I can’t decide if this news is counter-intuitive or not, but Forbes is reporting that Hermes will post an increase in sales during the first quarter of 2009, a time when many retailers and brands were feeling a big-time sales crunch. Why is that? Well, the sales increase isn’t worldwide. Sales fell modestly in Europe and experienced a double-digit decline in luxury-goods-obsessed Japan, but the brand saw increases large enough in non-Japanese Asia to more than make up for decreases elsewhere. The increases were seen mostly in South Korea and China, which many industry watchers regard as somewhat of a Last Frontier of luxury retail. So what does this tell us? First of all, we should all remember that signs of strength in the global economy probably mean good things for those of us in America. Our economy is incredibly interconnected with those of other nations, particularly China, and we can’t start to make a significant recovery without signs that are trading partners are also ready to move forward economically. Sales increases of luxury goods mean that consumers in other countries feel confident in the direction in which the economy is headed, and maybe a little bit of that consumer confidence will rub off on other markets. Lastly, it’s a good reminder to all businesses that there are still markets out there that are spending money. Finding them may be a challenge, but it can and will be done. So congratulations, Hermes, on a game well played. Replica Hermes When I saw the Burberry Heart-Studded Satchel for the first time, I had the same internal monologue that I had while flipping through accessories pictures from the brand’s Spring 2011 runway show. It went something like, Really? That’s it? Christopher Bailey can do wonders with every other segment of the brand, but this is all that us handbag folks get? Sadly, yes, this is all we get. Despite some accessory success several seasons ago and a few nice-yet-completely-unmemorable bags popping up every few months, Burberry’s handbag efforts have left much to be desired for some time now. I can only hope that the best is yet to come and that Bailey will throw us a bone of some sort in the near future. In the meantime, what in the world does he want us to do with this?

Tomorrow Vlad and Shannon will be attending an intimate cocktail hour hosted by Daniel LaLonde of Louis Vuitton for online publishers. Louis Vuitton is slowly making its way into the online world of publishers and social media (last week Louis Vuitton announced that it is officially on Twitter). We are extremely honored to be invited to this event as we have been longtime followers and fans of Louis Vuitton. Vlad was granted photography access as well, which means exclusive photos for all of you! While photos are an intricate look into this gathering, questions directly asked to the CEO would share even more information on the much-loved Louis Vuitton. We can make no promises, but what if we were able to ask the CEO of Louis Vuitton some questions? If we are lucky we may snag a few minutes of Daniel LaLonde’s time and if we like your questions, we may put them on our list! Hermes Replica Bag Do you want people to actually buy your bags? Why is it that every time I go into your store the handbag selection looks like the exact same fug from last season and the season before? It is time to move on, design something new, take a chance. Because, face it, even if you fail miserably, it won’t make much of a difference. Your monogram bags are probably one of the worst logo bags out there. For some reason, they repulse me. And your Indy bags have some potential, as in the shape is ok, but why would you put a design like this on one? Your Gucci Indy Bag above shows off multicolor blue bell embroidery with bamboo tassels and metal plate details. Unfortunately, the bells resemble jellyfish, which I absolutely despise. Jellyfish sting me, and stick on my skin, and turn me red with an itchy painful rash. Is there a reason you have bells that resemble jellyfish? It feels like the scene in Finding Nemo, where Nemo and Dori have to swim through the jellyfish. Do you remember what happened to Dori? The good news is, Dori lived. This bag itself is not absolutely horrible, but I feel like your bags in general have been horrible. I was at Saks the other day and a gold Python Indy was thrown on the sale table next to some Juicy Couture handbags. Talk about slummin’ it. But please do not think you are a lost cause, because you are not.

It has been a long time since we covered an ostrich skin bag on PurseBlog. I just realized that. We spoke about some ostrich bags seen in Fall/Winter 2010 runway shows, but before that we hadn’t shown one since December. And while many of you do not like the look or idea of ostrich skin, I always had an affinity to certain ostrich skin bags. Maybe not so much anymore? Because as I sit here looking at the Prada Struzzo Executive Tote I am totally underwhelmed. And underwhelmed by both the skin and the design. Actually, Prada in general continues to let me down. I popped into the Prada boutique last weekend with a couple of friends and made my way around the store quicker than any other store we went into. The collection was part odd part lackluster. And all I kept thinking is what happened? I used to find joy in so many Prada designs and used to look to Prada each season with anticipation. Gucci Replica I’ve been writing about more Burberry bags lately than I ever have before, and I’ve been trying to figure out why. Larger collection this season? No, I remember a lot of bags from previous season. New handbag designer at the brand? I can’t find any information about that online, so I guess it’s possible that someone with a new point-of-view has come in to shake things up. But overall, I think the reason that I’ve noticed them more than I have in previous seasons is that they’re just BETTER than they have been. I’m much more impressed than I previously have been with them. So today, in our Endless Parade of Burberry Handbags That Amanda Likes, we have the Burberry Prorsum Willow Leather Clutch. Like the brand’s other recently featured bags, they’ve worked the leather in a way that gives the bag an enormous amount of texture – the little leather squares flake up like python scales, but would theoretically be much more durable than the often-delicate exotic. It’s got a little wrist strap and a cell phone pocket inside, plus it’s a great neutral color with an interesting textural concept – where do I sign up for one?

