Our favorite multi-sensory t-shirt line, Cream Of The Crop, just released its third season, “The Third Time’s The Charm.”  This collection is inspired by all things luxurious - think big crystal chandeliers, Bond No.9 Candles and the ubiquitous Chanel perfume bottle.  We gave you a sneak peak of what’s to come this holiday season at Magic, but I always love to see the shirts as characters in the stories that designers layout for us in their look books.  Mika, the founder and designer of Cream does not disappoint.  Her tale of a young woman out on the town is really cute and I especially love the styling of her chandelier top (down to the hearts on the stockings!). And, of course, each tee is scented with a theme-appropriate scent! So kawaii!!
(more…)

Last Friday, I attended the opening of Westwood Gallery’s exhibition of Douglas Kirkland’s intimate and never before seen photos of Coco Chanel at work taken over 3 weeks in 1962. At the young age of 27, Douglas Kirkland, at the time a staff photographer for Look Magazine, and who is best known for his famous photographs of Marilyn Monroe, spent an unprecedented amount of time behind the scenes with Mademoiselle Chanel capturing her intense daily routine of designing, fitting models, seeing clients and meeting friends.

This exhibition will be open until November 29th, 2008, and I highly recommend seeing it in person if you would like to experience the passionate inner workings of the process of the one and only Coco Chanel.

The photos are also available in this book by Douglas Kirkland, Coco Chanel: Three Weeks 1962.

All photos are copywritten in 1962 by Douglas Kirkland, and printed in 2008. Most of the following photo descriptions came from the gallery, when I could capture them.

Westwood Gallery
568 Broadway, NYC
212-925-5700

Coco Chanel at her private apartment at the House of Chanel

(more…)

New Yorker and designer Lillian Crowe sells these hot little authentic Chanel button necklaces on craft haven Etsy. Obvio, they’re mad limited due to their handmade nature, and the limited availability of authentic Chanel buttons so snatch fast, cuz the ones I linked above….already gone. Prices on her goods range from $32 - $40. Check some more examples of her work after the jump.
(more…)

A few months back we gave you a glimpse of the Chanel Mobile Art exhibit in Tokyo, Japan.  The next stop on the trip around the world is stateside in Central Park, New York City, from October 20 - November 9.  If you’re in NYC, or plan to be during that time, this exhibit should be at the top of your “to do” list.  The structure, designed by Zaha Hadid is a work of art in and of itself, and then there are the treasures inside - all inspired by the iconic Chanel quilted purse.  You can see some of the pictures of what to expect inside here.  Tickets are available now and advanced purchase is highly recommended.  You can purchase tickets here.

I’m infatuated!  While many ladies are crazy for Olivier Sitruk, the actor who played Boy Capel in Lifetime’s Coco Chanel, I’m obsessed over the Chanel tights that are white in the front and black in the back with interlocking C’s at the ankle (pictured above).  I want them so badly that the other night I had a dream about them:  I was at the Chanel store and they didn’t have my size - gasp!  I was relieved to find it was only a dream but I still woke up sans Chanel tights.  Luckily, the Chanel Fall/Winter 2008 Collection just released and is in stores now.  Check out more pictures from the Fall 2008 campaign and my favorite pieces that I would get “if I were a rich girl.”

I love the black cuff!  And the charm bracelet with black and white pearls and shoe, Cs and purse charms is insane!

(more…)

It’s an exciting time for the women’s sneaker game - it seems like people are noticing that ladies love kicks too (finally!). The big companies have started tapping women designers to design collaborative projects and smaller independent companies are beginning to cater to the women’s market by developing new lines just for us. The newest kid on the block is an offshoot of JB Classics, is strictly for the ladies, and is called Booji.  The first model, releasing later this year, is called Regal-One.  To say that it’s Chanel inspired is an understatement.  Between the quilting and the side purse (reminiscent of the ankle bracelet purses Karl created for his trouble-making celebrity clientele), most Chanel fans would find something to love about this shoe.  I personally love these sneaks - it’s a great silhouette (high tops - yay!), i love the quilting and side purse, and you know I’m a sucker for lace locks.  Stay tuned for more styles and a release date.

