Italian Vogue - Air Supply Spread

I had been given a copy of the November 2009 issue of Vogue Italia for Christmas and whenever I look at that magazine, I immediately skip to the Steven Meisel fashion spread 'Air Supply'. This features a ferocious redhaired model. (does anyone know who this powerhouse is??) The reason why I am more interested in this photo is because of the Judith Leiber handbag that she holds. This lipstick-inspired bag is genius in this photo. Going along with most other outfits and people, I feel like this bag would carry too much attention; the bag would wear the girl (or boy). But in this photo, the model clearly is the focus of the picture and the Leiber piece is just a side accessory. I think this photo certainly states a lot about the importance of self identity and fashion.

On a lighter note, did anyone catch the Judith Leiber sale on Gilt this week?

The Problems with Buying Discontinued Louis Vuitton

Lately, I have been getting the Louis Vuitton fever again. I know someone who had the great idea to attach her Damier coin purse to her keys and the idea has stuck with me ever since.

One day while bored and rummaging on ebay.com, I came across a discontinued Louis Vuitton Groom Collection coin purse. The one I found is pictured above with the yellow stripe. This stood out from all of the other because in addition to the traditional monogram pattern, there is a printed image of a bellhop carrying bags, a 1920's inspiration that really turns the piece ageless. More information can be read about this piece on purseblog http://www.purseblog.com/louis-vuitton/louis-vuitton-monogram-groom-collection.html that was written back in 06 when the pieces had come out.

Purchasing a discontinued Louis Vuitton piece can be a true dilemma. The price for an item like this on an auction website ranges from $100 to $600, all offering their utmost assurance that the piece is well-displayed and truly authentic. I feel that having to do extensive research and always having a skeptical view is a major turn off. I would also have to take the piece to my local Louis Vuitton store and make them verify its authenticity. All of this for a small coin purse!

Louis Vuitton has always been majorly counterfeited. Although the company works so hard to ensure strict policy, it almost works as a buffer against their favor in increasing the consumer demand. I have always had a love hate relationship with Louis Vuitton because the company is so mainstream that accessories are often valued only for their label name. Additionally, I am always amazed by how many Louis Vuitton bags I see. There is such a mixture of authentic and counterfeit pieces out there that one cannot physically determine which is which. There is nothing more annoying than spending $1,000+ on an item and constantly being asked if it is real or fake.

With such a consumer obsession, which I can attest to, there is always a high demand for these pieces. What is it about Louis Vuitton that makes us so attached? Does the battle between counterfeit and authenticity make the label even more desirable?

Photo courtesy of purseblog.com

Fossati Handbag's Interview!!!

About a month back, I got a new follower on my twitter. The follower was a small luxury handbag designer Cathy Fossati, owner and designer of Fossati Handbags, a luxury animal skin handbag line based in Birmingham, MI. I went a step further and clicked on the link to the company's website and was really excited to see what I saw. When I started to get everything together for this blog, I knew that I wanted to feature this designer on my blog. So I contacted her and everything turned out better than I could have imagined!

I really really really LOVE creative and fashion forward people and I really learned a TON about the process of creating luxury items that I would have never known. Many people's perception of high fashion is overrun with a few select high end and high price labels. In reality, there is so much more to luxury and Fossati Handbags is really helping to break that mold.It definitely makes me realize how much people take for granted the intricacy involved with creating these pieces that last forever.

PLEASE visit their site www.fossatius.com!!

Words from Cathy:

Creating the brand Fossati has been like traveling back in time to younger days. Many years ago I designed jewelry for a high end jeweler. I financed a good deal of my college education designing jewelry; which led me down my plan B path for over 20 years. My last corporate gig was heading up Chrysler Financial’s consumer facing online initiatives. I left Chrysler in 2007 and only occasionally look back. In April of 2009 I launched Fossati.

The Fossati Italian collection was presented at Henri Bendel in NYC last October and is available on Vivre.com and FossatiUS.com. The Venice bag has been featured on luxist.com as handbag of the day in November. It’s been reviewed on numerous other sites. I’ve been interviewed on a number of fashion and luxury sites.

Fossati headquarters are located in the lovely suburbs of Birmingham MI north of Detroit. You can find Fossati handbags on http://www.FossatiUS.com , http://twitter.com/fossatius, http://www.facebook.com/FossatiUS

Interview with Cathy Fossati of Fossati Handbags:

1) What made you decide to begin designing handbags? Why high end animal skin bags?

The idea of designing and selling handbags has been a muse between my sister and me for years. Finding myself at a cross roads in my career with little prospect of continuing on plan B, I decided to explore making a living following my passion. I’ve always wanted do something creative.

I choose to produce a luxury product for a number of reasons. The luxury market is more insulated from economic downturns. There’s less competition at the high end. The high end seems immune to fads. Finally, I have always loved luxury products.