As a slavish fan of the Tom Ford era at Gucci, I’ve got to say that Spring 2010 is easily the best collection we’ve seen from current designer Frida Giannini. Instead of the girly, at times hippie-chic clothes that have come out of her tenure at the company so far, what we saw this season was modern, athletic, and a tad science fiction. Normally those would be words from which I would shy away as descriptors of beautiful clothing, but the high-waist leggings, voluminous jackets and body-conscious dresses make sci fi chic and aspirational – if only Ra’mon from Project Runway had made something like this on last week’s episode, he might not have been auf’d. But he didn’t, and Frida did, because there’s a reason that she’s employed by one of the largest and most recognizable luxury brands in the world. She started, as has proven popular this season, with white (it would be a full nine looks before another color appeared) and slowly moved herself into light greys before going for bolder books in black, orange, and even a little bit of pink. Print was limited mostly to ikat here and there on smart shift dresses, and the majority of looks were solid and neutral. Replica Gucci Hey, if you are tired of carrying this kind of extremely feminine and elegant evening clutch like the designer bags from Chanel and Valentino, then you really should not miss this Gucci “Sigrid” Evening Bag. It is so chic and modern that it will of course show your characteristics and personalities well. This Gucci Evening Bag featuring metal and leather ornament is among its latest Spring Summer 2010 Collection. The decoration on this Sigrid bag is the modernized abstract art, I guess. The bag is made of black suede and trimmed with silver tone nickel hardware. It measures 13.8 inches in length, 1 inch in width and 4.7 inches in height so that it is spacious enough for holding your necessities like tissues and credits card and keys as well. The bag has soft cotton linen lining and inside pocket. It is safety ensured by a snap closure. I bet you would like this designer evening bag.

If your mother is a new mother, a new diaper bag is not only a nice idea but a necessity for new mommies and their babies. There are two diaper bags that can be either for a baby boy or girl and can show off the mother’s sense of style (even when she is actually beyond exhausted). First I want to delve into the glorified simplicity of designer Kate Spade with her Kate Spade Large Baby Bag. The baby bag is made of cotton canvas with adorable doodle-print nylon changing pad and lining. Other necessary features include double shoulder straps, leather tie closure, four open and one zipper pocket inside and comes sized at 10″H X 15″L X 5″W. I would chose this hot number for a mommie with a new baby boy, because the blue color is simple and divine. For a not so bad price, you can find this baby bag for $325.00 at Saks. Now for my pick for the mommie with the new baby girl. I know it almost seems arbitrary to buy blue for a boy and pink for a girl, but I like the old-fashioned idea, and can not believe that it would ever go out of style. At first I was going to chose the Burberry Diaper Bag with the signature burberry check style, but decided on this lovely Burberry Quilted Diaper Bag in pink. I assume the store has it in blue also, but online I only see pink, so this is my pick for girls. Not to mention the quilted outside adds a feminine touch. Back to the bag. Burberry features a pink quilted fabric. Making sure it is evident that the bag is made by Burberry, the shoulder strap back is printed in the signature novacheck pattern along with other outer accents bike-fieber.com/luoecon Nearly every girl loves to play dress up. That does not change for women, unless only I enjoy to play dress-up still. I’m not going to lie when I say that the most intriguing part of business interviews and new jobs is buying the outfits to wear to them. Don’t even try to fool yourself for 1 second that even the most unfashionable men interviewers are not aware of style. It matters. I love these justifications I come up with in my head. So with any beautiful new dress or suit a girl must carry a fashionable work bag, correct? Correct. And as the new seasons roll in a girl in the working world must (not really, but I like to tell myself that it is a must) get a new bag. For this fall ’05 the Burberry Plaid Wool Bag seems to be a major contender. I grew out of loving the Burberry checkered print a while back, because it became a trend rather than a high end design. But this bag really is strikingly different. The Burberry Plaid Wool Bag is of course, like the title says, a plaid print bag which is accented with textured leather trim and sports a trendy faux tortoise shell handle. I think goldtone hardware is the perfect accent color because it is warmer and really shows off the wool plaid pattern off nicely. Since I am justifying this bag for a work purpose, I’ll explain to you how I justify it as a work bag (and how you can justify it to your significant other so he might be nice enough to make the purchase ) For your organizational needs the bag contains an inside center zip compartment and has 3 types of pockets; zip, open and phone.

