Purse or Luggage

There is not a carte blance when it comes to personalization so you can’t pick any item from the store. From the Speedy collection you are only able to personalize the Monogram Canvas in the 30cm. Certain items have maximum letter limits. For example on a Speedy you are allowed up to 3 letters where as on the Bisten, Alzer, Boite Flacon, or Steamer Trunks the limit is the length of your full name.

Louis Vuitton Personalized Monogram Speedy 30 Front View

Colors, Stripes and Initials

There’s a variety of options when it comes to the stripe and colors. You can have the srtipe going around the center of the bag or diagonaly choosing one or two colors. Louis Vuitton has a huge library of colors so coming up with a fun color combination is the best part of the experience. For the initials its a little bit simpler as there is only one font and the maximum size is based on what you are personalizing. For example the largest letter size on the Speedy is about two inches where as for the Alzer, Boite Flacon, Bisten, or Steamer Trunks it goes up in size give or take.

Louis Vuitton Personalized Monogram Speedy 30 Back View

From Concept to Completion

When you add it all together you get to select the item, choose the style of the stripe, the color combination and letter placement. Your Vuitton associate will show you a computer generated version of what the item will look like. At that point you can make final ajustments, reverse colors, change the style of the stripe etc.

Louis Vuitton Personalized Monogram Speedy 30 Side View

How much is the personalization?

Personalization cost is the item cost + 30% + tax.
If you want to personalize the Boite Flacon it will cost $3,490 USD+ $1,047 USD+ tax. The tax depends on whether or not you are picking up the bag or shipping it. If you are picking it up its the state tax that the bag is in and if you are shipping it you pay the tax of the state that the bag is being shipped to.

Louis Vuitton Personalized Monogram Speedy 30 Top View

Please note that only select Louis Vuitton stores are able to process personalized orders.

EXOTICS

Porosus crocodile from Australia: Most commonly found on Northern shores of Australia, New Guinea and Indonesia. Hermes does not glaze the Porosus croc skins so they will never peel. This skin is polished with an agate stone and the skin has to lay flat under the machine so once it is made into a bag, you will never be able to polish it again.

Niloticus crocodile from Africa: the ever popular matte croc is rich and sumptuous. (All crocs have to be at least 10 years old to meet Hermes standards)

Mississippi Alligator: The best ‘gator skin in the world is from the US.

Lizard from Africa: Available in size 25cm or smaller due to the small size of lizards.

Ostrich from South Africa: Hermes uses the most incredible ostrich skins with flat quills.

LEATHERS

Veau Swift: Veau means calf in French, the word after it is usually the way the calf skin has been treated and/or stamped. This is a soft and sturdy calf skin.

Veau Box: A stiff calf skin that wears to a beautiful patina but scratches easily.

Veau Epsom: Calf skin that has a smoother grain and is very stiff, one of my favorites.

Troika Calf hair: A delicate and gorgeous skin but it will wear around the edges. Not the most durable.

Veau Togo: One of the most popular skins from female calf skin, tumbled and printed. Togo is my absolute favorite.

Vache Liege: Vache means cow in French you’ll see that cow skin is also thicker than calf skin. Liege is the way it is treated and stamped.

Vachette Crispee Fjord: Cow skin in a heavy and looser texture.

Chevre Mysore: Goatskin, increasingly difficult to find at Hermes quality.

Taurillon Clemence: The softest and most durable of skins made of Bull leather. The grain is looser than the Veau skins.

Buffle: Buffalo skin is as tough as you can get. This is usually used for luggage.

Miniscule

1. very small; “a minuscule closet”; “a minuscule amount of rain fell”

“The good ones screw you, the bad ones screw you, and the rest don’t know how to screw you.”

Samantha Jones

The tween fast fashion chain designed 16-year-old Kira Plastinina has closed down all of it’s US locations, the first Kira Plastinina stores were opened less than nine months. Last week I went by the Las Vegas store at Fashion Show Mall and they had a sign outside that read ” 70 % off” which seemed normal. But when you walked in the store it was more of a going out of business sale as the sales floor was shy of merchandise. KP Fashion Company which owns the Kira Plastinina brand has yet to release a statement on the closings of the stores, but it’s safe to assume that the economy played a small part in the decission making process.

The Kira Plastinina Storefront at Fashion Show Mall September 08

As a child Kira Plastinina was always fascinated with fashion and design, she loved sketching and creating garments for her dolls. In 2004 her father asked to see some her sketches and after a long conversation Kira Plastinina the brand was formed. Her father Sergei Plastinin made his fortune importing concentrated orange juice. His company is valued at over 5 billion dollars.

Philanthropy:

1: goodwill to fellowmen ; especially : active effort to promote human welfare
2: a philanthropic act or gift
3: an organization distributing or supported by philanthropic funds

The Amalfi Coast, or Costiera Amalfitana in Italian, is a stretch of coastline on the southern side of the Sorrentine Peninsula of Italy (Province of Salerno), extending from Positano in the west to Vietri sul Mare in the east. The towns lying on the Amalfi Coast are Vietri sul Mare, Cetara, Maiori, Minori, Ravello, Scala, Atrani, Amalfi, Conca dei Marini, Furore,Praiano and Positano.

Atrani at the Amalfi Coast

Renowned for its rugged terrain, scenic beauty, picturesque towns and diversity, the Amalfi Coast is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Source: eWikipedia

Q: I want to buy a private jet but with the current state of the economy I feel like it could be a bad move. What are my options?
A: Simple, The Marquis Jet Card. The Marquis Jet card is the perfect way to introduce yourself to the world of flying private. The card offers all the benefits of flying private without the headache of plane maintenance, crew, fees, storage etc. With the Marquis Jet card you purchase time blocks, they start at 25 hours and increase by 25 i.e 25, 50 and so on.

Q: How are my hours deducted?
A: Wheel up and wheel down. Time is deducted when the wheels of the plane are up and stops when the wheels touch the runway. So you don’t lose time when the plane is taxing or waiting.

The Marquis Jet Card

Q: Can I choose my plane?
A: Yes you can. Based on the time block purchased you may choose a plane. Upgrades can be made with prior approval.

Q: How much is this costing?
A: Cost is estimated based on hours purchased 25 hours will run you $126,000 USD plus taxes and fees and 50 hours will cost roughly $419,000 USD with a two year commitment.

Overall if you want to start flying private this is the best option as you get to test it out before purchasing your own plane. This option is best for the person who simply wants to get on the plane and leave and wishes not to worry about crew, gas, landing fees etc. The saying “Time is money” also comes into play as you save lots of time not only showing up 30 minutes prior to departure but private planes fly faster than commercial jets. So you’ll have more time to enjoy yourself on the Amalfi Coast rather than spending time trying to get there.

Voyage:

1: an act or instance of traveling, a journey
2: a course or period of traveling by other than land routes i.e a long sea voyage
3: an account of a journey especially by sea

In another sign that the economy is on a steady decline Chanel has cancelled the remainder of the Chanel Mobile Art Tour. Designed by Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld and architect Zaha Hadid, the pre-fabricated pod was used a mobile museum that featured art work inspired by the Chanel quilted 2.55 chain-strap handbag. The Mobile Art tour was launched in Hong Kong in March, followed by Tokyo and recently made a stop in New York. It will not continue to Paris, London or Moscow. According to a Chanel spokeswoman “Considering the current economic crisis, we decided it was best to stop the project. We will be concentrating on strategic growth investments.”

Karl Lagerfeld and Zaha Hadid inside the Chanel Mobile Art Pod

Chanel Mobile Art