Style Profile…. Victoire Chopinaud

Posted on February 1, 2012 by The Sartorialist

Current profession?

I’m currently studying at l’Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, the fashion school in Paris where “masters” such as YSL, Dior and Vionnet came before me. They’ve taught me that it’s not just about fashion but about style, attitude, and character.

I’ve finally learned to embrace color thanks to my travels to Italy, textile studies, and work with Proenza Schouler in New York. I used to wear only black!

Do you find inspiration in any heirloom pieces?

I recently discovered fabric samples that had been used for one of my grandmother’s coats- black velvet with golden embroidery and pearls… It’s so precious, I can’t wait to re-use it!

Also, this half-season coat from my mum with a black and grey “pied-de-poule” pattern.

What would you consider your uniform?

My day-to-day warrior outfit includes a very well fitting pair of black skinny jeans, a light blue men’s shirt, and a black leather perfecto; you can always create a contrast with these pieces!

Favorite men’s shirt?

Button downs are better when they smell like and belong to a boyfriend. I have this perfect faded army shirt by Arrow and a bunch from YSL, Dior Homme and The Kooples. I wear them the ‘French way’ (aka no bra) mixing cologne from a boyfriend with Chance by Chanel, a scent I’ve been loyal to since I was 15 years old. Obviously men’s shirts are quite an intimate subject for me…

When do you experiment with your look the most?

Childhood was my experimental time, convincing my mum to let me wear combinations like bright red Doc Martens with baggy silk khaki trousers!

Do you dress for travel?

I like to dress up because it’s rather obsolete these days.

It feels good to wear heels with a high waist pencil skirt and long gloves, reminding me of the 1950s when Haute Couture would impose a “travel coat”, “travel suiting”, and “travel pajama”. I also pay attention to this when I go to a museum; making an effort to contemplate art.

Which publications keep your mind going?

Le Monde and The Economist for politics, Numero for contemporary art features, WAD for its misfit approach, and any French Vogue under the Roitfeld reign!

Are you athletic?

Winston Churchill famously said “No Sports” when asked about his health secret. I suppose I’m a bit “Churchillienne” with sports!

Never caught wearing?

Flip-flops, crocs, or loafers!

Whose style has influenced your own?

After working with Victoria Traina, I’ll always admire the way she looks and the eyes she attracts when entering a room.

Most memorable gift?

I’m really keen on the Paris-based brand The Kooples, and their magazine which features interviews with couples. One time an old boyfriend sent me a copy, it was complete with a fake interview featuring us! I often gift medals from a ‘Miraculous Chapel’ in Paris to those I feel connected to in some way.

Heels or flats?

I wear heels everyday for the allure and attitude it brings me. I always have a pair on hand, even if I know I won’t need them! My favorites are Nicholas Kirkwood, Proenza Schouler and Kurt Geiger.

Most stylish city?

Apologies to Paris and NYC, but I’m in love with Rome! Rome blows me away with its radiance, its chaos, and the art at your disposal along the ambient streets… the whole place makes me feel at home!

What advice have you actually listened to?

I keep in mind Chanel’s advice not to exceed 3 colors in one outfit.

On the Street… Le Marais, Paris

Posted on January 23, 2012 by The Sartorialist

Stevie

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Garance

Stevie

Posted on January 6, 2012 by Garance

Your WTF of the day is courtesy of Jimmy Choo

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Jimmy Choo Whipstitched Fur Crossbody, $1336 via Neiman Marcus

When I discovered the Jimmy Choo Whipstitched Fur Crossbody on Neiman Marcus’s sale page (naturally) last night, my brain flooded with innumerable questions. Why had I never seen this bag before? Surely it had been around for a while if it’s now on the sale page? I trawl Neiman Marcus for things to write about nearly every day, how did I miss it? Did it go directly to the sale page, do not pass go, do not collect $200? Might this be the most heinously awful crime against humanity that I’ve ever seen from a major handbag brand, or is it too hilarious to really be bad?

I’m not even sure I know where to start. The bag apparently comes with its very own (attached!) bed of raccoon tails so that no matter where you place it, it’s sure to act as an extremely expensive Swiffer and attract all the loose dust in a twelve-inch radius. Not to mention that while you’re walking, that giant wad of fur is going to be dangling from your hip the entire time.