Over the weekend, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate, announced that it would increase its share in family-owned leather giant Hermes 14.2%, to a total of 17.1% stock ownership. LVMH, which owns such famous labels as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy and Fendi, claims that it will not seek control of Hermes or board representation, but news of the sharp increase in the conglomerate’s ownership of the brand has many wondering if that will remain true for long. Luxury isn’t just a lifestyle, it’s also big business, and Hermes has been among the most profitable properties on the high-end mass market through the recent economic downturn. Part of the Hermes allure for many clients stems from the fact that the Hermes family still runs the company, even in this day of corporate fashion and massive conglomeration. LVMH doesn’t just buy up shares of luxury brands for fun, and although owning a chunk of Hermes stock is certainly a strong bet in today’s luxury market, one can’t help but wonder about LVMH’s larger goals. Although the company’s spokespeople claim that LVMH merely has its sights on being a longterm Hermes stockholder, luxury watchers would be advised to take that with a proverbial grain of salt. luoecon.uwcblog.com There are a lot of reasons that Marc Jacobs’ shows are fun – the front-row celebrities, the unexpected set designs, the crazy tales that emerge from the after-parties – but from a style point of view, they’re fascinating because we never know where Marc will turn next, but wherever he goes, the majority of the fashion world will go with him in a few months’ time. Particularly for accessories enthusiasts, Jacobs’ handbag vision will play out far and wide across the industry, culminating in his Louis Vuitton show in Paris and starting last night with Marc Jacobs Fall 2011. Not only did the tailored, constricted feel of the clothes represent a full 180 from the loose, flowing colors of Jacobs’ Spring 2011 presentation, but the two types of bags within the collection were almost diametrically opposed to each other. On one end, we had fluffy, shapeless, polka-dotted bags that looked like they had been made out of someone’s bathrobe, and on the other, uber-structured, ladylike handbags that felt both current and wearable. For such a strong, severe collection, the bathrobe bags seemed like something of a joke. Let’s hope that they were and we’ll only see the others in stores come fall.

I was looking at my handbag collection the other day and I realized that most of my handbags are very “safe”. There are typical shapes you would expect, typical colors, and typical materials. I can’t say that my collection is boring, but the day I was looking at my bags I felt the need for some spice and pizazz amongst my bags. I bought a new Marc Jacobs bag recently (reveal to come this week) that is so loud and edgy, it will surely bring an immediate burst of energy into my collection. But I am craving more. After I saw the Louis Vuitton Spring 2010 handbags and accessories at the LV boutique in Bal Harbour, I ordered two items. One is the colored fox tail that continues to be seen adorning the Spring bags. The other item I will not reveal, as it is one of the four bags I am having you vote on. But I am second guessing my choice and want your help. Help me decide which Louis Vuitton bag from the Spring 2010 collection will add more spunk and character to my collection. www.top-replicahandbag.com It is not the first time that Gucci releases the “Joy” Medium Shoulder bag. We have seen this bag in GG fabric and brown guccissima before, but it is the first time that Gucci has presented this bag pattern in silver GG coated fabric. Actually, the silver GG fabric is another new icon of Gucci. The silver one will be a worldwide reference for glamour one day. Although both elements on this bag are reinvention, being combined, they bring us a totally new feeling.

