louis vuitton authentic handbags wholesale bag one shoulder bag - Portada Magazine

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

hermes constance shoulder bag black pradas damier louis vuitton handbag - Portada Magazine

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

With high designs on luxury - Hindu Business Line

As it goes up the value chain leather brand Hidesign exudes confidence about its high-end customers.

One half of the factory of leather goods brand Hidesign in sun-soaked Puducherry looks pretty much like a forest. You make your way through tall grass on a brick-laid path beside cool lotus ponds, across a small bridge on a snaking rivulet, out of which you almost expect a croc to come lunging at your feet. The scores of trees, the thick vegetation and buzz of crickets make you forget you're in an industrial zone as you head for the cottage in a far corner where founder and President Dilip Kapur meets visitors over a sumptuous home-made lunch.

Cyclone Thane, which devastated much of the Union Territory's vegetation in December, didn't spare Hidesign's factory either where many misshapen trunks of grand old trees stand, testimony to the force of wind speeds which touched 140 kph.

The cyclone is now a bad memory, but Hidesign's Kapur is prepared to ride the winds to grow the company even faster. While the leather goods brand has been growing at 20-30 per cent in the past few years, Kapur wants to pitchfork Hidesign to the plane of a luxury brand.

In a month, the Rs 120-crore Hidesign expects to be on that path when it launches a range of hand-crafted luxury wallets, clutches and handbags by Milanese designer Alberto Ciaschini. Ciaschini, who has been associated with Hidesign since 2004, will fuse Swarovski crystals and the Hidesign expertise to launch the range. Ask Kapur about Hidesign's brand journey and why this iconic brand itself cannot be leveraged as a luxury brand, he is thoughtful. “We had some debate - if we were going to upgrade the Hidesign brand with an average selling price of Rs 4,000, would customers see value in a product (under the same brand) which will sell at five times as much. We needed a differentiator,” he explains.

With Alberto Ciaschini, which will soon be unveiled in 20 top Hidesign stores across the metros, the brand will take a leap in terms of the leather used, the designs and the colours. The price will start at Rs 10,000 and go on up to Rs 25,000 for handbags and will be introduced in 18 styles. The brand, which will take up a portion of these stores, will have the legend, ‘handcrafted by Hidesign' (and while Ciaschini can have his name, the brand vests with Hidesign). “It fulfils the need for a contemporary design and status for the Hidesign brand,” emphasises Kapur.

Eventually, the plan is to take the luxury brand to multi-designer luxury stores and exclusive branded stores. The brand expects to rake in Rs 8 crore in the first year. “We expect Alberto to do wonders for brand Hidesign; the margins will be better, even though the risks are also greater,” adds Kapur.

A senior executive of a top brand-led consumer goods company says this is a good move as most luxury goods connote Europe. “For watches it's Swiss, perfumes it's French and so on, and leather is definitely an ‘Italian job', so an Italian-sounding brand can make a connect.” While there's a huge gap between high-end luxury brands and premium brands such as a Hidesign, “through the introduction of this label, we plan to bridge that gap”, adds Kapur.

In the past decade, Hidesign has had a makeover in every sense. An export brand earlier, today it sells 65 per cent in the Indian market. Exports too have been flat. From being a decidedly male brand known for its office satchels, today 50 per cent of buyers are women.

Kapur says he's often asked why he didn't have a lower-priced brand than Hidesign. While it chose not to, the leather goods maker is looking for growth elsewhere. Its tie-up with the Future group for the Holii brand of ladies' handbags few years ago has worked out well, he says. The brand grew 60 per cent last year and is now a Rs 20-crore one.

Now the trick is to leverage the brand to accessories. Sunglasses, priced in the Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 range, will be in its stores later this year. “We want to make the experience more interesting for the customer and also get them to spend more money in our stores,” says Kapur.

A range of fashion pens and scarves are on the cards and even footwear, eventually, for which it is working with a German company in the leather belt of Ambur. “Something we have to keep telling our designers in Europe is that the mean age of the customer in India is 25 while in the West it would be more like 41 to 42 years,” emphasises Kapur.

Brand Manager Dipen Desai says that is a constant challenge, connecting with young customers. Facebook is the medium it uses to interact with customers on new offerings and he says there are over 55,000 active ‘fans' on Facebook for the brand which allows it do a lot of online promotions. Online is still a small proportion of sales but grew more than three times to Rs 45 lakh last year.

