"Life as a Runway" by Ruth La Ferla

I found this article a little while ago, but I found it pretty interesting. This goes back to my argument that I am certainly living in the wrong part of the world, or at least, the wrong coast of the United States. There has never been a time, since I can remember that I did not carry a men's purse or more commonly called a murse around with me. Why is it that women should have all the fun with nicely hand crafted and really great looking accessories. Well it looks like the new hat in Europe is the men's bag.

Life As A Runway | Men With Big Pockets

The New York Times Fashion & Style

"THE bag is the new hat. That was confirmed on a trip to Paris, where plenty of men had traded in their fur trappers, watch caps and beanies for handsome leather carryalls. There was nothing timid about those bags. Weighty and capacious, they nudged aside the canvas backpack as a totem of hipster chic. Some were purely practical, large enough to transport documents, spare sneakers or, if need be, the contents of one’s medicine chest. Others conveyed heaps of status.

Wise to the power of a high-fashion label, Marcin Tyszka carried an envelope clutch by Louis Vuitton. Thomas Kirchgrabner showed off a fringed satchel by Miu Miu. Nicolas Cisa toted Gucci, while Jonathan Huguet made an aggressive statement, swinging a large leather messenger bag from Yves Saint Laurent. Yes, it’s a man thing."

2008 Designer Picks

Certainly everyone has their favorite designers and the reasons for why they love their respective collections. If given the opportunity to see any or all of my favorite designer's runway shows, my top three choices would Tomas Maier for Bottega Veneta, Christopher Bailey for Burberry Prorsum, and John Varvatos for his own label. I chose these designers in no particular order, but each of these men have created distinct collections for their respective houses that I just love. Although Dior Homme has always been a top choice of mine as well, I am still waiting to see what Kris Van Assche will be able to do with the Dior Homme label after Hedi Slimane's departure from the House two seasons ago.

There is something subtle, but at the same time eye-catching about Tomas Maier's collections for Bottega Veneta. It's funny, Karl Lagerfeld lost how many pounds to fit into a Hedi Slimane suit, I am trying to trim another 20 or so pounds to like sleek in one of Tomas Maier's jacket and suits. From the first time I laid eyes on the Bottega Veneta S/S 08 ad campaign, there is something about his collection that just screamed to me. Great cuts. flawless color choices and a time less look. What more could you ask from your clothes? All I can say about his F/W 2008 Collection, Flawless.

Maybe it is because I started out my career in luxury fashion at Burberry that I fell in love with Burberry Prorsum, but certainly no one can deny Christopher Bailey's genius. He has this uncanny ability to recreate the classic Burberry look over and over again. The highlight collections that I had the pleasure of wearing and at the same time selling was at the hay of Burberry's 150th Anniversary. The rich colors and the choice of textiles was just amazing. Although I cannot say that I was a huge fan of his S/S 2008 Collection, he certainly showed why he is the Creative Director of Burberry with his breathtaking Ready-to-Wear collection for F/W 2008.

Last but certainly not least, there is American Designer John Varvatos. No question, there is always something that I want to buy every time I stop by his boutique. I love how he is able to take something that is really formal and then make it very informal by mixing up tops and bottoms. Like Maier and Bailey, Varvatos, certainly knows how to choose a winning color palette. He never fails to impress me with every collection he debuts during New York Fashion Week. I love the fact that I can wear his clothing during any part of the day whether to a formal or casual event.

Cervo Caimano Bag

Sadly, there has not been one Men's Bag that I would considering purchasing from the S/S 2008 season. Many of my friends in the retail business have told me that it was a pretty disappointing season and the very fact that I was not able to find anything to buy is a testament to their analysis. Even Gucci had let me down this season. Frida's Ready-to-Wear Collection was phenomenal, but I wish I could say the same thing about the accessories that were supposed to complement the clothing. Gucci's S/S 2008 accessories looked to boxy, shiny or plasticky and the one hobo that I thought could be a possibility was too oversized when I saw it in person at the Beverly Hills location. Gucci hasn't disappointed me in four seasons, but I guess everyone has a bad season from time to time.




Yet, while I was digging through the GQ website, I happened to be flipping through the Bottega Veneta S/S collection and low and behold, I fell in love. This was going to be the one bag that I would purchase from this season. The name of this bag: the Cervo Caimano Bag. The body of this bag is made from Deer Skin in Cement- Blue/Grey, while accented with Crocodile trim on the sides. The price of this beauty: $4690.00. I had the pleasure of seeing this bag in person at the Bottega Veneta Boutique in South Coast Plaza. I fell in love with it even more. The reason why I love this bag, 1. the shape, 2. the color, 3. the construction. The vary fact that this bag is not the usual square or rectangular shape is a huge plus for me. The suede lining on the inside gives it an added fell of luxury, but the only downfall of this bag for me at least is the crocodile trim. Don't get me wrong, I love luxury, but I love using my "lux" bags all the time. The crocodile trime is really nice to look like, but isn't very practical to me at least. This is the probably the main reason why I haven't gone back to the boutique and purchased it. None the less, if I was really in need of something for over night trips, this would undoubtedly be the one for me. I certainly hope that Tomas Maier will recreate this bag in the dark chocolate brown leather or a different shade in future seasons without the exotic trim. I think men need to explore carrying bags in different shapes, shades and forms. I gets to be so boring when everything you carry is a box or rectangle in your hands or over your shoulders.

My future career?

Not sure why, but fashion seems to be the dominating theme in my life these days. Although my current job has taken me far away from the fashion arena, I cannot help myself from flipping through the pages of GQ, Voque and all of the seasonal catalogues I receive to quench my unending thirst to see the latest styles and trends. Certainly, I have my favorite Houses and Designers and I am sure that everyone is not going to agree with what I do and do not like. But I thought I would create my own blog and pay homage to the latest men's collections from NY, MIlan and Paris. Who knows, maybe I'll end up back in the Fashion Industry or take up a career in Fashion Journalism, but until then, I will do what I enjoy, which is writing about something I am very passionate about, men's fashion.