Monday, June 30, 2008

vini, vidi VIVI! Swagulous talks to Elezar Co-Owner Esther Barron


Niche luxury bag design company Elezar is behind one of the most exciting new lines this season, Vivi. The name comes from the Latin verb "to live" -- as in, no animals died so you could hang your wallet from your shoulder in style. Every bag in the vivi line is completely not leather. Yet completely sophisticated and elegant -- words not often applied to pleather. (Although the vivi material is HARDLY pleather -- it's Italian!) Swagulous sat down with Elezar co-owner Esther Barron to talk with her about her fabulous new line, including my favorite design, the rockin' tote ($408 at www.elezar.com).

Swagulous: Why vegan?
Esther Barron: I am a vegetarian and really wanted a beautiful, unique, non-leather option. The vivi bags offer all of the style and luxurious feel of the leather bags. We just wanted to provide fashionista women with another choice.

S: What's your favorite design feature of the line?

EB: I love that you can fit a laptop computer in the tote, but it still looks sleek and fabulous.

S: What's next for the line and when?
EB: We will be adding new shapes and fabrics in fall 09.

S: When will it be available in more states?
EB: We hope really soon. We are entering new markets every week.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

VIVA RESORT!


It's that time again for that beloved inbetween season, resort. To those of us who must work and are therefore, unfortunately, rarely actually resort-bound, this season represents something entirely different: The chance to snap up designer frocks that: 1) no one else is going to have; and 2) are often less expensive (or at least on sale sooner) than s/s or f/w collections. Posted are some fab looks from Reem Acra's latest resort collection. Gorgeous!

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Berlin Fashion Week Update

Who's showing? So far 18 designers have confirmed, including Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, LAC ET MEL and Susanne Wiebe. Also included in the sked but showing offsite is Lagerfeld fav, Michalsky, plus JOOP! and HUGO. More spaeter, amigos ... am on deadline. Actually deadline has passed. A big mea culpa to my editor!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Guten Tag Berlin!

Auf-standing! I just got my credential request approval for Berlin Fashion Week! It'll be held downtown at Bebelplatz on July 17-20. No word yet on the designer lineup -- is Jill Sander based in Germany? Escada? Joop? Helmut Lang? Who's designing outta Deutschland these days?-- but will post as soon as its released. I'm trying to find a decent (and cheap) hotel right now and am gearing up for some kind of wunderbar!

Monday, June 2, 2008

Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008)

A moment of silence for one of the greatest designers of modern times. I distinctly remember when I was little, snagging my mom's Town & Country and marveling over photos of his decadent, mosaiced Morocco estate. To an elementary school misfit stuck in a suburban-Phoenix rancher, it was like a window onto possibilities. In middle school, I saved for weeks to buy fantasic golden YSL lipsticks and nail polishes to display on my dresser and use -- albeit sparingly. And as an adult, I would regularly troll eBay, looking for affordable baubles to buy (and finding only disappointment, as YSL vintage is highly sought-after). I even purchased a black silk double-breasted evening jacket this season, hoping to channel the look of a Le Smoking. Austin Scarlett, are you ready to step up?