Filed under: Handbags

We have the Ralph Lauren Collection to thank for this metallic western-meets-bohemian shoulder bag. The Embellished Fringed Leather Shoulder Bag is not for the timid as it’s not only really large but metallic silver all over and covered in long, thick, light-catching fringe. It also features several metallic discs in various shades, sizes, and designs, as well as a few pieces of genuine turquoise for an all around glamorous and eclectic look. The fold-over flap fastens with a button and the interior features three roomy pocket sections and whipstitch trim. $3,995

Embellished Fringed Leather Shoulder Bag, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

German based Nivrel is finally back with a new dive watch for 2011. It is called the Deep Ocean (not a super creative name by today’s standards), and has a nice sporty, yet conservative look. While Nivrel quality is high, their prices are very fair compared to some of the competitors. A few years ago Nivrel has a really awesome lineup of dive watches. Those seemed to have gone away in favor of more classic pieces, but for 2011 Nivrel couldn’t hold back their sport collection any longer.

As a tool watch the 43mm wide steel Deep Ocean is an attractive piece. It has a carbon fiber dial and combo of applied Arabic and circle hour markers mixed with sword hour and minute hands. Each of them slathered in SuperLumiNova luminant for darkness viewing. The watch is made in Germany and has 500 meters of water resistance and a sapphire crystal over the dial. I love dive watches and enjoy that Nivrel has offered a sober utility watch with just a hint of style - perfect for today’s conservatively dressed guy who wants a watch that hints to an active sense of adventure. The watch comes in a metal bracelet along with a rubber strap. Inside the Deep Ocean is a Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movement.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Nivrel Deep Ocean Diver Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 30 Apr 2011 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Aside from having an interesting and artistic dial, this special limited edition Chaumet Dandy contains a high-beat Zenith El Primero automatic chronograph movement. Zenith sometimes offers El Primero movements to good brands, and having one in a designer Chaumet is a sweet deal for watch lovers and fashionistas alike.

This piece is in all platinum, and has the Chaumet Dandy cushion style case. The dial is fascinating and done in Grad Feu blue enamel. The design is meant to look like Chaumet store fronts - which was designed by J.M. Wilmotte. I like the matching blue stitching on the black alligator strap. This rare piece will be limited to just 12 watches in the limited edition set.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Chaumet Dandy Chronograph El Primero Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

This sherbet-hued creation from Marc Jacobs offers a lot in the way of color and personality despite being quite simple. The Snake Suede and Leather Clutch features raspberry suede paired with orange leather and raspberry python trim — literally in the form of a python. The little snake has a small brown leather tongue and eyelash details, plus as a single pink crystal eye. The bag closes via concealed magnetic closure and the interior is divided into three compartments, the center zipped, and is lined in brown leather. $1,095

Marc Jacobs Snake Suede and Leather Clutch, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

Few do faux leather as well as Stella McCartney, and this reincarnation of her Falabella style is no exception. The ultra-thin style doesn’t leave much room for stashing any but the most basic of necessities but the sophisticated rocker-glam vibe it puts off is more than worth it. The Falabella Faux Leather Wristlet Bag is all bright Ecru faux leather and gleaming gunmetal hardware, plus a little designer-stamped tag and some whipstitching details. It has a zip-top closure and is fully lined inside in designer-stamped twill. $380

Falabella Faux Leather Wristlet Bag, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Casio’s latest special edition women’s watch is this special Baby-G piece made in collaboration with fashion brand Married to the Mob by Leah McSweeney. Casio’s durable G-Shock and more feminine Baby-G collection of pieces have proved to be highly malleable designs when it comes to creating special models.

Fashion designer Married to the Mob is an energetic urban themed clothing and fashion brand for young women who thrive on asserting their unconventional sides with hip, rebellions looks. According to McSweeney, there had been demand for a special Married to the Mob themed Baby-G watch for some time. Produced in limited quantities, the Married to the Mob Baby-G watch is based on the existing Casio ref. BG5600 line and is here called the BG5600MOB-4. It has a metallic pink/purple design with Married to the Mob branding on it. The LCD screen is done in a silvered style, while the gold toned case back has the signature Married to the Mob “lips” logo
engraved on it. Further Married to the Mob (MTTM) branding is on the strap. It is a very fun looking watch that will appeal to brand enthusiasts as well as others who enjoy the power purple look on the case and strap.

The watch itself has a series of functions found in most Baby-G watches including the time, calendar, stopwatch, alarms, world time, and more. The watch will be available at select Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s stores starting about now for the price of $99.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Casio Baby-G Watch For Married To The Mob Designer originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

Piaget, a high-end Swiss watch and jewelry maker, has recently signed on actress Jessica Alba to be the new face of their Possession watch and jewelry collection. Piaget chose Alba because of her beauty, and known dedication as a working Hollywood wife and mother. Piaget is interested in capturing a more mature and family focused demographic with their new Possession marketing campaign and felt that Jessica was the perfect person to evoke that image. Look for her in various Piaget marketing campaigns coming up soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Jessica Alba Models For Piaget Jewelry originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches, Men’s Style, Luxury Shopping

The website Groomstars.com is founded on an interesting idea - that being the concept that men are hard to shop for (especially when it comes to gifts for special occasions). As the name of the site implies, the focus of the site is offering gifts for the men who participate in weddings (not like routinely or anything). Along with the fact that guys are not super easy to shop for, most gift websites usually have items that either appeal only to women, or are gifts guys don’t normally want. Groomstars strives to offering an enticing selection of male-minded gifts, and like many other gift based websites, Groomstars also features most (if not all) of their products as being personalized.