It's important too for Hidesign to keep tabs on changing trends. Showing an exquisite leather iPad case, Desai says the ‘device' landscape is changing at a rapid pace. “All the office stuff you carry, everything has become smaller, from mobiles, laptops to cameras, so our bags too have been getting smaller and lighter.”

Asked if the trend of well-groomed and suited men heading off to work with a backpack in tow, accepted in the workplace, is affecting sale of leather office bags, Desai says those who love the feel of leather will stick to it.

Hidesign, he says, does have a range of backpacks priced between Rs 6,000 and Rs 7,000, but leather being an inherently heavier material than nylon the market is limited by that. “But, we have been making our bags lighter and smaller,” he's quick to add.

Competition is there in pockets, from brands such as Baggit in the West, Calonge in the south, Da Milano in the north, but the biggest threat is from the unorganised sector, especially cheap Chinese imports.

Kapur says several PE funds have been beating a path to Hidesign's door to invest but he's happy ploughing back profits to grow. Luxury brand Louis Vuitton has a 5 per cent stake in Hidesign and it will have the right of first refusal if he wants to bring in any new investor, he says. “For LV, it's a stake in a company in a fast-growing market, and we've benefited from LV's advice on building a luxury brand,” says Kapur, pointing out that the company was valued at Rs 300 crore a few years ago when the stake sale happened.

The executive, quoted earlier, a huge admirer of the Hidesign brand, says the imagery Hidesign conjures may appeal to an older audience and Hidesign needs to give itself a young touch. The trend of office-goers abandoning briefcases and leather bags for backpacks too is a threat, he points out. “The brand has had some excellent print campaigns but all the top luxury brands use television to reinforce the message; those stories are missing from Hidesign,” he adds.

Kapur is confident that Hidesign is accepted in the circles that matter.

Vouched for by the fact that The Economist bought 12,000 bags to gift to new subscribers. Or, that all the delegates of the recent BRICS conference in New Delhi, including the wives of four heads of state, were gifted Hidesign bags! A brand can't bag weightier endorsements than that.

Many facets to the business

Hidesign's Dilip Kapur is an astute businessman who has diversified away from his primary love of product design.

He runs two boutique hotels in Puducherry, Promenade and Duplex, which, he says, have seen flat growth the past year.

He's collaborated with the Taj group for a beach resort 25 km from town on the highway to Chennai which Taj will manage. His wife, Jacqueline, runs her own store, the 12,000 sq. ft. Casablanca, in the main shopping area of town, the bustling Nehru street, and together with Hidesign's flagship store has seen a 12 per cent growth.

Brand Ayesha, named after his daughter, has grown the fashion jewellery and accessories business almost 100 per cent to Rs 8 crore.

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

Time magazine's top fashion designer - London Free Press

Time magazine's top fashion designer | Fashion | Life | London Free Press Canoe.ca News On Canoe.ca Home Autonet Blogs Classifieds C-Health CNEWS Crosswords Home & Garden Horoscopes Jam! Showbiz Jobboom Lifewise Lotteries Money Movie Listings Newsletters Newspapers Partners Scoreboard Shopping Slam! Sports Sun TV Technology Travel TV Listings Video Weather Canoe.ca en fran?ais London Free PressAutosCareersClassifiedsHomesObituariesHomeNewsroomNew HomesObituariesIn 5 MinutesN.I.E.EventsVirtual FlyersSpecial SectionsFrugal FridaysWeekend Open HousesNewsLondon and RegionRafferty TrialWhat's London?TwitterIn 5 minutesCanadaWorldColumnistsWeirdSportsAutosBaseballBasketballColumnistsCurlingFootballGolfHigh SchoolHockeyH.S. BasketballKnightsMustangsOther SportsSoccerScoreboardEntertainmentEvents TwitterOscarsBooksCelebritiesColumnistsDVDEventsMoviesMusicStageTV ListingsTVVideo GamesVideosTechNewsGamesColumnistsCommentEditorialColumnistsLettersReader to ReaderListen upCartoonsColumnistsNewsSportsEntertainmentLifeHolidaysEatDiscoveryFashionGreen PlanetHealth & FitnessSex FilesTravelHot ShotsMoneyBusiness MondayEnterpriseHot JobsCareersColumnistsHomesNewsGardeningHome SellerLondon and Area Open HousesNew Homes ShowcaseAuto SellerBlogsPhotosArchiveContestsThursday, April 19, 2012Email AlertsMobile SiteRSS FeedsSubscriber Services Join our research panel!Life FashionTime magazine's top fashion designerLast Updated: April 19, 2012 6:00am