Check out more pics after the jump.
Source (more…)

The most famous fragrance of all time, worn by iconic women from Mlle. Chanel herself and Marilyn Monroe, is still one of the most worn fragrances. Today, Chanel is launching Chanel N°5 Eau Premier, “[a] decidedly lighter, fresher, softer interpretation of N°5.”  In true Chanel style, to celebrate the launch the website has been updated with new features celebrating Chanel N°5 such as new music and video - you can watch here and purchase the new fragrance here.  I can’t wait to give this a try!

Check out more pictures from the beautiful site after the jump.

(more…)

Last night I tuned in to Lifetime’s Coco Chanel, the story of the rise of one of the greatest fashion designer’s ever. Not only a fashion icon, Gabrielle Chanel is an inspiration to women and is the embodiment of the “modern woman,” a woman fiercely independent with a strong will and desire to achieve her dreams. I had expressed some doubt as to the casting, Ms. MacLaine as the grand dame of fashion was a bit of a stretch for me, but I tuned in nonetheless. If it’s about Chanel, I’m there! The film was about Mademoiselle’s youth and her rise from orphan to successful, independent designer. Barbora Bobulova played the “young chanel” and I think she did an amazing job. She had a believable French accent, resembled the young Gabrielle and gave life to Chanel’s struggles and emotions. I wish they aged Ms. Bobulova with make-up (as they did her cousin Adrienne) rather than cast Shirley MacLaine as Chanel. In a word, she was awful. Somehow, with age, Chanel lost her French accent. MacLaine didn’t even attempt a French accent - if she did it was barely noticeable. She sounded like a “hat check girl” in a Chanel costume and her lines were Chanel quotes strung together as “dialogue.” Thankfully, the film actually starred Barbora Bobulova and not Shirley MacLaine as the film was promoted. The film concentrated on Chanel’s youth with bits of older Chanel (MacClaine) telling her story. Though I detested the parts with MacLaine in it (I swear, it was really that bad), I actually did enjoy the film and it was wonderful to see Chanel’s early rise brought to life. I would definitely recommend viewing this, though you may want to plug your ears for the MacLaine lines, and if you missed it last night, tune in tonight to Lifetime at 7 pm.

P.S. - It seems like a lot of ladies are wondering who played the handsome Boy Capel - we’ve investigated for you and it’s Olivier Sitruk.

A lot of street wear tees are usually based around the idea of “playing” with a famous logo or piece of art.  It’s not a new concept, people have been doing it forever.  Everything from Tide (early Freshjive) to Warhol portraits (1/2 the brands out there) have been given a twist to further the message of small brands.  The tees I saw in Vegas were no different - but I did feel like there was a giant increase in the number of tees touting very high end brands.  This too is not new, but I felt that this time around there were so many more.  Maybe it’s the economy crunch?  Can’t afford real YSL but I can feel close to the brand by wearing a tee with it’s logo?  Or, maybe it’s a t-shirt brands way of aligning itself with what it thinks is cool, for example, girls that like Chanel should like my brand.  Whatever it is, there were a million (not quite, but almost) of these “designer” tees - I didn’t take pics of most of them but I’d be confident in saying that almost half of the clothing brands we looked at had some kind of designer reference - Chanel and Karl being the most used.  We even saw a shoe that made a designer reference.

Oh, and by the way, word on the street is that Fucking Awesome is coming back and re-issuing the Karl Lagerfeld “Gangsta Situations” tee (Yay!) - you heard it here first.  Check out more pics after the jump . . . .

Brian Lichtenberg for Blood Is The New Black - YSL

(more…)

We’ve posted about Darkhorse for some time now, but I finally got to meet Andrew, the designer, last week at Slate.  Andrew has designed several solid collections but I can easily say that his was one of the best lines I saw last week.  He’s really bringing it for the ladies with really clever graphics, embellishments and leather jackets.  He’s brought back the beaded tees (yes!) and not only does it look (and sound) amazing, but it’s also a reference to Stevie Wonder and his braids - the shirt reads “Part Time Lover” - clever on so many levels!  He’s also got one of the best “designer” t-shirts I’ve seen - a tee with a caricature of John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld (psssst Andrew, I NEED this shirt).  That’s not all he has for the ladies who know their labels.  There’s more Chanel and Louboutin references.  I’m also a sucker for tromp l’oeil and Darkhorse has a really cute “purse” graphic.  Last but not least, Darkhorse introduces some cut & sew pieces including a Paris hoodie complete with Eiffel Tower zipper pull and buttery soft leather jackets in candy colors and satin linings - I need one of those too.  Check out the craziness after the jump.

(more…)