For fans of Van Cleef & Arpels' prolific Alhambra line, the venerable jewelry house has introduced the Effeuillage collection in time for Valentine's Day. The mini-collection consists of a ring and drop earrings with heart "petals" and is currently available in carnelian edged with rose gold or mother of pearl with yellow gold in select VCA stores. 
I just discovered Gwyneth Paltrow now has her own blog, GOOP (apparently based on a nickname of hers), and I actually think it's quite good. I wish I would have thought of the formatting--very nice and Zen. Yes, there are a ton of haters, (see article here at Eonline!) most notably criticizing her "Let them eat cake" attitude, but as a mother of two, it's nice to see someone else who has the time to workout and wear nice clothing to pick up her kids. It gives me a little inspiration. The blog has cute little categories of things to make, go, get, do, be and see. Loved her list of Los Angeles favorites under the "Go" category, although I do have to dispute the greatness of Katsu-Ya in Studio City for spicy tuna rice cakes....more on that later.
About twenty years ago, Calvin Klein made some historic purchases for his then wife, Kelly, at an auction of the Duchess of Windsor's jewelry. Among them, the Duchess' wedding band engraved with the word "Eternity" that later provided the name for the designer's best-selling fragrance, and the Duchess' famed natural pearl and diamond necklace made by Cartier. Not too long after that, Kelly Klein was featured in a spread in Vogue wearing her pearls with a black scoopneck body suit, slim-fitting light denim jeans and black flats. As a teen, I was so enamored with that image of casual elegance, that I saved that photo. Well, it's too bad I didn't start saving some cash back then as well, as Calvin's former wife has decided to part with the necklace along with its accompanying natural pearl pendant and set of pearl earrings in an auction to be conducted by Sotheby's on December 4, 2007. Although the combined three lots are estimated to bring about $3 million, it will be interesting to see what they actually go for. Aside from their intrinsic value (the size and quality of these natural pearls are extremely rare), the pearls are of historical importance as they originally belonged to Queen Mary who had gifted them to her son Edward, who subsequently gave them to the woman he abdicated the throne for, Wallis Simpson. 
We've all seen the resusable bags at Whole Foods or Trader Joes that one can buy for a mere dollar or two that enable one to take baby steps towards saving the planet. Hermes has taken this seemingly small endeavor one gargantuan step further, make that about a thousand steps further at just over $1K in price, by introducing its SilkyPop bag. The bag is crafted of silk with designs used on Hermes scarves and designed to fold up into a zip-around wallet-type clutch crafted out of buffalo skipper skin that one can carry in their handbag. For an animated demonstration of this fold, you can see the SilkyPop on the UK Hermes site
This store is another Parisian institution having been around for over 100 years. They are renowned for their ready to wear or made to measure shirts for men and women and have attired royalty and various heads of state; perhaps their most famous client was the Duke of Windsor. It is a must to own one of their dress shirts; better yet, to have them made to measure specifically for you. There are a total of seven floors at Charvet. We only made it to three. Definitely check out their mens' shirts and womens' floor. They are also well known for their pajamas and robes.
Okay, this place (the flagship on the Champs) was a zoo. Full of tourists elbowing their way to the front of the counter and vying for the attention of a team of staff that are severely outnumbered; it is also peppered with a team of security at the doors and throughout the store. We headed there in search of a few gifts. A very nice SA greeted us and as we pointed to bags behind the counter to try on, other customers watched the modeling session carefully. I think my mom must have sold at least three bags just by modeling her bag in front of a mirror. I watched a few tourists point to her bag when talking with their SAs. It was really amusing to watch. After we made our selections, our SA pulled them out for our inspection and we gave them a cursory lookover and said they looked fine. He looked relieved and when I asked him about it, he stated that some customers were really particular and really went over their bags with a fine-toothed comb. If anything, it is fun just to go in there and watch it all go down. 
And so we conclude this three-part high-level look at the wardrobe of The Perfect Murder, by extolling the virtues of the handbag Gwyneth Paltrow's elegantly attired character totes throughout the movie, the Hermes Kelly. 
One of my favorite movies is the 1998 remake of 1954’s Dial M for Murder , The Perfect Murder, starring Gwyneth Paltrow. Not so much for the movie itself as it is to drool at the perfection and élan with which costume designer Ellen Mirojnick managed the wardrobe for Gwyneth Paltrow’s upper East Side character, Emily Taylor. Despite the character’s evident wealth, which is a major plot point in the story, she wears the same overcoat, jewelry, watch and handbag throughout the film. Elegant simplicity in quality not quantity you know? The pieces chosen are timeless and absolutely classic and worth taking a closer look at. 