And then there’s the strap! It looks like the kind of thick, fancy rope that you’d find at an upholstery shop frequented by the Real Housewives of New Jersey. No, actually, this is what it reminds me of (if you don’t know where this is headed, skip to around 3:30):

If the whipstitched reptile-and-leather bag had been on a normal strap, it would have been a perfectly passable crossbody option, but with half a dozen tassles and yards of rope and pounds of fur, it’s hard to remember that there’s even a bag there. I could imagine this bag looking the part in a Russian-themed Vogue editorial, but beyond that, I hope that no one plans to actual purchase or carry it. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $1336 (was $1995).

Check out The Row’s latest crazy backpack…

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Amanda Mull

You guys know that we don’t like to feature cell phone photos in our posts on the regular – the Internet is a visual medium, after all, and so is fashion – but we thought that you’d want to see this bag immediately. To our knowledge, this is the only photo circulating of The Row’s Fur Backpack, and it comes straight from the Twitter account of Barneys Fashion Director Amanda Brooks.

Pre-Fall 2011 shows and presentations are going on right now, so odds are that this bag will be hitting stores with those collections in a few months. I have precious little other information – price and availability are still a mystery, but with the normally elevated prices for fur bags and the astronomical $34,000 price tag for The Row’s Alligator Backpack, I’d suspect a price in excess of $20,000. Why, you ask? I’m just picking random numbers that seem excessively high, which seems to be The Row’s chosen handbag pricing strategy, even for something that looks as ill-advised as this bag. (Say what you want about the prices of The Row’s other bags, they were all immaculately designed. This one? Not so much.) Care to enter a guess? Check out the full-size picture, after the jump.

Image via Amanda Brooks’ Twitter account

From Istanbul With Love

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Garance

This weekend, I was in Istanbul with Scott for the Elle Style Awards ceremony. Some day, if you play nice, I’ll tell you about the fiasco when I went to get my award for Fashion Blogger of the Year, yeah! But for the moment, I’m still recovering from the PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). In the meantime, we’ll just talk about all the great stuff that happened.

Yep, I was back in Istanbul and yep, still love it. And plus I got an award, and that’s just plain classy. After, we partied and I met tons of super cool people, and one of them was Ceylan.

I love her style. Ceylan is a fashion editor and she has a blog as well, which seems great even though I can’t understand any of it.

And Ceylan has short hair and it works diabolically well on her… Do you see where I am going with this?

PS : Look at her blog, I’m seeing that it wasn’t long ago that she had long hair. So I’m thinking that deserves a short-hair interview, just to ask her what effect it’s all had. What do you think?

Our Furry Friends Might Be in Luck

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Emma Brandon

Animals and fashion have been an age old debate for years, which undoubtedly has been a touchy subject within the fashion world.

But with the news that West Hollywood has banned the sale of clothes made from the skin or pelt of animals with hair, wool or fur from 2013, many fashion fans will be singing hoorah (well some of us.)

This is USA’s first ban on the sale of fur apparel products, and West Hollywood couldn’t be more proud. This region has long been known for legislating animal-friendly laws; they banned the declawing of cats, and pets are formally recognized as “companions” while their owners are “guardians”- so it’s really no surprise that authorities here took the first leap in battling the fur debate head on. Already causing controversy within the fashion world, but the animal rights groups are popping open a bottle of bubbly as we speak!

Now I am all about the fur this winter but fake it, Faux Fur was produced for a reason and to be honest sometimes you can’t even tell the difference. I would never dream of purchasing a garment when I had my suspicions that an animal had suffered immensely just for the use of its fur, all in the name of vanity. It doesn’t make sense to me, so this decision is one hell of a milestone for fashion in 2011, the world is finally waking up and smelling reality!

Earth Color Mix – Klapparstígur, Reykjavík

Posted on November 27, 2011 by Gunnar

Agusta, Art Student

Vintage fox fur, vest and harem trousers both vintage, shirt & top from H&M, Andrea scarf, vintage bag, Vagabond shoes and necklace from a store called Nostalgia.

And I always thought Balenciaga could do no wrong…

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Balenciaga A4 Papier Tote, $2795 via Barneys

…and then I saw the fur-trimmed version of the Balenciaga A4 Papier Tote, and I knew I had been mistaken all along. Today is a sad day in the life of this Balenciaga fangirl, PurseBloggers.

This bag…looks like it needs a shave. That’s the only accurate way to describe my feelings toward it. It looks like the regular Balenciaga A4 Papier Tote, which is quite lovely and minimalist, went on a three-week bender and came back all scraggly and unkempt and exhausted. It needs a place to rest and dry out for a few days, and it needs to stay off the sauce for a while.