While shopping at Walgreens today, I felt an intense sense of happiness over all of the Easter candy. Actually, any holiday-themed candy gets me giddy. I love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, but I always love the tree, heart, and egg shape more. I guess it is my inner child. Right when I laid eyes on the Prada Raso Pietre Clutch in Turchese my mind immediately thought candy (the jelly bean or Cadbury Mini Eggs variety). Do you see that too? LV Bags The latest Gucci Spring and Summer Handbag Collection may not very creative in style, but we cannot deny that Gucci manages to keep each of Gucci Bag designs functional. This Gucci Techno Horsebit Large Shoulder Flap Bag is not very extraordinary or atypical in its style, but it surely belongs to one of the functional bags which will give you great convenience and comfort. This Gucci purse is coated in beige/ebony GG fabric and trimmed with brown leather, thus the neutral color makes it easily match with most your closet. There are very minimal adornments all thought out. The horsebit detail at front and the tassels with bamboo detail dangling from the handle are enough to put some sophistication and refined glamour to its overall design. The brown leather flap creates a touch of distinctiveness to finish a very special carryall. As said, this Gucci Techno Horsebit Large Shoulder Flap Bag is practical. Holding the dimension of 15.7″L x 6.3″W x 11.8″H, it is spacious to carry your thousand essentials. In addition, cotton linen lining, inside zip, cell phone and pda pockets are considerately designed to complete its function. Thanks to the single handle with 7″ drop and detachable shoulder strap with 8″ drop, this purse fits to be carried on the shoulder, in the hand or across the body.

One of my very first designer purchases was a Burberry scarf. I was a freshman in college and remember being frugal for a month so I could use my typical entertainment money for a Burberry scarf without my dad realizing it. Number one, he realized it and number two, the scarf was totally worth it. The classic check pattern from Burberry is as recognizable as the Louis Vuittton signature monogram. Burberry is are widely counterfeited as well, so you be aware of what you are buying and from where. Continue Reading luoecon.ergah.net When two masters of their domain come together to collaborate, no chin is safe from slobbering, wet drool. In this case, the German manufacturer Leica Camera AG and the Parisian high-fashion house Hermès joined forces to create a very special limited edition camera, namely the new Leica M7 Edition Hermès. I know that this is the PurseBlog and I am going off on distant tangents here. But let me elaborate. I have three good reasons to share my new acquisition with our readers. Firstly, I am an avid photographer. Not only do I occasionally contribute to the editorial with my Shutterbags bit, but I also enjoy photographing in my spare time. Secondly, I am an avid Leica fan and collector. Their optics are outstanding, their rangefinder cameras are legendary and have worked their magic in skilled hands of masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson and Annie Leibowitz. Thirdly, it’s Hermès! There is a good reason that the iconic fashion house’s enthusiastic crowd is one of the most active and devoted on TPF. Hermès’ leather working, craftsmanship and history are second to none.

We spend a great deal of time around here telling you guys what we’re loving and hating. Season after season, bag after bag, we’ve got lots of opinions. But so do you! So now’s your turn – tell us what bags you’re coveting for spring. What would you buy if money were no object, and what bags are actually in your budget for the season? My ultimate Spring 2011 lust object finally arrived in the mail a few days ago – a Celine Luggage Tote in lipstick red. And if money grew on trees (and if I had any idea how to properly grow a tree), I’d also be picking up the bright blue Gucci Handmade Large Top Handle. Why don’t more brands make bags in this color? Can someone out there get on that? Kate Spade, I’m looking at you. Replica Hermes Handbags Louis Vuitton’s Fall Winter 2010/2011 collection was beyond words in its glamor, elegance, and beauty. In fact, there is no way to properly give justice to the ladylike functionality implemented into each design. Marc Jacobs is pure genius. Louis Vuitton Advertising campaigns never let me down either. The creative vision of the Louis Vuitton Fall Winter 2010/2011 campaign feels like a fairytale world of luxurious perfection. I am entirely envious of the women in these photos, they appear as if they have fascinating stories to tell. How could I leave out the ladylike Cuir Cinema bag that immediately catches one’s attention? The soft rose color on the structured calf leather bag flows seamlessly in the photo [$4450 via Louis Vuitton September 1st]. Talented artist Kathryn Elyse of PaperFashion illustrated this campaign photo in two different finishes. Both are simply stunning and match perfectly with the feminine timeless appeal of the collection.

