Infinite Variety

Marchesa Luisa Casati
“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety” - Shakespeare

I’ve always thought how fabulous it would have been to live in Paris or Venice during the early decades of the 1900s. Chic soirées to attend with the avant-garde set of artists and poets, palazzo life on the Grand Canal, designer salons, being best cohorts with Marchesa Casati, Peggy Guggenheim and Mademoiselle Chanel, oh what a brilliant life. A girl can always daydream. I mention this because as of late I keep coming across collections and fashion-forward pieces that seem to have been inspired by this very same notion of life that evokes romance and emotion. In today’s world of mass market and social media it’s quite lovely to see beautiful pieces that inspire individuality and unique thought. And if I can’t live amongst the émigré chic social set of times past, at least I can be inspired by and pretend to with these modern examples of an exotically luxe life full of infinite variety. – KL

Posters from Ballet Russe - 1911

I've fallen in love with Monique Lhuillier's Fall 2009 collection. The designer, known for her red carpet stunners and bridal beauties, themed her latest ready-to-wear collection Modern Ballet Russes, influenced by the famed ballet company that preformed between 1909-1929. The Ballet Russes’ productions, which combined new dance, art and music, created a huge sensation around the world, altering the course of musical history, bringing many significant visual artists into the public eye, and completely reinvigorating the art of performing dance. And such visionaries like Chanel, Picasso, and Henri Matisse collaborated with the company on art, sets and costumes for many productions during that time. Lhuillier's collection is full of beautiful gowns equally as poetic as the famed dance troupe.

Monique Lhuillier Fall 2009 - www.moniquelhuillier.com

One of the many fabulous things I get access to as a Fashion Director is having the accessibility to see collections before they are available. Its always much fun when it’s the time of year when new collection look books start arriving at my door. One of my favorites is always from Christian Louboutin. This shoe guru visually displays some of his key statement makers for the season in these amazing little vignettes, which really prevails a red soled stiletto to have a life all its own. I love how these two scenes, from the fall 09 collection, evoke an Edwardian world of style and grandeur.

AMAZING must-have shoe of the season, j'adore.

Fall's thigh-high statement boot
Christian Louboutin - Fall 2009 - www.christianlouboutin.com

Coco Chanel and Dmitri Pavlovich

Nothing screams luxe and chic to me like a quilted Chanel handbag. Added embellishments = added chicness. This little darling of a gem is from the current pre-fall collection, richly named Paris–Moscou, paying homage to Coco’s escapades with the Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich, and Russian inspirations; the Ballets Russes, Constructivism, Byzantine jewelry, and Slavic folklore. True czar brilliance.

Chanel handbag from the Paris-Moscou collection
www.chanel.com