Economy Effecting Diamonds Too
Halle Barry was wearing Harry Winston's famous Pumpkin Diamond Ring when she accepted her Oscar. The worth of one ring was $3 million, not too shabby for one ring. The total worth of the jewels that were borrowed on that night, 71st Annual Academy Awards, was estimated to be about $41 million worth. It could have been a good night to have a "Thomas Crown Affair" movie shot there with all the diamonds & jewels exposed but what happened to the empire of Harry Winston.
Harry Winston's sales are down by 30.4 percent per article on Reuters. There is not much of demand for diamond necklaces or even engagement rings since there is no more fancy parties to attend or not many shopping sprees are affordable, people are cutting down their expenses, this is a result of everybody feeling the hit of the economic crisis. As a result, prices are on the rise for precious stones & designer is hoping for the increase in sale closer to the end of the summer.
We can tell that summer is the slowest season for retail because of the summer vacations, 4th of July weekend celebrations and other summer activities. Chief Executive Robert Gannicott also mentioned that diamond production has dropped compared to other years and the industry soon should rebound with the positive come back & all of us hope for the same for the economy in overall.
Everybody is talking about shut down of the Rio Tinto's (RIO.L) Diavik diamond mine in Canada's Arctic which was struggling since last year due to its decrease in the capital & low demand for diamonds. The mine will be shut down for a couple of weeks this summer to resolve major financial problems but the expected winter shut down might be cancelled due to possibly improving market.
Lets hope for the better days to come for Harry Winton's company & his customers. Being in the business since 1920 when he first started his shop, must be tough to see some of it soaring after almost 100 year in the business. Winton took some risks in his early years like sending his Hope Diamond, 45.52 carats (9.10 g),[1] fancy deep-blue diamond, in the U.S. Mail in a plain brown bag when he donated it to Smithsonian Institution in 1958. Hope Diamond, until our days, is a part of the priceless national gem collection and the most visited exhibit at the Smithsonian.
Beaded Necklaces by Fiona Paxton
Browsing Soho this weekend after lunch at Bagatelle, my girlies & I went into Scoop in Meatpacking to look at the new stuff for Fall. As soon as we entered, we noticed several unique embroidered necklaces with gold/silver bands and chains in the glass case. Believe it or not, I thought these were belts.
Later I find out they are Fiona Paxton's designs, Londoner who has worked for Moschino & Chloe as a textile designer. Paxton introduced her creations to the fashion world this year as a self stand jewelry designer. Designing for couture world for the past 10 years must have taught her a lot of patience, concentration on detail and experience to produce incredible hand crafted designs.
I was thinking to myself, these necklaces would be great with a white tank top, black ballerina skirt and black Louboutins for the night in the city! Fiona Paxton Necklaces priced at $200s-$300s because of its hand crafting embroidery work, unique prints & loads of precious metals used.
**Shop Now** FP's Beated Necklaces
Who is your Favorite Celebrity Style Icon?
I believe each one of us have a celebrity or an icon that we look up to for their personal style. We tend to follow their lives through TV appearances, celebrity magazines, even try to copy the looks by dressing up like them. To list a few of my Icons:
- Coco Chanel - for her extraordinary sense of fashion, creativity & style
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis - for her classic, humble & always positive approach to the fashion world
- Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy - for her ability to jump from the world of being a model into the world of first lady of France with the elegant sense of fashion
And now back to you, My Dear Bloggster, I would like to know who is your Fashion Icon? I want to hear your examples & short explanation of what moved you about this person, what did you learn from their biography, work or personal style, how did they affect your everyday life & understanding of the fashion world?
Cant wait to read the responces...
KatyaUK
All About Hermes Birkin Bag
Hermes is one of the oldest elite designer brand names existent for over 170 years. Its luxurious leather goods have an exquisite reputation & brand name which considered as one of the most desirable accessories in the history of the fashion world. Every woman that is into high fashion would love to have at least one piece of Hermes collection. The MUST have bag on everybody's list is Birkin bag. Its not only look & prestige of this incredible handbag, it's the craftsmanship and texture of the animal skins that are used to make one bag.
It took a flight encounter from Paris to London in 1984 to create an amazing hand bag. Jane Birkin sat right next to Jean-Louis Dumas, CEO of Hermes on that flight & accidentally dropped her handbag on the floor. It was one reason why they initiated a conversation about what she would like to have in an everyday handbag in order to make it an ideal one. As a result, Dumas has created one especially for her & sent it to her flat in Paris.
What it takes to make one Birkin bag? It takes about 30-40 hours to make one handbag depending on its size and there are only 5 that are made each week. The most expensive bag is made of saltwater crocodile skin & its inside lining - out of the goat skin to match the color of the exterior of the bag. Bag can be special ordered but only by exclusive clients who can submit their orders through Paris office twice a year. Hermes picks out the colors & certain skins to use for their collections as well as they can decide to discontinue them without any notice to their clients. All locks & keys are made out of gold & some other previous metals besides silver to avoid tarnishing.
Because of its exclusive quality, Birkin bag has a price tag of approximately $7,500 depending on the size & leather. Some of them go up to six figures & there are always buyers out there. If you have a Birkin in your closet, it adds you in the list of some biggest celebrities, socialites & famous people of the world like Carla Bruni, First lady of France, Cristina Kirchner, President of Argentina, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey and others. Most of the famous TV shows like Sex & the City, Will & Grace, Gilmore Girls & Gossip Girl bring up Birkin in their episodes. I read at Stylelist.com that Victoria Beckham owns about 200 of these exclusive purses all range in color, size & leather quality & one of them was auctioned off at $120,000 all embellished in 10 carats of diamonds.