If ever you needed proof that not all classic bags can be molded to fit current trends, this bag should provide that proof nicely. The Balenciaga Motorcycle bags have proven remarkably versatile over the years, getting everything from perforations to rose gold hardware to puffy quilting. The design handled all those modifications with grace (although some were better than others), but it looks as though we’ve found the one thing that the bag can’t do – fur. I don’t blame Nicolas Ghesquiere for trying, what with fur becoming something of an omnipresent fall bag trends, but this bag should have been vetoed at the sample stage. Buy through Barneys for $2795.

Today I’m Wearing Attitude – London FW

Posted on November 13, 2011 by Jessica

Sometimes, you just have to see a bag in person…

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Alexander Wang Devere Shoulder Bag, $855 via Net-a-Porter

Obviously, we believe in the power of pictures. Our entire business model is based on them, and the right photo actually is worth a thousand words – or, in the case of a high-end handbag, a thousand dollars. Sometimes, though, with some bags, a picture doesn’t tell the entire story. When I finally saw the Alexander Wang Devere Shoulder Bag in person, I realized that perhaps I had judged it too harshly. When looking at it face-to-face, it turns out that I totally love it.

As with most of Alexander Wang‘s product, this bag is designed with a very specific girl in mind. She’s young, urban, interested in design and fashion. She probably wears a lot of black. She sounds a lot like…me. Still, though, I was dubious about this bag in photos. Would that much mirrored patent look cheap? What about the little fur puffs – would they be a step too far?

I’ve seen the bag being carried by others twice in the past two months, and I can confidently say that for the right customers, this design is totally chic. The hard lines and severe material make this futuristic bag look a bit like a stylized space ship, and the little tufts of fur give it just enough softness. Particularly against the pastels trend that spring will bring, a bag like this is just the right thing, if you’re just the right customer. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $855.

This Louboutin clutch looks a little too much like a Pomeranian

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Christian Louboutin Anastasia Clutch, $2345 via Neiman Marcus

If you’re a regular PurseBlog reader, you know how I feel about fur bags, even though I’ve softened enough this season to allow fur accents without too much griping. And then I see something like the Christian Louboutin Anastasia Clutch and I remember why fur bags are a bad idea all over again.

Only one word came to mind when I saw this bag: Pomeranian. Because the bag is made out of fox fur, it already has the look and color of a canine to it, and the coppery shade and length almost exactly match the tiny dogs beloved by people who want to carry their pets in their handbags. Unfortunately, this clutch looks like you’re trying to carry your pet as your handbag. I’m just waiting for it to poke its little head out from under the fur and start begging for a Snausage.

My gripe with fur, other than the well-know ethical issues surrounding its use, has always been that it’s generally too long and lush to work in the structured, functional world of handbags. And this clutch proves just that – despite obviously having a frame under there somewhere, the bag looks like nothing more than a giant furball that you’ll have to carry around by hand all night. And actually, that’s exactly what it is, not to mention that it probably looks like your pet’s long-lost cousin. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2345.

This Louboutin clutch looks a little too much like a Pomeranian

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Christian Louboutin Anastasia Clutch, $2345 via Neiman Marcus

Trend Alert: Fox Tails

Posted on July 6, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Left to right: Henry Beguelin Croc Embossed Tote with Fox Tail Charm, $1645. Gucci Smilla Top Handle, $5200. Henry Beguelin Fox Detailed Tote, $1520. All via Neiman Marcus.

I remember a couple of seasons ago when Louis Vuitton debuted detachable fox tails on the Spring 2010 runway and everyone threw a fit over how silly and tacky and unreasonable they were. Well, it’s a year and a half later and now it looks like Vuitton and Marc Jacobs were, once again, more than a full calendar year ahead of the curve. It’s gotten to the point that I don’t doubt the brand’s vision anymore; if Vuitton produces a bag I don’t like, I just assume that I’m not yet advanced enough to understand its brilliance.

And that may have been the case, if the industry’s sudden embrace of fox tail accouterments is any indication. Both Gucci and Henry Beguelin have produced bags adorned with tails (or tail-like furballs) for Fall 2011, and Gucci will sell you a loose tail charm to add to any bag in your collection as well. Suddenly Louis Vuitton seems like it was on to something. Would you wear this trend? What if the “fox tail” were faux? Mostly, I’m jealous that Megs picked up one of the hot pink Vuitton charms a few seasons back and I didn’t. Also, if any of you guys see a faux option out there, let us know.