A look at some of the designers and labels that had a major influence on fashion, according to Time magazine's Fashion Icon list.Valentino
Known for: Glamourous Italian couture by designer Valentino Garavani, who was embraced by socialites and stars in the '60s, for whom he created gowns in his famous "Valentino red".
(Flashpoint/WENN.com)Tiffany & Co.
Known for: Pristine jewelry and silverware.
(WENN.com)Yves Saint Laurent
Known for: Dominating the '60s fashion market and introducing black models on the runway.
(WENN.com)Sara Blakely
Known for: Popularizing shapewear by designing Spanx, worn by celebrities and women the world over.
(Flashpoint/WENN.com)Victoria's Secret
Known for: Creating built-in fillers that add cup sizes in "Miracle" bras and worldwide lingerie campaigns featuring "Angel" models.
(C.M. Wiggins/WENN.com)Miuccia Prada
Known for: Re-inventing her family's label by introducing waterproof bags and then shoes and streamlined luxury sportswear in the '80s.
(AFP PHOTO/OLIVIER MORIN)Mary Quant
Known for: Pioneering the mini skirt in '60s swinging London.
(ITN/WENN.com)Louis Vuitton
Known for: Luxury leather goods, trunks, bags, shoes and watches with it's familiar "LV" monogram.
(Z. Tomaszewski/WENN.com)Karl Lagerfeld
Known for: His incredible range and depth of talent, having worked as a freelance designer for the world's top fashion houses before taking the helm at Chanel in 1983.
(Eva Napp/WENN.com)Givenchy
Known for: A worldwide brand of cosmetics, clothing and perfume as well as its lady-like, modern clothes for women which played with silhouettes under the design of former head Hubert de Givenchy.
(Mr. Blue/WENN.com)Christian Dior
Known for: Luxury, elitist fashion for women with feminine silhouettes of corseted waists and full skirts. (Daniel Deme/WENN.com)Coco Chanel
Known for: Pioneering the use of jersey knit, creating a "poor chic" style, popularizing women's slacks, using masculine cuts and founding one of the world's most esteemed brands. (WENN.com)Jacques Cartier
Known for: Sourcing unique pearls and jewels from India to create singular jewelry and becoming known worldwide as the "King of Jewelry" before his death in 1942.
(Drew Altizer/WENN.com)Azzedine Alaia
Known for: Using new materials in womenswear in the '80s and mixing textiles (like leather and lace) in creating sexy silhouettes.
(WENN.com)Alexander McQueen
Known for: Theatrical corseted gowns, nods to traditional UK textiles, dramatic runway shows and expert couturier tailoring.
(Daniel Deme/WENN.com)Pierre Cardin
Known for: Embracing modernity and space age style in the '50s, Cardin was Christian Dior's prot?g? before opening his own house and introducing the bubble dress in 1954.
(Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com)Marc Jacobs
Known for: A "grunge" collection in 1992 that was both ahead of it's time and a huge failure: it lead to his dismissal from Perry Ellis. Jacobs went on to make military jackets cool in the '90s and help turn Louis Vuitton into a mega-brand, having created its first ready-to-wear collection.
(Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com)Calvin Klein
Known for: Especially successful denim and fragrance lines, thanks to provocative advertising in the '80s - who can forget the Brooke Shields ad? - and '90s, which featured child-like waifish model Kate Moss.
(Andres Otero/WENN.com)Vivienne Westwood
Known for: Popularizing punk fashion in the '70s and incorporating fetishism and 18th century courtesan elements to her theatrical pieces.
(WENN.com)Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen
Known for: Using their fame as child stars as a jumping off point to launch youth clothing lines and then high-end labels The Row and Elizabeth & James, both of which have won praise among fashion editors and stylists. Mary-Kate has also been named an icon for her Bohemian mode (sometimes also called "bag lady" style).
(Mr. Blue/WENN.com)Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce
Known for: The Dolce&Gabbana line, with a luxury hippie aesthetic and low-neck animal print dresses.
(WENN.com)Christian Louboutin
Known for: Sky-high, high-end, red-soled heels, which have been especially popular on red carpets in the last 10 years.
(Flashpoint/WENN.com)Tom Ford
Known for: Bringing glamour back into Gucci and basically turning the fashion house around in the '90s.
(WENN.com)Giorgio Armani
Known for: Perfectly tailored suits - worn by many of the world's most recognizable men - and for creating designs for over 100 films, including "The Untouchables".
(WENN.com)Jean Paul Gaultier
Known for: Haute couture, especially corsets and cone-breasted gowns, playing with gender roles, using unconventional models, and his mega-successful men's a women's perfumes.
(Andres Otero/WENN.com)Vera Wang
Known for: Creating bridesmaid, formal, and bridal gowns for some of the world's most beautiful and well-known women, including Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Victoria Beckham, Chelsea Clinton and Jennifer Lopez.
(Daniel Tanner/WENN.com)John Galliano
Known for: Creating exuberant couture and his time as head designer at Christian Dior from 1996 to 2011, before getting fired after a video of the designer spouting a racist rant went viral.
(Lia Toby/WENN.com)Philip Treacy (seen with Milla Jovovich)
Known for: Creating fascinators worn by Queen Elizabeth, well-heeled Brits, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and many attendees of her 2011 wedding.
(Oliver Walterscheid/WENN.com)Ralph Lauren
Known for: Creating the American high-end casual brand Polo Ralph Lauren.
(Jeffrey Clark Grossman/WENN.com)Manolo Blahnik
Known for: Creating high-end women's shoes, much loved by "Sex And The City" character Carrie Bradshaw.
(Olga Bermejo/WENN.com)Diane Von Furstenberg
Known for: Making the jersey wrap dress popular in the '70s.
(C.Smith/WENN.com)Previous PhotoToggle PlaybackNext Photo?second delay3571015Buy This Photo from Sun Media.articleControls.thin { height:80px; }.articleControls.thin .share div { text-align:center; }.articleControls.thin .share span { display:block; } AdsDream It. Win ItWomen’s Health LondonPersonal Training LondonHotel, Inn, Weddings, SpaAs Advertised in The London Free PressEventsRetailFood & EntertainmentAutomotiveHomesHealthTravelMiscellaneousView All Advertisers NewsLondonCanadaWorldFeds to close Kingston Pen: ReportsHorwath backs off heat to push tax hikeWarmth brings butterfly invasionCommentColumnistsLettersEditorialJudiciary need checking on prostitution ruling Afghan war mirrors Vietnam There's a line for religion in public arena ColumnistsNewsSportsEntertainmentCasual hookup creates casualtiesMuseum offers snapshot of illustratorsRangers hard to bet againstSportsHockeyFootballGasoline bomb raises Bahrain GP fearsRough 'and rewarding' path for BLG nominee BeukeboomBLG nominee Quinlan hoping for shot at CFLEntertainmentMoviesTVMusicBollywood actress beheadedRihanna in new photo scandalMen at Work star found deadLifeEatGreen PlanetPainkillers recalled over child hazardCancer breakthrough allows doctors to forecast treatment successTime magazine's top fashion designerContestsAll Contests