The bags of Burbery Fall 2010 are kind of a shame when you consider the brilliant collection from whence they came. Not only are they plain and boring, but they weren’t even close to being the most interesting leather pieces in the show – that honor went to the many heavily-detailed leather jackets and vests that graced the runway. For all the intricate leather work that clearly went into the jackets, the handbags were shown none of the same attention by Christopher Bailey & Co. In fact, they were arguably the lowest point of a line I really, truly loved in almost every way. I don’t mind purses being used as bright, poppy accents to a larger look, but designers should at least take the time to make the bags special as well. The latticed python seen on a few pieces was an interesting-enough technique, but the simplistic shapes don’t do anything to help the cause. Full pictures, after the jump. clicabo.com/ice99632854 I actually took a class on review writing in college. Yep, they teach you that in journalism school. If you’re lucky, anyway – it was pretty hard to get in to. We reviewed all kinds of things, from restaurants to plays, and did lots of exercises to make us better reviewers – things like reviewing oranges and writing TV show reviews the length of a Twitter message. And the one big takeaway I got from that class was this: reviews of things you like are hard to write. Reviews of things that suck? They write themselves. Which is why I feel like I’m cheating by writing about the Gucci Original Backpack. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. I mean, look at this thing, y’all. It’s been out for a while, I’ve seen it in personal multiple times…and I just don’t think it’s cute. At all. It’s oddly shaped and confusing to look at and I haven’t wanted a backpack as a purse since mini-backpacks were in style when I was approximately nine years old. I had a pleather one, and I wore it to school very excitedly. But that was 1994, and this is 2009, and I feel like we should have progressed since then. Gucci is trying to hold you back – don’t let them!

In Milan in September, the Prada runway show was a buzz with Miuccia filling the runway with silk-printed tunics, cropped flared trousers, and nymph and fairy prints. The backdrop looked as if it was from a girls imagination of doodles and drawings while daydreaming. Miuccia’s focus was “about trying to find a new creativity.” The fairy print is the iconic print for the Spring season and is seen on their handbags, clothing, and even their shoe boxes. The handbag that has our forum buzzing is the Prada Fairy Bag. The Prada Fairies Bag is available in two sizes and is said to be a limited edition. How limited is yet to be known, but Prada is staying that the boutiques will receive a limited number of the bags and pre-orders are not an option. The smaller version retails for $2290 and the larger for $2490. Call your local Prada boutique to inquire and be put on the wait list. After showing you two horrible prints/patterns on handbags for Spring, I am ending your week with an absolutely stunning piece. This Prada Bag is majestic and enchanting. The deerskin leather is said to have a slight sparkle to it. This bag is absolutely gorgeous, just takes my breath away! bike-fieber.com/luoecon As was widely reported last week, luxury giant LVMH now owns over 17% of competitor Hermes, and although the company has publicly stated that it has no plans to acquire more shares of the French family-owned company in the next six months, luxury watchers remain atwitter over what the future may hold for two of the world’s largest names in handbags after that time period expires. Now that more of the story behind LVMH’s share purchases has emerged, Women’s Wear Daily reports that the company used a number of stealth maneuvers, including cash-settle equity swaps and use of several cannily named LVMH subsidiaries, to increase its stake in Hermes by over 14% without identifying itself as a competitor to Hermes brass. Seemingly adding insult to injury, LVMH notified Hermes of these developments only hours before releasing the information to the general public. So not only did Hermes not knowingly sell the shares to LVMH, but LVMH execs also seemed to be well aware that the family wouldn’t have sold, if given all the pertinent information.

Over dinner a couple of weekends ago, a friend asked me if it ever felt silly to write about fashion in the wake of human and environmental disasters like the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. And, truth be told, it can feel a little bit silly at times, just as I imagine most people who work in non-public service jobs feel when confronted with such a devastating world event. Things like fashion churn on nonetheless, and sometimes (although probably not as often as we could), we even find a way to help the planet at large. Net-a-Porter recently teamed up with Vogue and a slew of amazing designers to coordinate the Runway to Green project, which included a charity auction and fashion show on March 29 and also features a limited edition run of Fall 2011 pieces available on Net-a-Porter.com for a limited time, all of which benefit a number of environmental charities. Our favorite pieces? The Prada Textured Leather Tote and Prada Mary Jane Boots, of course. www.top-replicahandbags.co While shoe shopping yesterday, I encountered a sales associate that very much wanted to tell me all about the trends for Fall 2010. I worked retail in college, so I never mind letting someone do their sales spiel without interruption, even if I already know what it’s going to contain. This time, though, I had to stop the poor guy when he got to the part about studs. I’m so over studs. When I told him that, he made a face like I had just kicked his puppy and sounded appalled that I would make such a bold declaration. I hadn’t given much specific thought to whether or not I still thought studs were cool, but when the sales associate was waving a pyramid-covered combat boot in my face that I had no intention of ever trying on, let alone buying, it became clear – I’m done with them. But is fashion done with the trend, and more importantly, are you? With the appearance of this Burberry Studded Leather Travel Bag on Net-a-Porter yesterday morning, it looks like some retailers hope we’ll buy in to heavy metal for at least a few months longer.