Even though luxury has been hit, it is showing signs of coming back already. At the very high end, brands like Hermes have remained profitable through the downturn. Except for changing the colors for the season luxury bags have remained popular of over 50 years. The Chanel 2.55 came out in February 1955 and it is still considered an ‘IT’ bag. The Hermes Birkin and Kelly came out in the 1950’s too.

I’ve always loved luxury because of its greater value, thoughtful design, meticulous craftsmanship and high quality materials. A luxury product will last longer, perform better, wear better, and be more comfortable.

I love the texture and pattern of exotic skins. Every bag is unique.

2) Do you feel that it was a risk to begin this business?

Starting any business is risky and it’s more risky now than it would have been 5 years ago. Five years ago handbags were at the top of the conspicuous consumption list. It was very good. I think it will be good again. Natalie Massenet founder of net-a-porter said that you can always count on women’s desire to shop.

3) Can you give some information on the handbags you have available?

The Italian collection reflects my heritage, and the romance and elegance of Italy. Each design in the collection is named after and inspired by a city in Italy. The Venice Evening bag is sexy and elegant. Like Venice it has many moods from very formal to casual chic. Aqua waters, blue sky and a warm breeze of the Isle of Capri inspired the design of the Capri day bag. Luxurious but laid back, the sleek low profile of the Capri bag can be used during the day and cruise right into the evening.

The Venice Evening bag is available in natural ring lizard, and gold python. The Venice in Silver ring lizard is a limited edition. Each bag in lined in luscious hot pink Italian lamb skin. Each bag has a pocket for your cell phone, and one for a credit card or two. All your essentials are held inside with a convenient magnetic snap closure. The Venice evening bag measures 9"W X 5"H X 1.5"D.

The Capri Day Bag is available in Black and White Python with Dark Chocolate Brown Lizard handle and strap. Strap is detachable. Each bag is lined in luscious eggshell Italian lamb skin. Each bag has three interior pockets to hold your cell phone, lipstick and cards. All your essentials are held inside with a convenient magnetic snap closure. The Capri day bag measures 13"W X 7"H X 4"D

I’m working on a third design I hope to debut in the spring 2010.

4) Explain the order process as well as the production process of one of these handbags.

You can order a Fossati bag on fossatiUS.com. It’s a straight forward e-commerce process. We use google checkout and paypal. Bags in stock ship within two business days and arrive 3-5 business days later.

For items out-of stock it can take an additional 2-4 weeks for delivery.

I can do special orders on request.

The production process from concept to production takes 6-9 weeks at best. It starts with a conceptual design. From that a prototype is made. There may be one or two iterations of the prototype. Once the design is approved, dies are made, and we’re ready to make a production run.

The conceptual design starts with a series of drawings. From there I make a paper model to scale. A friend of mine works in Chrysler’s design center. He gave me the idea of making paper models. It’s fast and cheap and a good way to communicate the concept. I’m able to ‘try’ on the model and make adjustments. I can get fairly detailed with the model but it’s still only a concept. I send the model to my manufacturer and we discuss the timber of the bag the types of materials, how the edges should be turned, pockets, hardware. It’s very detailed. I rely on my manufacturer to take the concept to a prototype and production bag.

Once we’re ready to make a production run, every detail about how the exotic leather is to be used is discussed. We’re meticulous that the gussets match up nicely with the front of the bag. The facings and all sides of the bag ‘pet’ down for comfort and aesthetics. Care is taken to match skins for a consistent color and pattern. It is the minute details that make Fossati bags luxury bags.

5) Do you have any future plans for the business?

For the next year the goal is to fine tune the business model. The strategy is to design luxury bags that women want based on their input and to market and sell primarily online. We’ll continue to reach out to consumers directly through our social media campaigns and to look for partnerships with online and offline influencers to build credibility and sales.

Warm Welcome

Welcome to GuyCouture.com. My name is Matthew and I am blogging from the small but hip Richmond, VA area. The intent of this blog is to be mostly fashion based, with a high preference toward accessories and luxury goods. I also will be writing about some local fashion and attractions in the Richmond area for I feel a writer, or blogger, generates much of their creativity from their surroundings.

That said, as I have been thinking up ideas and developing this humble little blog, I realized that spending all my time posting runway pictures and write-ups on Louboutins costing several thousand dollars does not help the general consumer. Often these items are considered to be impracical and unrealistic and my main goal of this site is to find ways to make these luxury items more accessible to a larger crowd of people.

I remember being handed my first GQ magazine as a 14 year old and memorizing all the designers, patterns, styles, and more. At that point I never dreamed of having any of those pretty items on the pages. I know many people out there, young and old, are struggling to make ends meet in this troublesome economic period. My belief is that these individuals and everyone else who values and loves high end goods should have the opportunity to indulge in ones self every now and then. Hopefully, with support from readers, this site can make it possible to provide opportunities for individuals to get things they never dreamed of having.