Win Tickets & Meet The Stars!!

Your ScoopYour Scoop

Share your story with the London Free Press!

Send us your photos, video or a quick note about something you've seen on the streets of London.

Click here for more Your Scoop details

Special Sections All Special SectionsHome & Garden ShowSignature HomesGolf Book 2012Best of London 2012Enterprise Latest StoriesBollywood actress beheadedKingston Pen to closeGasoline bomb raises Bahrain GP fearsPainkillers recalled over child hazardHorwath backs off heat to push tax hikeRihanna in new photo scandalMen at Work star found deadWarmth brings butterfly invasionPopular on canoe.ca1.Rafferty trial updates on Twitter2.TV shows that should be axed3.TV legend Dick Clark dead at 824.Luongo-Canucks marriage on the rocks?5.'Bachelor' accused of racism6.Hanson, wife having baby No. 57.Cohen's former manager jailed8.Cyrus hospitalized with nasty cut9.Romero left fuming after Maddon diss10.Torres suspended indefinitelyLotteriesComicsCrosswordHoroscopesTV ListingsMovie ListingsStock QuotesScoreboards OnlineAutosCareersClassifiedsHomesObituariesFacebookTwitterRSSiPhone AppMobileE-mail alertsLivestream VideoNewspaperContact UsLetters to the EditorFeedbackAboutJobs @ The LFPAdvertiseClassifiedsOnlineIn PrintServicesSubscribeE-editionNews ResearchBecome a CarrierNewspapers in EducationContest rulesYour ScoopOtherTerms & ConditionsPrivacy Policy

