LV's Cassis and Grenade

Louis Vuitton's Epi Collection features two new colors: Cassis and Grenade.

Aren't they both pretty? I really don't like LV's patent leather design. It's so dull and IMO, ugly. The Cassis and Grenade colors make me want to go and buy myself one of these bags and clutches though. Even the belt, wallet and scarf are all so pretty too!

Thoughts on LV's Epi Collection's new colors?

Louis Vuitton rocks with Keith Richards

(Click on the image to see it full size.)

Here we have rockstar legend Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones fame doing an ad for Louis Vuitton.

The caption?

Some journeys cannot be put into words.
New York. 3 a.m. Blues in C.

The ad will be released on April this year (2008). And man... I've never seen Keith Richards look so old!!

Thoughts?

Assouline Chanel Luxe Edition

This is the Assouline Chanel Luxe Edition book set. It's contents focus mainly on fashion, art, design and photography. The three-volume set is encased in patent black quilted Chanel leather with its signature metal Chanel logo. This series is about Gabrielle Chanel and her impact in the fashion world which is still highly evident today.

The Assouline Chanel Luxe Edition retails for $550.

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Swimwear for Muslim Women

What you see in the picture above isn't a cross between a 50's swimsuit and a casual dress. This is the new line of swimwear launched especially for Muslim women. It's created by Muslim twins, Rima and Rasha Mezal, and it conveniently covers the whole body.

This line of swimwear is called Mezal (after the twins) and is starting to gain popularity not only in the twins' home in UK, but overseas as well. Oh and the Mezal swimwear isn't exclusive to Muslim women only - the twins claim that a lot of women have to cover their bodies due to religious, cultural and even medical reasons. With this in mind, Mezal comes handy because it allows women to enjoy swimming without the hassles of wearing big shirts, leggings and the like.

You can visit Mezal to check out their other designs.

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The Controversial Abercrombie & Fitch

Now who could've guessed that Abercrombie & Fitch started out in 1892?

As a brand that covers clothing and accessories for people of all sorts, Abercrombie & Fitch expanded itself to five different sub-brands to cater to kids, teens, college students, post-college people, and women's lingerie: Abercrombie, Hollister, Abercrombie & Fitch, Ruehl No. 925 and Gilly Hicks respectively.

That's not the subject of today's entry though.

Abercrombie & Fitch is a well-known brand, but fashionable designs contribute to probably only half of their fame. What makes A&F talked about are the numerous controversies revolving around the name Abercrombie & Fitch.

1. They had this magalog (A&F Quarterly magazine-catalog) before that had nude and semi-nude pictures of models pages apart from the actual products. This was supposedly restricted to adult readers only, but was easily accessible to teens alike.
2. Minority employees of A&F claimed that likable positions in the company were offered only to white men. This raised a lot of issues regarding discrimination against minority.
3. Abercrombie & Fitch's products are controversial in themselves:
1. Shirts featuring prints that depicted racial discrimination
2. A&F released thongs for young girl that featured provocative messages
3. Shirts that had stereotypical messages on them
4. Products that was claimed by Christian schools to have "an unusual degree of antagonism to the name of Christ"

Despite all these, Abercrombie & Fitch still manages to stay as one of the leading brands when it comes to pop fashion. They continue to expand their market and come up with new flagship brands that will cater to more people from different age brackets.

Medusa's Head

Anyone who sees this logo will automatically associate it with Versace. I guess that's how popular it already is. I don't really know why it has to be Medusa's head, so I decided to do a little research and here's what I found:

First, a little bit of history. I think everyone, at one point or another, studied Greek mythology and encountered Medusa. She's a once-beautiful maiden who was punished for allowing herself to be seduced by Poseidon in Aphrodite's temple. Medusa's hair, her most glorifying attribute, became snakes and anyone who looks at her will turn to stone.

Come the Roman era, Greek myths infused itself with Roman ones. Medusa, in this period, was transformed into a yet again beautiful woman with her snake-hair elegantly donning her head. This facinated Gianni Versace a lot, being a fan of classical art and all.

Him being from Southern Italy also helped in cultivating that fascination with Greek and Roman mythology and decided to use the powerful Medusa to represent his designs, which are for women who were passionate and opulent.

Who is Ed Hardy?

The Ed Hardy brand is probably one of the most popular brands these days. Even celebrities can be seen wearing their favorite piece of clothing by Ed Hardy. Be it shirts, caps, shoes - Ed Hardy's designs can be recognized even from afar.

But who is Ed Hardy?

"Don Ed Hardy" is a well-known tattoo artist who incorporated Japanese designs to his Western-style tattoos to create a more aesthetic appeal to them.

In 2002, Ku USA Inc. approached Hardy and asked if they could produce a clothing line using his tattoos as designs. After two years, Hardy Life LLC was formed to hold copyrights and trademark ownership of the clothing line.

2004 was when famed designer Christian Audigier, who made Von Dutch, licensed the rights to produce the Ed Hardy clothing line. He used the same marketing techniques that he employed with his own brand by opening shops in high-end districts to target celebrities.

The Ed Hardy designs attracted a lot of stars, including Brad Pitt, Carmen Electra, Hulk Hogan and Madonna, making them unofficial models of the brand. Currently, six Ed Hardy stores are in business worldwide.

Here are some of Ed Hardy's designs: