Vanity Fair - The International Best Dressed List

Well, I finally received my copy of the September issue...no, not Vogue but Vanity Fair with the 2010 International Best Dressed List
While as usual I didn't agree with all of the choices on their list I couldn't argue with

Princess Mary of Denmark

Jay Penske

Ed Burns and Christy Turlington

I would have liked to have seen Victoria Beckham, Tilda Swinton, blogger Metscan, Nick Cannon and blogger James Andrew.
Who would you have added to the list?

This and That

I've been unusually busy today with all kinds of nonsense but I wanted to post about a couple of things this week.

Patricia Neal, R.I.P.  What an incredible Greek tragedy of a life this woman led, from her affairs with Ronald Reagan and Gary Cooper to her marriage to the philandering Roald Dahl, to the deaths of two of her children to her untimely stroke and subsequent recuperation.  The Mail Online has the story

Then there is the whole Naomi Campbell-Charles Taylor-Blood Diamonds story.  From texting to sexting, did she or didn't she flirt for the diamonds? 

And in a strange 6 degrees of separation story, two of Charles Taylor's daughters by his American ex-wife, were at boarding school with my son and daughter.  In fact my daughter might have even been roommates with one of them.  I remember how great these girls were and my daughter remembers them fondly.  Luckily they were raised in the US and Switzerland, far away from their father.

Out in bloggerland one of our favorite UK blogger babes, Tabitha, has posted that she is taking a break from her Bourbon and Pearls blog.

If you haven't read her blog, check it out. I assure you that you will be impressed with her writing.

Then another great writer, LPC, at her Privilege blog, had an interesting post on the writing that goes into product branding, specifically the writing for high end shoe designer n.d.c.  One of her commenters suggested that n.d.c. should have hired a professional copywriter for their website, and perhaps she was correct.

But then it brought to mind that here at Beladora HQ we do all of the writing in house because we can't afford to hire a professional writer.

Writing product descriptions is seriously dull work, honestly it is brain numbing.
So naturally we try to have a little fun with it when we can like with the descriptions from these vintage charm pendants from Beladora2.com.
Here are a few examples
Vintage Feelin' Pharaoh-cious Charm Necklace in 14K

Take a float down the Nile of style in this vintage charm necklace. Featuring a pair of profile charms on of an Egyptian Pharaoh and the other of an Egyptian queen, this charm necklace is hotter than hieroglyphics
and
Think Tink Charm Necklace in 14K

Why not take a little bit of 'The Happiest Place In The World" with you wherever your go. Featuring a Tinkerbell charm and a "Disneyland" logo charm, this vintage charm necklace is your way to add the wonderful world of Disney to your wardrobe.
and
Vintage Thar She Blows Charm Necklace in 14K

Tell the world a whale of a tale with this adorable vintage charm necklace. A smiling whale charm is complemented by a ship steering wheel charm for a look that's as modern chic as it is Moby Dick!

OK, so we aren't going to win any literary prizes but an important part of our brand message is that estate jewelry isn't only about the serious and expensive stuff of your Grand Dame great aunt
it is young and fun and reasonably priced too.
I hope that we've made our point.

Jewelry Biz- Newflash on Flash Sales

From Reuters

Cartier is sues flash retailer Hautelook over sales

NEW YORK, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Cartier has sued the online "flash sale" retailer HauteLook, accusing it of damaging the luxury goods maker's brand by selling damaged and second-hand Cartier merchandise without permission.
Cartier claimed that HauteLook has sold used Cartier watches despite maintaining on its website that it "never" sells "secondhand merchandise, ever."
It also said HauteLook has sold Cartier goods that were damaged, were shipped in the wrong packaging, or carried defaced authenticity certificates, and sometimes included a Cartier warranty booklet though the warranty did not apply.
Yikes!

Is This The End Of The 'It' Bag?

Loewe's Papelle Bage $1045

Perhaps my prediction two years ago of the end of the 'It' bag was premature, but at least one Luxe house is moving in that direction.

From the WSJ

The Anti 'It' Handbag

From 2005 to 2007, Stuart Vevers was known for creating showy studded and tasseled "it" handbags, transforming staid British brand Mulberry into a hot contemporary label.

Now he's headed in the opposite direction.

Well this sounds promising

To do that, he's been leaning toward simplicity over bling, functionality over flash. One of his newest creations: a leather version of an ordinary brown paper grocery bag for about $1,045. He's making a point of using the same bag shapes season after season—the opposite of "it" bags' short fashion cycle. And he's made sure that Loewe bags are lightweight, under two pounds. "It's kind of taking the bag back to its purest functionality," Mr. Vevers says.

I appreciate the end of the wasteful and over consumptionist (is that a word?) habits encouraged by the purposefully designed short fashion cycle,

but isn't this just the same marketing strategy of Hermes with their Birkin and Kelly bags?

I can only hope that Mr, Vevers will be as successful with his anti "It" bag designs for venerable Spanish luxe brand Loewe, now owned by LVMH, as Hermes was with the Birkin design

but can he please come up with something better than a $1000 grocery bag look alike.

Jewelry In Film - 'The Earrings of Madame de'

Reading this review of Max Ophuls great 1930's film set in Fin de Siecle Paris 'The Earrings of Madame de' reminded me that I wanted to do a series of posts on films where jewelry was part of the plot or just beautifully filmed.
From the WSJ review
The story girding such extravagance may seem simple, but glossy surfaces tend to obscure what lies beneath. The drama centers on a loveless but not unhappy marriage whose delicate balance is upset when a foreign nobleman unexpectedly falls in love with the flirtatious Madame de. . . and she reciprocates his affections. The earrings—costly diamond hearts that were a wedding present from husband to wife—are the tale's catalyst: Unwisely sold by Madame de. . . to pay debts she hopes to keep secret from her husband, they return to the household repeatedly, like the proverbial bad penny, always bringing with them some new twist in the fortunes of the three main characters.
I haven't seen the entire film but it is on my Netflix que
So voila, here is the first 10 minutes of the great Ophuls film.