It’s easy to become price-blind when you spend your days hunting down and discussing designer accessories, but sometimes life has a way of reminding you just how much a dollar is actually worth. I experienced that recently when trying to buy my first set of post-college, post-Ikea Big Girl furniture and found that I could decorate my bedroom rather elaborately for the same amount of money that I’ve been contemplating spending on a crocodile-embossed Celine Phantom Luggage Tote this fall. For real croc, like the Gucci New Bamboo Crocodile Shoulder Bag? I could probably do a whole one-bedroom apartment, including a nice TV. At fifteen inches wide, this is a generously sized bag for the sort of structure it employs, but $14,000 means something different for me now than it did last week. Would you ever pay that much for a bag? luoecon.ergah.net In general, I think that phrase “too much is never enough” is useful when trying to explain certain sectors of fashion, particularly to those who aren’t interested in the industry or in understanding the genius of fabulous fashion eccentrics like Anna Dello Russo or Daphne Guinness. Rococo is always alive and well somewhere within the style world, even during harsh economic times, and its exuberant resilience is to the industry’s credit. Sometimes rococo runs headlong into a wall, though, as with the Marc Jacobs Large Sequined Stam. I like the Stam bags (I even have one from way back in the second season that they were around), I like sequins, I like the blush-nude color that we have going on here. But unfortunately, the end result is less than the sum of its parts.

To say that I was critical of the last Burberry Prorsum handbag collection might actually be an understatement; I didn’t like the bags at all, and based on your reactions to our review, I wasn’t alone. Well, it looks as though Christopher Bailey’s accessories crew may have righted the ship in time for Burberry Prorsum Fall 2011 handbags – along with the collection’s splendid outwear, most of the handbags that hit the runway were intensely covetable. I still don’t understand why Burberry insists on using its novacheck logo fabric on runway bags instead of relegating it to the regular line as most brands tend to do, but thankfully most of the tasseled satchels and smart, structured clutches were all leather. Burberry showed quite a bit of what appeared to be embossed crocodile as well, giving a collection full of texture yet another layer of visual interest. I would be happy to have every single structured clutch and all of the non-logo satchels from this show in my closet immediately. Louis Vuitton Handbags Allow me to make one of my personal biases clear: I look forward to seeing the bags on the Gucci runway more than almost any other bag-including show at fashion week. The brand’s notorious sense for modern glamor and sexuality often comes through best in their runway bags, and seeing them is almost always a pleasure. I wasn’t as excited by this season’s offerings as I was for last season’s technology-influenced collection, but they were still as luxurious and detailed as you could reasonably ask. Much of the collection, which was heavy on ostrich, was also sporting a slightly modified interlocking G logo that I’ve never seen before – could it be a vintage revival, as is popular with the brand, or something completely new? I’m not sure which, but whatever it is, I think its slightly curvier lines work well for the direction that the brand is going.

If you’re a fan of the Hermes Birkin (or simply not a fan of Lady Gaga), gird your loins for this one. When her Monster Ball tour landed recently in Tokyo, La Gagita was seen in the airport carrying a white Hermes Birkin inscribed with a message that loosely translates to “I love small monster. Toyko love.” In case you’re not familiar with the Gaga vernacular, “little monsters” is the name that she uses to refer to her fans, so her Birkin message was a shout-out to those that would be attending her Japanese shows. Using accessories and the paparazzi to communicate – clever, or not so much? Regular readers of the blog will know that I’m a huge Lady Gaga fangirl, so I think it’s fairly clever. It’s not the most interesting thing she’s ever done, but playing with fashion and blurring the lines of social acceptability are two things that are integral to her public image, and not only does a Sharpie’d Birkin combine those things effectively, but it has managed set tongues wagging all over the internet. luoecon.sport.fr Folks, we’ve done it. I think. Maybe I’m being optimistic. But, with the advent of the Louis Vuitton Card Deck Set, I think it may be possible for someone with enough money and enough dedication to go through their entire day without deigning to use a product that’s not luxury branded. We’ve covered Chanel and Hermes bicycles, Gucci makes wallpaper, Fendi makes bedding, Versace makes furniture. And now, your husband won’t just be playing poker with the guys, he’ll be playing Louis Vuitton poker. And that won’t get him made fun of by his buddies AT ALL, I promise. Eluxury promises that this set includes three “luxurious” decks of cards, so please, help me brainstorm in the comments – exactly how does one make playing cards luxurious? The first thing that came to my mind was having the symbols ever so carefully covered in close-cropped mink, making them slightly furry. How would you do it?