Henry Beguelin Croc-Embossed Tote with Fox Charm, $1645 via Neiman Marcus

Gucci Smilla Top Handle, $5200 via Neiman Marcus

Henry Beguelin Fox Detailed Tote, $1520 via Neiman Marcus

Gucci Fur Charm, $590 via Neiman Marcus

Come, celebrate the insanity of this Miu Miu bag with me

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Amanda Mull

Miu Miu Pelouch Faux Fur Shoulder Bag, $1250 via Net-a-Porter.

We all know how I feel about fur bags, but sometimes a fur design is so deranged that it loops back around to awesome, and those bags need to be embraced and celebrated in all of their insane glory. With purple leather trim and fake fur dyed so unevenly that it looks like it was aggressively rubbed against a brand new pair of orange jeans, the Miu Miu Pelouche Faux Fur Shoulder Bag is perhaps the reigning poster child for this phenomenon.

And when I say “embraced and celebrated,” I don’t mean bought. Quite the contrary; it’s best to gaze upon these bags from a safe distance and marvel at the limitless cojones of whoever designed them. If you get too close, you might get some of the crazy on you. Miu Miu’s bags are rarely as notable as its shoes, but this is certainly one way to get us all to sit up and take notice. Although I can’t help but think that this bag is like a college coed with daddy issues – it doesn’t know the difference between negative and positive attention. Next thing you know, it’ll be making out with its roommate at a bar. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $1250.

Prada goes faux for fall (faux fur, that is)

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Amanda Mull

I’ve spent a lot of time and energy in this space complaining about how designers keep trying to make fur bags happen, and usually during those rants I also wonder about why more companies aren’t using faux fur for their ill-advised fuzzy bags. Few designers hesitate to use stamped croc or python, so why not a little fake mink or chinchilla? The primary argument that I see people making for real fur in outerwear is the warmth that it provides, and my phone and keys certainly don’t require my handbag to maintain any particular temperature.

It looks as though Prada has answered my prayers, as it so often does. The brand has debuted a line of faux fur bags for Fall 2011, and not only are the prices half that of most real fur bags, but no cute little critters had to give up their coats to make these designs happen. That’s right, I still don’t really love these bags, but I dislike them less than if they were real fur and twice the price. If that makes the sense.

Actually, I should amend that. I’m not mad at the Prada Mohair Garden Tote, right, because it uses faux mohair that’s short enough that the structure of the underlying bag isn’t totally lost. And that’s my biggest gripe with fur bags – the material almost always overwhelms the shape. The combination of a short fur and simple shape prevents that from happening with this bag, so it gets my tentative seal of approval. You know, if you’re looking for a fur bag.

The Prada Eco Pelliccia Faux Fur Wristlet isn’t bad either, if only because a bag like that doesn’t necessarily lose anything if it looks like a puff ball. It’s small and without structure, which makes up for a multitude of fur’s normal sins. The only stinker\ of the three is the Prada Mongolia Garden Tote, which uses faux fur that’s too stringy and long to really be attractive on a handbag. But still, with all three designs showing three-figure price tags, I can’t complain too much. If you’ve been wanting a fur bag, here’s the best way to do it.

Prada Mohair Faux Fur Garden Tote, $995 via Saks.

Prada Eco Pelliccia Faux Fur Wristlet, $370 via Saks.

Prada Eco Mongolia Faux Fur Garden Tote, $995 via Saks.

We’re still not buying into fur bags

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Amanda Mull

After Fall 2010′s onslaught of fuzzy purses, I hoped against hope that fur bags would be a single-season trend and that when cold weather rolled around again, we would have forgotten all about them. Unfortunately, the advent of the first Fall 2011 pre-orders has made my hopes look like nothing more than pipe dreams. The fur bags have returned.

I don’t have any particular gripe with the look of fur, although I prefer to keep my own fur purchases faux or vintage. In fact, I’m very much looking forward to scouring vintage stores for a fur coat of my own for winter. But I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: The innate texture of fur and innate structure of handbags do not go together. At all. Like the Lanvin Fur Trousse Shoulder Bag that you see at right, when the two combine, all that results is a big lump.

I’ve held off writing on this bag for a few days in hopes that it would eventually start to tickle my fancy, but it just isn’t cutting the proverbial mustard. (Who came up with that saying, anyway? Has anyone, in this history of humanity, actually cut mustard? It’s a liquid.) Instead of being on of the smart and epically chic bags that we all expect from Lanvin, this bag is rather shapeless and nondescript. That’s the problem with fur – for a large-form piece like a coat, the density and texture work. For something compact and structured, they still don’t, no matter how much the fashion industry would like to convince me otherwise. I’d appreciate it if they could stop trying to make fur bags happen. Buy through Neiman Marcus for $2900.