Fashion Overload

Madonna and Other Old Bags: Part 2

Since my last post, a few new images have surfaced from Madonna's Louis Vuitton photo shoot. Intentional or otherwise, her blatantly suggestive poses, empty gaze, fishnets and the bistro setting creates the impression she's playing an aging Parisian hooker.. with incredibly expensive clothing and accessories.  More images after the jump, click to enlarge.

Crazy Cat Lady Gets Crafty

Animal Planet has a program called Cats 101 that introduces its' audience to people like Danell German. She is a cat lover with a pet grooming business who shaves furry creatures for a living. That seems normal and cute enough. However, after shaving the animals down Danelle spins their fur into yarn(!) which she uses to make handbags(!!!) Her explanation was simple:

"It seems like there's something you should be able to make out of cat hair."

I know right?!I suppose transforming critters in to accessories is preferred to hurling them at strangers.

Leather and Bass

 

Accessories designer Natalia Brilli tightly wraps objects in black lambskin. From shellfish, to skateboards the Belgian-born designer has chosen a wide range of materials and given each an identical treatment. Here at Art Basel, she created a large scale installation for at Alchemist which involved applying her typical treatment to a rock band of skeletons replete with amp, guitar, drumset, and microphone. The incredible and time consuming detail that was required to envelope each and every bone individually is simply mesmerizing. After it's time in Miami the band will be making tour stops at Barney's New York, Park  in Vienna, and Reborn in Montreal.

Madonna and Other Old Bags

 
It was Marc Jacobs who came up with the grand idea of tarting Madonna up for Louis Vuitton's latest ad campaign. While in a brainstorming meeting he inquired via BlackBerry if the pop icon could be persuaded to become the latest face of the fashion house. Turns out Madge was open for bidness.

Shot by Steven Meisel, the ads are supposed to tell a story. What's the narrative you ask? Um.. I'd say an aging diva does her best to show the kids that she's can still look as cheap and trampy as pop-tarts half her age. Yoga makes you flexible!  The story of a contortionist who's trapped in a Paris bistro, and can't get the attention of the waiter? The location is Figaro, in LA on Vermont. (Click images to enlarge)

Siriano On Sale

 

Project Runway alum Christian Siriano will be creating a Fall 2009 collection of footwear and handbags exclusively for Payless ShoeSource. Well, it doesn't sound like he's designing them so much as allowing the retailer to produce budget knock-offs of his merchandise:

“I’ve already been working with the Payless Design Team in New York, and I can’t wait to see how they will take the high-end shoes and bags I’m designing for the runway and turn them into pieces that everyone can buy.”

He joins the Lela Rose, Stacey Bendet (of Alice + Olivia), Laura Poretzky (Abaete designers) and Patricia Field to design a shoe collection for Payless. The pieces are said to range in price form $25 - $45 and will be unveiled at Siriano’s Fall 2009 show at New York Fashion Week in February.

Handbags by Hayden Panettiere

Hayden Panettiere designed a clutch for Dooney & Bourke, which will debut in stores on December 1 for $295. The press release calls this is "the bag of her dreams." Despite the fact that she's a pretty vocal animal rights activist her dream bag is made of calf skin. The giant lion closure is inspired by her astrological sign, Leo.

Man Purse That Kicks A**

The Koffski by Nina Voss holds a guys keys, wallet, phone, and more while appearing more like an uber-macho gun accessory than a man-purse.  The Koffski comes in a set with a small detachable wallet. But if you want to really look bad ass, you gotta get the shoulder holster, shoulder strap and belt add-ons. With its assorted accessories, this murse can go with both formal wear (under the jacket using shoulder straps) and casual jeans and a tee using the belt. There is a place for money (both banknotes & coins), mobile phone, credit cards, driving license, identity card and much more. All of this is contained within 19 cm x 14 cm with 3.5 cm thickness.Get it HERE, but a word of advice: I'd avoid taking this wallet to the airport.

'Cause Getting Lipo Is Tacky

My Colonic from Mary Rambin on Vimeo.

A colonic isn't exactly a new way to shed a few pounds. For decades celebrities and models have used the tactic to drop a bit of that extra lower abdominal bump. Mary Rambin is a  blogger and the designer of Moe Bags. In addition to her generally irrelevant bloggin, she's mostly regarded for being actress Leven Rambin's big sis. Since she has spent most of her young career on General Hospital (she's only 17), Leven is really only known as the underage arm candy of Men's Vogue writer, Hudson Morgan.

Back to the booty. In a amazing feat of oversharing, Mary went to get a colonic and captured the experience on film for her readers.  I'll be honest, this only vaguely  fulfills the  "fashion" portion of the title of this blog. Aside from the characters involved, Mary's admission of constipation and eventual personal journey don't necessarily meet any sort of fashionable descriptive qualification. However, it is without a doubt an "overload" of info... or of cleared blockage.

Hermès Paper Bag

In 1956, a photo of Grace Kelly (the new Princess of Monaco) carrying the Sac à dépêches bag appeared in Life Magazine. The company then renamed it the "Kelly Bag," and it became hugely popular. Along with the Birkin Bag (co-designed by Jane Birkin), the Kelly Bag is one of the fashion houses most sought after items because they are produced in very limited numbers each year. Women are placed on waitlists often for several years to obtain  one of the iconic purses at a minimum price tag of $6,000. Want the crocodile-and-diamonds version? They ring in at more than $100,000 a pop. Now you can have your own paper version. Just print out the pattern, fold along the lines, decorate, and voila: your own iconic Kelly bag. Enjoy the only free thing you’ll ever get from Hermès.