Copyright ? 2012 London Free Press All Rights Reserved

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

chanel fashion 2010 - Portada Magazine

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

Pitchers' duel ends in Pioneer loss - Leavenworth Times

For the better part of two hours Tuesday, the Leavenworth baseball team played neck-and-neck with one of the premier teams in the state.

Pioneer starting pitcher Billy Harrah threw a gem of a game, allowing three runs in seven innings while holding a highly-potent Lawrence lineup scoreless over the final four frames. Yet despite the hurler’s performance, Leavenworth still trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh and final inning.

Quickly there came hope though. James Gladiuex laced a one-out double into the centerfield gap and ended up at second base with the meat of the Pioneer lineup to follow.

However, even with the tying run two bags away and its best hitters at the plate, Leavenworth could not produce the go-ahead hit and the boys in blue suffered a 3-2 heartbreaking loss.

“I’ll tell you, it’s tough to play your best game of the year and lose,” LV coach Joe Allison said. “When you play a 162 games, a game like that won’t hurt as bad, but when you play 20 something it’s tough to swallow. At the same time, I was more impressed how we got down early and battled back.”

The game did not begin in the fashion it would end. Lawrence scored the opening two runs in the top of the first, but Leavenworth answered in the bottom of the frame with a score of its one.

Eli Keppler registered the run after walking and moving to second on a fielder’s choice. Michael Baillergeon then struck an infield single and the corresponding throw to first rolled away from the covering pitcher, allowing Keppler to easily cross home plate.

Following a scoreless second for Lawrence, the Pioneers tied the game when Sam Miller doubled and Gladiuex slammed a RBI single to centerfield moments later to force him home. The Lions retaliated with a run in the top of the third to retake a 3-2 lead, but from there the game entered the pitching duel it ultimately would be defined by.

Each team’s starter tossed four straight scoreless innings, Harrah’s final pitch inducing a bases-loaded, two-out pop fly to end the top of the seventh. The out got the Pioneer pitcher out of a jam and kept the score 3-2 heading into the final frame.

“I’ll tell you what, Billy did great,” Allison said. “We needed to see that out of Billy and it’s very reassuring. He let their three, four hitters get to him early but from there he shut them all down.”

For the better part of two hours Tuesday, the Leavenworth baseball team played neck-and-neck with one of the premier teams in the state.

Pioneer starting pitcher Billy Harrah threw a gem of a game, allowing three runs in seven innings while holding a highly-potent Lawrence lineup scoreless over the final four frames. Yet despite the hurler’s performance, Leavenworth still trailed 3-2 heading into the seventh and final inning.

Quickly there came hope though. James Gladiuex laced a one-out double into the centerfield gap and ended up at second base with the meat of the Pioneer lineup to follow.

However, even with the tying run two bags away and its best hitters at the plate, Leavenworth could not produce the go-ahead hit and the boys in blue suffered a 3-2 heartbreaking loss.

“I’ll tell you, it’s tough to play your best game of the year and lose,” LV coach Joe Allison said. “When you play a 162 games, a game like that won’t hurt as bad, but when you play 20 something it’s tough to swallow. At the same time, I was more impressed how we got down early and battled back.”

The game did not begin in the fashion it would end. Lawrence scored the opening two runs in the top of the first, but Leavenworth answered in the bottom of the frame with a score of its one.

Eli Keppler registered the run after walking and moving to second on a fielder’s choice. Michael Baillergeon then struck an infield single and the corresponding throw to first rolled away from the covering pitcher, allowing Keppler to easily cross home plate.

Following a scoreless second for Lawrence, the Pioneers tied the game when Sam Miller doubled and Gladiuex slammed a RBI single to centerfield moments later to force him home. The Lions retaliated with a run in the top of the third to retake a 3-2 lead, but from there the game entered the pitching duel it ultimately would be defined by.