In honor of their Charlotte store opening, Hermes has re-issued a limited number of scarves in my absolute favorite Hermes design ever: 2002’s Turandot designed by Natsuno Hidaka. Generally when Hermes re-issues a design, they never do it in colorways that have been previously issued. It is my good fortune that someone over in headquarters didn’t want to have to think too hard because they opted to re-issue the scarf in two previously issued colorways: Prune and Coral. The Prune, which we shall now re-name as Aubergine because, well, it just sounds better, was a colorway that I was missing, and in my humble opinion, is one of the most beautiful colorways. Some fabulous articles on the Hermes scarf and the limited Turandot edition can be found at the Charlotte Observer and the Charlotte Observer Style section
I’ve had a paper fixation since I was a child. I’m not just talking pretty paper, I’m talking any paper. I collected the labels and wrappers from cans and soaps as a 3-year old and carefully toted my prized collection in what would become another object of fixation as an adult: an old handbag my mom had passed down to me. As I grew older, I discovered the joys of Sanrio, which I’m not embarrassed to say, still captivates me today. However, I’ve also come to enjoy the art of finer stationery, but was quite surprised at how much a small batch of personalized stationery can cost at Smythson, Mrs. John L. Strong, or even Crane. So I had a small batch made up through William Arthur using letterpress and even then, that small batch cost as much as an Hermes scarf. It’s too bad I didn’t come across the Iomoi.com website sooner. The site customizes stationery, calling cards (great for play dates), address labels, and even lovely little paperweights. The designs are absolutely charming, taking cues from such popular designs as Goyard’s stripes or Tory Burch’s emblem, but also making available other adorable, yet more traditional motifs such as flowers, monograms, and my personal favorite, a woman toting a Birkin. 
Also, worth looking at: one of my favorite sections of New York Magazine and the precursor to the now popular Sartorialist, "The Lookbook" which profiles real-life New Yorkers as seen on the streets. The Fashion Consultant profiled here is fabulous and her remarks spot on.
It will soon come to light that I am an ardent admirer of Hermes of Paris. Bags, scarves, bracelets, houseware, blankets, ready-to-wear, you name it, I love it. I recently picked up their Collier de Chien cuff in Rouge Garance Chamonix. I love the hardware on the cuff; I’m pretty wimpy by nature in my attire and in my demeanor so wearing it is just my passive-aggressive way of saying, “Don’t mess with me!” Blame it on Wonder Woman I say.
While I adore my 4" Louboutins, I lack Sarah Jessica Parker's remarkable ability of running in them. Everytime I see her run in Manolos or sky-high platforms in old SATC episodes, I'm in awe. I can barely handle the coordination involved in merely standing in 4" heels; throw in the fact that most days will require running after or holding a 30-pound plus toddler, and it just ain't gonna happen. That's when stylish flats such as my favorite and the ever-popular and constantly sold out Tory Burch Revas (first photo) come into play. The flats named after the designer's mother are perfect for running around with/after a toddler and add a bit of pizazz to whatever you're wearing. But what about those days when you just want something in between the classic ballerina flat and the sexy four-inchers? That would be the Reva re-incarnated as Tory Burch's Amy pump; essentially, the Reva with a two-inch stacked heel gilded with gold trim. As Goldilocks would say, "This one is just right!" Well, almost, if only they would come with silver hardware and in colors other than black and brown...but for now, I'm managing a fast-paced walk in them just fine.
Since we’re on the subject of eggs, allow me to mention my childhood fascination with Faberge eggs which began soon after I saw the 1983 James Bond film, Octopussy, in which the opening scene deals with a stolen Faberge egg. After looking through several books on Faberge, there was one egg that I became enamored with: The Swan Egg. Czar Nicholas II presented this egg to his mother for Easter in 1906. The exquisitely jeweled pale lavender exterior alone is an eye-catcher, but what really had me going about this egg were the multiple surprises inside. Once opened, the egg reveals a platinum swan sitting in a small lake carved out of aquamarine. But that isn’t all. The swan has a mechanism that when activated causes the swan to move its rump and arch its neck. Pure genius! I then cheekily declared to my mother (at the age of nine), that whomever I married would have to procure this egg for me to win my hand in marriage. Needless to say, my married surname is not Sandoz, the Swiss foundation that currently owns my beloved egg. 
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