**Shop Now** Hermes Birkin Handbag
New Trend for Fall 2009 – Knee Thigh-High Boots
My favorite Rodarte is presenting a new look for a boot with unusual length, it goes over you knee and reaches almost to your mid thigh.
In addition to that, boot has a platform high heel with leather straps wraping your leg all away around, which I imagine is very hard to walk in... but what can you do, trend is a trend & these are mainly designed for the runway anyways! I cant wait to see which stores might get the first orders in & how hard it would be to buy them or see somebody wearing them...
Lets think what can you wear with the boot that is almost covering your leg, I think leggings or a short skirt. These would go perfect with the Musketeer designs from "fierce" collection that Christian Siriano presented for a final cut of Project Runway Cycle 4. His over-the-top flare hats & high color jackets can be a great fit with Rodarte thigh-high boots, what do you think (pictures are below)?
Check out more pictures of the new collection Rodarte Autumn(Fall)/Winter - 2009/2010 Women's Collection on the pages of Fashionising. I also found a couple of pictures on Glamour.com which show preparation of models for Rodarte Fashion Show & how the stage is decorated to match the theme of the collection. Lots of metallic nail polish, slick hair & dull color outfits remind you of a futuristic movie theme but its truly an entertainment to watch these models getting ready for this extravaganza. I am sure just to put one outfit together might take hours, look at how many straps one boot requires to be tied around.
Make the Perfect Line
Pretty much most of us use an eye liner especially when it comes to creating a dramatic look but not all the time it comes out to be perfect. I always had a hard time finding an eye liner that really works. There are a lot of draw backs to Guerlain's new Terracotta Kohl Kajal Eye Liner in Black Fakhir this season. This eye liner makes a perfect line with non-irritating formula which concentrated to emphasize your beautiful eye. You can purchase it at the following Department stores like Sephora, Nordstrom, Nieman Marcus & Bergdorf Goodman for only $35, if it lasts why not spend the money!
NY MAG has posted this item in their NY MAG Best Bets Daily, , please check out the review.
**Shop Now** Guerlain Terracotta Kohl Kajal Eye Liner
Online Boutique Fashion Republik
Have you gone to shop at this unique online Boutique Fashion Republik? It presents the world of middle eastern designers from Lebanon, UAE and other Middle Eastern countries with the central location in London. One of the unique things about it is that all of the items can be customized & made especially for you.
For example, you can order a handbag with your name on the buckle or a necklace with your loved one's name. Fashion Republik also sells wide selection of clothing for women, men, kids, maternity, shoes, bag accessories and other stuff. Founder of this wonderful website is Nadine Fares Kahil who wants to show the world that there is more to Middle East than just wars and violence, there are people who like their work & approach it with passion to create amazing clothing and accessories for others to buy & enjoy.
When I first got introduced to this new website, I noticed that it has some neat stuff especially I noticed Story Girl page with small bags & clutches. They are different and unique in their own kind & present a fun, hip look for any fashionista. I think Valentina clutch is my favorite, little leather hearts invisibly connected to each other give this clutch an unusual look, I am sure it would be something people will pay attention to especially if its in Electric Fuchsia or Beige colors.
**Shop Now** Fashion Republik
Invitation to Gilt Group
Hello, My Bloggsters,
Thank you for your feedback, participation & continuous dedication visiting my site. I have been getting great visitor turnaround which means people are interested in the stuff that I post & write.
I am extending my invitation to all of you to become part of the great shopping website! It provides an exclusive entry to great designer sales up to 70% OFF, I promise you will not find these discounts anywhere else. Click on the link below to sign up for the membership & enjoy your shopping!
Angel V Castano for Bohemian Babe
From the first click on the Bohemian Babe website you imagine yourself somewhere on the beach in the secluded island with the tropical breeze shivering your hair. This is what I experienced when I first stepped into the pages of this talented flip flop designer Angel V Castano who is currently based out of Hong Kong. Her creations started back in 1999 with "hand made slippers made of funky printed cotton and canvas fabrics with rubber soles". She has expanded her business in 2000 when everybody started to wear her stylish flip flops around & noticed her incredible gift.
Angel's initial inspiration came from her home land Philippines with their sea, tropical plants & exotic flowers. Bohemian Babe Hand Embellished Flip Flops were created based on main ornament flower, Mother of Pearl, its a painted & intricate exotic flower which will make your feet look delicate, feminine & the most important, you will feel that they are the most comfortable flip flops ever. It will be a great addition to your collection of summer accessories & beach must haves. It will also be a winning piece of your wardrobe which will glue anybody's attention because of its unique & stylish look.
Bohemian Babe products have been recognized & sold by top elite spas such as Four Season Spa in Hong Kong & Singapore as well as soon to be featured in The Landmark Mandarin in Hong Kong and other top hotels in Mumbai and Macau. Soon Angel's creations will be available for purchase in United States, in the meantime, you can order them online by accessing her website Bohemian Babe.
Angel's current project, Bohemian Babe 2010 Spring/Summer Luxury Resort Collection will present to the world her new stunning bikinis, unusual kaftans, summer dresses, cover ups, leather resort sandals and many other accessories. Please visit Angel's Homepage Bohemian Babe to get updates on her new collection & buy, buy, buy her famous flip flops.
Please leave your comments below with your feedback, requests for purchase & questions for the designer, I will make sure she gets your posts.
KatyaUK
Venus Bikini for Only $9 Separates
I have been using this website for awhile now, they have great swimwear & cheap summer dresses. I visit it pretty much every other day to see what they have on sale. I just noticed that they have great separates, one bikini for total of $9, you cant beat that! Please visit Venus website for more bargain finds!
**Shop Now** Venus $9 Bikini
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