Each team’s starter tossed four straight scoreless innings, Harrah’s final pitch inducing a bases-loaded, two-out pop fly to end the top of the seventh. The out got the Pioneer pitcher out of a jam and kept the score 3-2 heading into the final frame.

“I’ll tell you what, Billy did great,” Allison said. “We needed to see that out of Billy and it’s very reassuring. He let their three, four hitters get to him early but from there he shut them all down.”

After a lead-off groundout, Gladiuex smacked the one-out double into the hole between center and right field. But then Keppler struck out and Judson Cole popped out on the infield to close out the one-run loss.

“The middle of our lineup didn’t come through today and they are going to have to, that’s the reality of baseball,” Allison said. “They will be the first to tell you that and I can guarantee that in the future, if they get back in that position, they will come through on top. They want that responsibility.”

Keppler finished the game with a walk, a single and one run scored while Gladiuex had a double, a single and a RBI. Sam Miller chipped in a double while Baillergeon contributed a RBI single and a walk.

“We stayed in the game against a really tough opponent,” the LV coach said. “If anything, I’m extremely motivated going into the next three weeks because of how we played. It hurts to lose, but it sure was a fun game.”

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

classic quilted chanel bag louis vuitton real bags chanel messenger bag - Portada Magazine

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

Is the End of Fake Louis Vuittons Nigh? - Fashionista

Could fake Louis Vuitton bags be a thing of the past? It’s hard to imagine, especially when NYC’s Canal Street is still overflowing with them, but a new ruling means the luxury goods company has won another battle.

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Louis Vuitton yesterday in an unfair trade case against a “large-scale international counterfeiting and infringing enterprise” profiting from faux iterations of LV’s sacred toile monogram. Most importantly, the ruling offers the luxury brand added protection from counterfeiting by a pretty powerful force–the U.S. government.

Valerie Sonnier, global intellectual property director of Louis Vuitton Malletier, told WWD, “The chief administrative law judge recognizes the importance of protecting intellectual property and took the welcome step of ensuring that its orders include all merchandise that infringes on our Toile Monogram Marks, and not just products of the respondents in this case.”

The ruling comes after a 15-month investigation into a group of U.S. and Chinese companies that import and sell thousands of knockoffs through a large-scale counterfeiting operation headed up by a California-based husband and wife team (the goods are produced in China). The ITC ruled that the violations were indeed taking place but they’ve not yet issued a remedy. Louis Vuitton hopes for a cease and desist as well as an exclusion order preventing the infringing goods from making it into the U.S.

While this ruling won’t put an immediate end to LV’s counterfeiting woes, having the ITC on their side is clearly not a bad thing and will hopefully discourage counterfeiters from continuing to slap fake monograms onto handbags.

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

Let Louis Vuitton Help Plan Your Next Trip - Jakarta Globe

juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms

The Craftsman and the Rebel: A Paris Show Traces the Careers of Louis Vuitton ... - ARTINFO

The Craftsman and the Rebel: A Paris Show Traces the Careers of Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs | Artinfo Skip to main content EditionsInternationalChinaFranceIndiaAustraliaUnited KingdomHong KongCanadaBrazilGermanyMagazines Art+Auction Modern Painters BlogsVideosPhoto GalleriesBlouin Art Sales IndexGallery GuideArt SitesBoutiqueLog inNot a member?Sign upLog in * Password * Remember me |Forgot your password?OR Sign up Sign up Visual ArtsVisual Arts HomeContemporary ArtOld Masters/RenaissanceImpressionism & Modern ArtAncient Arts & AntiquesTraditional ArtsMuseumsReviewsColumnistsFeaturesPerforming ArtsPerforming Arts HomeFilmMusicTheater & DanceArchitecture & DesignArchitecture & Design HomeDesignArchitectureArtistsART PRICESMarket NewsMarket News HomeArt FairsAuctionsCollectingGalleriesDatabankArt & CrimeART PRICESColumnistsStyle & SocietyStyle HomeART Parties/SceneFashionFood & WineJewelry & WatchesAutos & BoatsEventsTravelBlogsVideosSlideshows Newsletter Sign UpHomepage RSSfacebooktwitterfoursquaretumblr Search form Search AllVenuesArtists International EditionApril 19, 2012 Last Updated: 11:39:AM EDT The Craftsman and the Rebel: A Paris Show Traces the Careers of Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs The Craftsman and the Rebel: A Paris Show Traces the Careers of Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs Language English Email Print Save Tweet Pin It View SlideshowCourtesy Les Arts Décoratifs / Photo ? Jean-Paul GoudeMarc Jacobs and Naomi Campbell, 2007:?by Grégory Picard, ARTINFO FrancePublished: March 30, 2012

