Get the Look: Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu

To wrap up Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2010, Guido, Redken Creative Consultant ended with a bang of ponytails at the Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu shows in Paris. See below for the must-have products and inspiration!

LOUIS VUITTON
Guido created the perfect classic ponytail with curls at the ends and a piece of hair wrapped around the elastic. “We wanted to create a retro ponytail to complement the 1950s feel of the clothes.” -Guido, Redken Creative Consultant

Products:
• Redken Style Connection velvet gelatine 07 cushioning blow dry gel
• Redken Glass 01 Smoothing Serum

Create the look:
1. Apply velvet gelatine 07 cushioning blow dry gel to damp hair with a round brush
2. Pin hair into rolls and let cool.
3. Pull hair into a smooth ponytail right (no part) below the occipital bone and secure with an elastic
4. Wrap a piece of hair around the elastic and secure underneath the ponytail with bobby pins to conceal the elastic.
5. Around the hairline, apply glass 01 smoothing serum and make sure all baby hairs are down for a smooth, sleek look.

MIU MIU
The look at Miu Miu was a sleek, straight mid-back length ponytail. Each model had either black, platinum or red extension wrapped around the ponytail to off-set the natural hair color. “The colorful extensions added a futuristic feel, a very ‘Manga Doll’ look.” –Guido, Redken Creative Consultant

Products:
• Redken hardwear 16 super strong gel
• Redken Iron Silk 07 Ultra Straightening Spray
• Redken forceful 23 super strength finishing spray

Create the look:
1. Comb all hair back and pull into a ponytail right above the occipital bone, secure with an elastic.
2. Apply hardwear 16 super strong gel to ensure the sides of the head are slick with no fly-aways 3. Wrap a hair extension around the ponytail (either a red, black or platinum extension)
4. Apply iron silk 07 ultra straightening spray to the ponytail and flat iron so it’s completely straight
5. Wrap a small piece of a hair around the elastic to cover
6. Finish with forceful 23 super strength finishing spray for hold

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

Suzanna

Label Fever: Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer Handbag Collection

We're a firm believer that “Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration.” There’s a slew of variables that influence fashion and we (the people) as we know it - pop icons, events, street fashion influenceurs, history and the arts. Designers are here to influence us as well. After a while some continue to inspire us with never before seen pieces while others feel the need to release crap assuming that we’ll buy it just because of the label. The sad part about it is that this is true: there are people out there who’ll buy an ugly $2000 designer bag “just because” it is a $2000 designer bag.




Unfortunately, when I saw Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2010 handbag collection I knew that this was a case of an ugly $2000 designer bag. There’s nothing inspirational, fierce, or any usable adjective that would propel me to drop 2Gs on anything in this collection. The tie dye signature LV monograms followed by a fox tail looks a bit tacky to me. Oh, and let’s not forget the Raindrop Besace/ trash bags that retail at $1960. These utilitarian rain bags feature fluorescent pull ties and printed vintage Louis Vuitton logo. Or what about the New Age Traveler bag - made from monogrammed lurex jacquard with a crocodile flap and what seems to look like phone cords. What is really going on behind the scenes at Louis Vuitton?

If purchasing these bags aren’t a clear sign that you’ve caught “Label” fever (spending a grip on something just because of the label’s name), what more would you need to show that you’re just throwing your money away? Would you buy these LV bags?

“Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration”
Suzanna

Au Revoir Monsieur de Givenchy

Sad news has struck the wonderful world of Fashion. We're mourning the death of a high-end fashion patriarch who has succumb to cancer.

PARIS - Jean-Claude de Givenchy, once head of Givenchy’s couture and fragrance businesses, died on May 18 in Cannes, France, of cancer. He was 84.

De Givenchy was born in 1925 in Beauvais, France. He began working with his brother Hubert de Givenchy soon after the Givenchy fashion house was opened in 1952.

A former Air France executive in the U.S., Jean-Claude de Givenchy returned to France, where he was charged with running Givenchy’s haute couture business and its fragrance activities, which were started in 1957. Among the brand’s notable scents from that period were Le De, L’Interdit (which was created for Audrey Hepburn), Eau de Vetyver and Givenchy Gentleman.

Jean-Claude de Givenchy left Parfums Givenchy after it was sold to Veuve Cliquot in 1981. Givenchy’s fragrance and fashion businesses are now part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Source

He may be gone in flesh, but he'll forever be here in couture!

"Fashion Is Foremost Inspiration"

- Suzanna