Featured products including a range of decent quality pens, holders, valets, watch cases, clothing accessories, hobbyist goods, nice tools, and other things men usually like, but wouldn’t normally buy for themselves. I actually appreciate the selection a lot. It is as though someone waded through most of the obvious (and many non obvious) gifts a man would like and presented them in an easy to navigate place.

A lot of people will likely enjoy the site when shopping for groomsmen, a best man, the father of the bride - or anyone else who may be a friend, boss, or relative. Prices aren’t cheap, but part of what you are paying for is the curated content. One such item that is nice is the Groomstars Striped Wedge Wood Watch box. It contains space for a few watches and related accessories, while the inside is cloth lined to prevent scratching. It comes in a nicely veneered closing box case with a personalized plate near the push-button opener. The inside is lined with soft cloth and quality is better than you might expect (or perhaps I simply have jaded expectations). Their watch boxes also come in a few different finishes and retails for $265 - all of course available for purchase online.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Groomstars.com Review - Formal Gifts For Men originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

The New Bamboo Stud-Embellished Leather Tote from Gucci is a structured modern gem, and (for some reason) it makes me think of licorice. It’s all layers of vibrant black leather with rows of small gold stud details, braiding, thick leather tassels, a detachable luggage tag and woven shoulder strap, and of course the single glossy black bamboo top handle. It also has a small stud and bamboo twist-lock closure on the fold-over flap front. Inside it’s lined raffia and has one zippered pocket, plus a mirror and leather mirror sleeve. $4,200

Gucci New Bamboo Stud-Embellished Tote, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Probably best known for his “astrological” watches, Christiaan van der Klaauw presents a stunning new model for 2011 called the Real Moon 1980. The “1980″ segment of the name refers to the fact that the highly limited watch is meant to be an homage to a clock that he constructed in 1980. The piece is stunning, and contains a few complications that I personally have not seen before.

The movement starts with one of Christiaan van der Klaauw’s base CK1094 automatic movements with the Real Moon module on it. Note the sophisticated looking highly customized automatic rotor that has a realistic looking piece of the moon on it. The movement complications include the time, date, month, moon phase on turning orb, solar and lunar eclipse hand, and declination of the sun indicator. Wow, talk about yet another way to construct a fascinating astrological complication timepiece.

The solar and lunar eclipse hand indicates if there is a solar or lunar eclipse going on somewhere on earth - this dial is near 3 o’clock. Using the Christiaan van der Klaauw logo, the sun declination indicator has the logo rise and lower to show the relative position of the sun on the horizon based on the time of year. The dial with two hands at 9 o’clock are used for the calendar functions.

A modern looking dial gives way to a classic looking case. It is 40mm wide and offering in 18k white or rose gold - with matching alligator strap. Christiaan van der Klaauw will also offer a platinum version with an all hand-made dial as a limited edition of just 8 pieces. Look for these stunning new Real Moon 1980 watches soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Christiaan van der Klaauw Real Moon 1980 Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

Designers go a little crazy sometimes creating handbags with outrageous features or price tags, all in the name of style, exclusivity, and pushing the boundaries of fashion. From clutches covered in diamonds to exotic skins dipped in 24-karat gold and even purses meant to look like garbage bags, we’ve seen it all.

Although it’s hard to imagine actually carrying some of these handbags (for example what shoes to wear with a cage clutch that resembles a small metal lobster trap?), it’s easy to appreciate the unique beauty and creativity involved in these little works of art. We’ve compiled 10 of the strangest and most outrageous bags — which are your favorites?

Top 10 Outrageous Designer Handbags originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

The Dear Danae Cabas Two-Tone Leather Shoulder Bag by Lanvin is deceptively simple in appearance — what at first glance is a very basic, monochromatic style quickly becomes a versatile, transformative favorite. The darker taupe section on the front (under the foldover top) can be removed to create a slimmer, more lightweight look or to be carried as a separate clutch. The bag features short double top handles, a long shoulder strap, a slight all-over crinkle finish, gold hardware, and zip-top closures on both the main body and the detachable clutch compartment. Inside it’s lined in black canvas with a designer plaque and one zip pocket. $1,790

Lanvin Dear Danae Cabas Two-Tone Bag, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Longines is now the official timekeeper and timepiece maker of the Kentucky Derby and its track Churchill Downs. For this year’s esteemed horse race Longines will present one of their newer Column-Wheel Chronograph watches to the winner of the race.

Longines - part of the Swatch Group - worked with ETA (also part of the Swatch Group) to develop a special movement for Longines that captured the classic nature of the traditional watch brand. The movement is an automatic chronograph, but one that uses a historic column-wheel transmission system in the movement. Column-wheel chronographs are those found in many of the best chronograph movements.