The first room of the exhibit “Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs,” at Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs, is a dark vestibule decorated with portraits of the two men, who are separated by 120 years. It’s an up-front way of asking the show’s central question: what connects Louis, an apprentice trunk-maker who became a magnate of French haute bagagerie in the mid-19th century, and Marc, the company’s artistic director and American fashion royalty, raised on pop culture, a fan of Leigh Bowery, Barbra Streisand, and Sponge Bob? At first glance, the answer seems to be: not much. Especially if you compare the faces of the two men: Vuitton’s, drawn in pencil, has a severe look, as if absorbed by running a rapidly-expanding business, while Jacobs’s, in digital color, meets the visitor’s eye with a slightly dreamy confidence.

More than just a simple retrospective, the show (which runs through September 16) is an analysis of these two personalities, both of which adapted the company to the cultural and economic changes of their respective time periods. That’s where the connection works. Vuitton rode the wave of the industrialization of luxury products, and Jacobs has managed to make the respectable company a nervy, post-modern, and globalized brand, which attracts a world-wide clientele.

Divided into two distinct parts, the exhibition begins with a trip through time, exploring the history of Vuitton’s company. Visitors are plunged into the center of Paris during the Second Empire, which looks like a fashion show of ladies in crinoline dresses hitting the newest stores on the Rue de la Paix and taking home their purchases of batiste, taffeta, or gaze de Chambéry in newly-patented Louis Vuitton trunks. This classic section of the show will thrill those who love old fashions and precious objects with the patina of many years. In a labyrinth of little rooms with wood-paneling of the same Trianon gray as the first Louis Vuitton trunks, visitors will discover all the countless pieces that made up the “ideal trousseau” of the time, which glorified travel and contained a wide collection of dresses, lingerie, and accessories.

Vuitton was able to stand out by specializing in “packaging fashions” and by acquiring a new trunk patent at each big international salon (such as the 1867 Paris World’s Fair). Napoleon III was developing industry and communication as well as urbanism and the arts, and this contributed to making luxury items more widespread. A recognized artisan and a true business genius, Vuitton started printing an extremely recognizable design on his trunks in 1888: the checkerboard. It remained the company’s signature until Vuitton's death in 1892, when his son Georges replaced it with the L.V. monogram, a symbol that is still there today.

The exhibition finds marketing value in history: windows of period clothing include pieces with ultra-refined finishing that sometimes have the aura of phantom personalities. Here, we see photographer Félix Nadar’s personal trunk, with his name and address; there, another big period trunk covered with stickers evoking names such as the Continental Palace and the Fujiya Hotel. This section of the exhibition is accessorized with the sounds of a locomotive and the clinking of crystal.

One floor up, the atmosphere changes radically. Still in darkness, the exhibition continues with a large multi-screen mood board showing newspaper clippings, bad-girl images of Liz Taylor and Barbra, parodies of “Sex and the City,” and works by Warhol, Condo, and Duchamp. In a voiceover, Jacobs describes how Duchamp’s work gave him the idea of celebrating the Louis Vuitton monogram by violating it, when he asked Stephen Sprouse to print the brand’s star bags with graffiti, in a burst of iconoclastic irony. Following on the heels of Vuitton’s Second Empire trunks, we see a wall of bags that were retooled by Marc Jacobs’s studio. There are brilliant variations on old standards, such as an XXL steamer bag in polished lavender leather and a duffel bag that looks like a cross between a vanilla éclair and a multi-flavored macaron. Jacobs has created designs at the crossroads of leather goods and contemporary art by asking Takashi Murakami for a series of superflat accessories and working with Richard Prince on a collection of ironic bags, made to look as if one design has worn off and been covered with another, or printed with misogynistic jokes.

