The Luxe Chronicles

Congratulations! We've All Made It To Friday!!!

Yes, by the time July rolls around, each week feels a little bit like torture as we crawl towards the finish line. I'm starting to feel that familiar sense of anticipation as we inch our way towards August and annual summer vacation bliss. In fact, it's so close I can almost taste it ... But alas, my calendar tells me I still have two weeks to go ... I will hang in there if you will ...

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Not Your Average Clearance Sale (...)

Pity the current Duke of Devonshire. His ancestral home Chatsworth House is getting a tad cramped and so he's decided to hold a clearance sale. I suppose these things do happen when one has a mere 297 rooms at one's disposal.

Culture: Once Again Celebrity Trumps Justice

This has been a very good week for celebrities, rape apologists, pedophiles and the people who love them. In fact, they should probably all give a hearty round of applause to French philosopher Bernard-Henry Levy, French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterand, French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner and last but not least, American Director Woody Allen, international patron saint of dirty old men everywhere. After all, it is their sustained efforts (both on the record and more disturbingly, off) on behalf of convicted sex offender Roman Polanski that ultimately succeeded in persuading the Swiss authorities to invoke their "national interests" and deny his extradition to the U.S. for sentencing.

Luxury: Bulgari's Whiff of Summer

English summers tend to be fleeting (and in some instances downright elusive). Because of this, one tends to look for ways to highlight its arrival ... a new pair of summer heels for instance or a flirty frock or a light, breezy fragrance. It's a way to take something ephemeral and make it just a tad more substantial. This year, Bulgari graciously helped me mark the arrival of summer by sending me a sample of their BLV Eau d'été fragrance to try out.

Art & Culture: Joan Mitchell and the Sexual Politics of the 1950's Art World

I was very excited to learn over the weekend that American abstract expressionist artist Joan Mitchell is to be the subject of a first U.K. solo exhibition at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (Inverleith House) this summer from July 27 until October 3, 2010. And it's about time too!

Have a Lovely Weekend!

It has been a truly wonderful week but a very hectic one. I find myself longing for nothing more than a good book, a nice pedicure and a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. May your own weekend be as action-packed or as slow-paced as you need it to be and may you enjoy it thoroughly!

Sincerely,

The Luxe Chronicles

Culture: Art Imitating Life Imitating Art?

Inspiration is hard to pinpoint exactly. We know that designer Michael Kors listed U.S. cult-hit television series Mad Men in general and the "Betty Draper" character (played by January Jones) in particular as inspiration for his Fall/Winter 2008 collection. Life imitating art. So far so good. But when I saw the promotional still for season 4 of Mad Men, I was struck by just how contemporary the women's fashions look to me.

Luxury: Happy Anniversary Net-A-Porter!

Pioneering online fashion emporium Net-A-Porter is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and as a committed follower of fashion and lover of luxury, I can tell you that there are countless reasons to celebrate this milestone.

Fashion: "C" is for Carven, "D" is for Didier, "P" is for (...)

In case you were wondering what Guillaume Henry has planned for the newly relaunched Carven fashion brand this summer, I can tell you that it starts with "P" as in "Pop-Up". The young French designer whom influential Parisian retailer Maria-Luisa Pomaillou recently identified as one of five young designers to watch, launched last night amidst the Jardins du Palais Royale a pop-up store. His host for the summer will be none other than Didier Ludot, the éminence grise of Parisian haute couture.

CA&LOU: When Serendipity Intervenes (...)

Sometimes serendipity intervenes and creates a happy set of circumstances. While I was in Florence attending the Luisa Via Roma 10th anniversary celebrations a few weeks ago, I received out of the blue an e-mail message from Carolina Neri. Carolina, who with her friend and business partner Bérengère Lux form the duo behind the promising new costume jewelry brand called "CA&LOU", had read on The Luxe Chronicles that I would be attending the events in question and suggested I check out some of the pieces from CA&LOU carried by Luisa Via Roma. Unbeknownst to her, their gorgeous designs had already caught my eye. In fact, I had selected their lovely snake bracelet for one of the looks I was styling (see the image above).