

January 9, 2005

Hermes (air-mez)
The legendary French luxury goods house began as a saddle maker in Paris in 1880 under the name of Hermes-Freres. By the 20s Hermes had the patent for the zipper in France, and introduced the first ladies bags with zip closures. The company expanded into riding gloves, belts, and men and women’s sportswear, and designed the now famous travel trunks to meet needs of the new automobile drivers.

The infamous Kelly bag debuted in 1956 after Grace Kelly used a large crocodile handbag to hide her pregnancy. In the 1970s the first women’s shoe collection and the first complete men’s ready-to-wear collection were introduced.

Actress Jane Birkin replaced her old straw purse with a leather Hermes number in 1984, and started the rage that is the Birkin bag. Today the Birkin remains to have the longest waiting list of any luxury accessory-about six years. Hermes also has a complete home line, bed and bath linens, furniture, silverware, crystal and porcelain, office accessories, and baby gifts. In 2003 French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier joined the house as the women’s ready-to-wear designer and debuted his first collection for Fall/Winter 2004-05. In June 2004 perfumer Jean Claude Ellena took a post as the in-house perfumer and launched the successful Hermessence scent.

The height of luxury with a nod to the house’s equestrian heritage-sheared mink jackets, velvet jodhpurs, fringed blanket jackets, leather car coats, kilts. The accessories line has structured bags, belts with chunky hardware, signature printed silk scarves, and riding boots.

Paris-born Gaultier started his first fashion job in 1970, working for Pierre Cardin after school. It was at Jacques Esterel, however, where he honed his skills and developed his controversial signature style. In 1978, he launched his namesake line, and in the 80s he became quite a personality, taking on a role as a presenter on the campy Brit TV show, Eurotrash. Madonna commissioned him to design the clothes for her Blonde Ambition tour, where he produced her trademark pointed basque and bra and thus cemented his cult status. In 2003, Gaultier took over as chief designer at Hermes.

Hermes now make so many beautiful handbags of all shapes and sizes. Some of the most famous are:
Kelly Bag 1956 – named after Grace Kelly who was shown on the cover of Life magazine, holding the bag. Here is a picture.
Constance Bag – Jackie Onassis wore this shoulder bag with the double strap and big H clasp, so often that people often ask for the Jackie O bag.
Birkin Bag 1984 – named after Jane Birkin, the film star and model of the 1960′s, who met Jean-Louis when struggling to get her handbag on a plane overhead locker. There is a one-year waiting list for ladies ordering this bag.
source: www.nymag.com

January 7, 2005

Botkier
Monica Botkier was born in Brooklyn, New York. She first delved into the fashion industry as a photographer, shooting for several national magazines such as Seventeen, Nylon, Surface and Fitness. Always on the go and loaded up with all the essential items a fashion photographer must carry, Monica found herself longing for an easier way to maintain her things. The solution would be to find a bag that is roomy, yet chic enough to be trotted in front of the industry’s scrutinizing eye. Instead of searching for such an item, Monica simply decided to create her own. Functional and wearable, stylish and detailed – the Botkier Trigger Bag was born.

As Monica set out to make a perfect handbag for herself, she had no idea how much attention her first creation would receive. The overwhelming response from Monica’s friends and fashion editors inspired her to “spread the wealth.” In 2003, she launched the very first Botkier collection, which since has continued to grow and expand. From supple leathers and delicious colors, to tons of fun accessories to play with, Botkier bags establish a personality of their own – clean and classic, while incredibly sexy.

Monica’s vision of the ideal handbag combines personal style with long lasting utility. Each creation becomes an ageless and indispensable part of its owner’s wardrobe. And just like the woman wearing it, each bag has a story.

Botkier bags have found a devoted fan base here in the U.S., and are favored by fashionistas all around the globe. Donned by the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker and Lindsay Lohan, Botkier bags are a permanent item on the celebrity “must have list” as well.
source: www.botkier.com

January 2, 2005

Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton began manufacturing trunks in Paris in 1854, and the company he started went on to become one of the world’s most famous makers of luxury goods, known especially for its designer luggage pattern: a beige-on-chestnut monogram, “LV.” Vuitton’s high-quality travelling trunks were such a hit that he had to expand his factory within a few years, relocating to Asnieres in 1860. As the years went by the Vuitton line gained international recognition, thanks in part to a bronze medal at the 1867 World’s Fair and a gold medal at the 1889 World’s Fair, both held in Paris. After Louis died in 1892, his son, Georges, took the company to new heights, developing what is recognized as the first “designer label” on a product. (Widespread copying of Vuitton patterns pushed Georges to design the distinctive “LV” monogram.) Vuitton’s luggage company has since become a world leader in luxury consumer goods, with products that include travel books, perfume, distilled spirits and designer clothing.

Georges Vuitton is also credited with developing Vuitton’s unique five-combination lock. . In 1936, after Georges died, his son, Gaston-Louis, took the helm of the company. . In 1983 the Louis Vuitton company joined with America’s Cup to form the Vuitton Cup, a preliminary competition – called an eliminatory regatta – for the world’s most prestigious yacht race. . In 1998 Vuitton entered the world of high fashion with the designs of Marc Jacobs.
source: www.answer.com

January 2, 2005

Emilio Pucci
Pucci, Emilio (Marchese Emilio Pucci di Barsento), 1914-92, Italian fashion designer. After establishing showrooms in Florence, Capri, and Rome, he began his signature look with elegant sportswear, especially ski outfits. He created his own multicolored printed fabrics with geometric and organic patterns for use mainly on thin silk blouses and women’s shirts. He used brilliant colors in silks, bulky knit sweaters, underclothes, scarves, and towels. His designs included accessories, perfumes, and objects.

By the 1960s, Italian designer Emilio Pucci’s psychedelic prints were on everything from bikinis to evening dresses worn by an international clientele. In an exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum, 30 ensembles and accessories from Pucci’s designs from the 1950s through the ’70s are on display, offering a trove of vintage looks to ooh and aah over. The exhibition explores the career of the designer and his place in history. One highlight: a series of ensembles worn by Mrs. Frank Lloyd Wright that includes a cape inspired by African masks.
source: www.encyclopedia.com

January 1, 2005

Fendi
Fendi began in 1918 when Adele Casagrande opened a leather and fur shop in Via del Plebiscito in central Rome. When Adele married Edoardo Fendi in 1925, they made a decision to change the name to Fendi. The business prospered, and a new shop was opened in Via Piave in 1932. By 1946 Paola, 15, the eldest of the couple’s five daughters, went to work for the firm, followed by her sisters Carla, Anna, Franca, and Alda.

In 1965 a marriage between the Fendis and German designer Karl Lagerfeld was sealed, and it proved to be fortuitous for both. Lagerfeld immediately created the inverted FF logo that joined the growing list of international status symbols, and then set about, aided and abetted by the sisters, to revolutionize the treatment of fur.

What had once been a precious but stiff and heavy garment was transformed into a light, soft, easy-to-wear and above all flattering outfit. The team went on to invent new ways of working with fur, tanning, dying, and treating, and took previously unused skins and turned them into fashionable garments.

By 1966 Fendi had presented its first couture fur collection, designed by Lagerfeld. It was an immediate success with foreign buyers. Marvin Traub, president of Bloomingdale’s, discovered Fendi’s leather goods and introduced them to the United States. Other outlets soon followed, and today Fendi has a large store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, as well as numerous Fendi boutiques around the world.