While Vuitton had the challenge of industrialization, former “grunge guru” Jacobs must deal with globalization, which multiplies tastes and aesthetic reference points. What Jacobs wants is “perfect imperfection” — a way of breaking the company’s aesthetic rules while still placing its products in the purest tradition of impeccable Vuitton craftsmanship. For the fall 2008-2009 collection, he remade the crinoline dress with taffeta, adding six fabric panels and a very simple felt border. For fall/winter 2011-2012, the elegant ankle boots of yesteryear became platform boots made of a single piece of molded plastic. He dressed Kate Moss as a dominatrix with a cigarette in her hand (it happened on national anti-smoking day, but the timing wasn’t planned).

Jacobs also doesn’t lose sight of the pragmatic need to stay current. Delving into magazines, contemporary art shows, or funny cartoons, he once said that “fashion doesn’t mean anything without life.” In the end, he’s not that different from Louis. Jacobs has also been able to infuse the business with a bubbly creativity, while making his mark with a unique style that is recognizable far beyond the sphere of luxury baggage. “Vuitton is not a fashion company,” Jacobs has said. “We make ‘fashionable’ things, we introduced the idea of fashion, which changes according to the mood of the time, the icons of popular culture. But the heart of the brand remains unchanged and unchangeable, which is just as well.”

Click on the slide show to see highlights from “Marc Jacobs — Louis Vuitton,” on display at Paris’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs through September 16.

Like what you see?

Sign up for our DAILY NEWSLETTER and getour best stories delivered to your inbox.

Go to top ↑View Slideshowby Grégory Picard, ARTINFO France,Fashion,Fashion Share: Tweet Email to a Friend Comments 0 Comments + Add Yours Log in or register to post comments Oldest first Newest first RELATED ARTICLES "Fashion Star" Episode 6 Report: A Childhood Tale of Tenacity and the End of the "Two-Fer" Lillian Bassman's Lens: A New York Exhibition Highlights the Photographer's Intimate Portraits of Women A Tale of Two Couturiers: Museum of the City of New York's Online Exhibition of Worth and Mainbocher Drama in White: Comme des Garcons's Spring/Summer 2012 Collection is the Subject of a Paris Exhibition Glittery Panda Painter Rob Pruitt Partners With Shoe Designer Jimmy Choo for Capsule Cruise Collection Most Popular Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your... Artists? Statue of Liberty Welcomes Its First-Ever Residency Radical Italian Museum Director Begins Burning Art in Incendiary Anti-Austerity Protest Partygoers Became Artists at the Public Art Fund's Spring Benefit, Thanks to Rob Pruitt and Sol LeWitt "Ungovernable" Artist Pilvi Takala Explains Her Radical Aesthetic Program: Do Nothing In Five: Fassbender as a Creepy Android, Rap’s Richest Mogul, and More Performing Arts News Frieze NY Targeted by Occupy Museums, Genital-Mutilation Cake Sours World Art Day, and More Must-Read Art News Julian Schnabel Helps Controversial Russian Billionaire Launch Design Think Tank in Milan Popular on Social Media

Колетт обвиняет Леди Гагу (и Мадонну) в плагиате 野性、毛茸茸、濒危，一场来自法国的非比寻常动物作品艺术展 Rare Australian Colonial Botanical Paintings Head Successful Mossgreen Auction Sale of the Week, April 22-28: Opulent Turkish and Islamic Art at Sotheby's London Martin Amis Talks “Money,” Gary Oldman, and the Opportunity Hollywood Missed Chez Karsten Greve, Lucio Fontana en poésie humaine Partygoers Became Artists at the Public Art Fund's Spring Benefit, Thanks to Rob Pruitt and Sol LeWitt Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your... Artists? Statue of Liberty Welcomes Its First-Ever Residency Faster Box: Mercedes-Benz Releases Photos of 2013 G63 AMG Huguette Clark: Copper Heiress's Jewelry Brings $21million at New York City Auction GO TO: Home page EditorialVisual ArtsPerforming ArtsArchitecture & DesignArtistsART PRICESMarket NewsStyle & SocietyEventsTravelBlogsVideosSlideshowsProductsMagazinesGallery GuideBlouin Art Sales IndexSomogyArt SitesArt JobsLouise Blouin MediaAbout UsSubscriptionsAdvertiseContact UsLouise Blouin FoundationRSS Copyright ? 2012 All rights reserved. Use of the site constitutes agreement with our Privacy Policy and User Agreement.
juicy couture outlet juicy couture juicy couture charms