Set in a steel case, the Ref. L2.733.4.72.2 Longines Column-Wheel Chronograph is extremely classic in its execution and design. The case is 39mm wide in steel, with a brown alligator strap. The exclusive movement inside of the watch is the mechanical caliber L688.2 which provides the tricompax chrono subdial layout. The dial design is extremely classic. In fact the entire watch is more or less a recreation of a classic Longines watch design. The dauphine hands have thin strips of lume, and there are applied hour and minute markers. For a bit of nostalgia the piece is very nice, price is $2,850.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Longines Column-Wheel Chronograph Watch For Winner Of Kentucky Derby originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

The Matthew Williamson Appliquéd Suede Clutch is proof that you don’t need jewels to be flashy or bold — just take some cues from nature and imitate the peacock. This soft-bodied bag is made of royal blue suede covered in part (the front flap) in multicolored sequins and peacock-effect feather appliqués. At 12″ wide it’s generously sized and features a concealed zip-top closure and press-stud fastening, plus a designer-stamped plaque under the flap and an interior lined in black twill. There’s one zip pocket inside and no shoulder strap. $1,695

Matthew Williamson Appliqued Suede Clutch, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

There is no coincidence that this Edox watch sounds as though it was named after a boat. The “Royal Lady Luxury” is meat to be a yacht themed ladies piece from the Swiss brand that comes with a relatively affordable price. The Royal Lady Luxury Chronograph watch is 36mm wide in steel with blue segments in the bezel and a mother of pearl dial. The look is stately and bold. Attractive, but not in too girly a manner.

Inside the watch is a Swiss Ronda quartz chronograph movement. I like the steel outlined chronograph subdials on the face against the mother of pearl. The case is attached to a white rubber strap and retails for $2,100.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Edox Ladies Royal Lady Luxury Chronograph Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

The Florine Embellished Shoulder Bag by Antik Batik is tiny and pastel, as well as soft and full of texture. An opportunity to bring some earthy glamour to an evening ensemble, as well as a little vintage-inspired depth and energy. The bag is based in light green suede and the exterior is completely covered in a combination of iridescent sequins in bright green and burnished brown, plus some fine bead and chain detailing on the fold-over flap front. All the hardware is burnished silver and comes in the form of a detachable shoulder strap of chain interwoven with green suede. Inside it’s lined in designer-stamped twill and has no pockets. $235

Antik Batik Florine Embellished Shoulder Bag, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

The Elsie Beaded Leather Clutch by Chloé is one of those beautiful bags that just doesn’t get a fair rap in photos. Bright enough to rival the shimmer of gems and crystals this pretty clutch is covered on the front by gleaming gold beads in various sizes for a three dimensional, effervescent effect that looks a little like champagne in sculpture form. The look is interrupted only by the unique twist-lock fastening and Ecru leather flap. The back is also Ecru leather and it has a zippered top closure. Inside it’s lined in nude leather and features an inner pouch pocket and hardware designer stamp. $2,195

Chloe Elsie Beaded Leather Clutch, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 17:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If spending nearly $700 USD on your new Apple iPad 2 64 GB hasn’t fulfilled your urge to part with money, fear not. Don’t waste anymore time browsing iTunes slowly, spending your wealth on less expensive iPad Apps that just cost a few dollars. Just for you, we’ve collected the costliest choices of the App […]

Filed under: Timepieces / Watches

Girard-Perregaux’s 1966 Chronograph watch gets bathed in blue for this 1966 Blue Chronograph version of the attractive retro-inspired timepiece by the high-end Swiss brand. The 40mm wide case in in 18k white gold with a sunburst style metallic blue dial that is very attractive. Blue just happens to be quite trendy in 2011 for watches. The chronograph subdials engravings are “snailed,” which results in pleasantly contrasting visual with concentric circles. It also helps with legibility when wanting to see the chronograph info easily.

On the dial the hands and hour indicators are applied and in 18k white gold. Inside the watch is an in-house made Girard-Perregaux GP030C0 automatic column wheel chronograph movement that is decorated and visible through the caseback window. The watch will come either on a black alligator strap, or an all 18k white gold metal bracelet. Prices for the 1966 Blue Chronograph are $29,700 on the strap and $51,850 on the gold bracelet. Look for this attractive watch soon.

Ariel Adams publishes the wrist watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Girard-Perregaux 1966 Blue Chronograph Watch originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Handbags

Embrace white this season with Theyskens’ Theory sporty Canape Leather-Trimmed Woven Satchel — a great choice for toting essentials from work to weekend without missing a beat. Cream woven canvas has a geometrical cut-out detail front and center, white leather in the form of buckle details/fasteners, trim around the edges, and a detachable cross-over shoulder strap. Other features include a leather base, an exterior pouch pocket beneath the flap, black hardware (although it looks silver here), and an interior fully lined in taupe suede with one zip pocket. $695

Theyskens’ Theory Canapa Woven Satchel, Handbag of the Day originally appeared on Luxist on Fri, 22 Apr 2011 17:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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