Style needs

Très chic!

Sommer! Von Soleil!

Well, after all the hooplah with the Neverfull, I decided to have a day of good food and fabulous art. I took my brand new Mini Lin Speedy 30 to my favorite restaurant Lauriol Plaza. We were greeted by our waitstaff friend Gladys who promptly snatched my Speedy from me and began sacheing (sp??) down to my "VIP" table. I was alone but I got a table for four and food was out in just 10 minutes. We felt special.

Here he is sitting right next to me and enjoying our dessert.

After which, as a patron of the arts, I decided to take him to a special exhibit about American Impressionism at the Philipps Collection.


I think my favorite of the featured artists was Ernest Lawson. My Speedy didn't agree with me. Here he is all tuckered out and sunning himself at the entrance of the Gallery.

LVOE, LVOE, LVOE IT!!!

This adorable pink jacket by Nanette Lepore retails for $395 at Neiman Marcus.


If Nanette is not exactly in your budget, try this version from Aqua. It's only available in black, but it retails for a much more wallet friendly $58.50. Click on the photo below to purchase.

Just came from Neiman's to exchange the Neverfull with a classic shape of the house of Vuitton, the Speedy 30 in Monogram Mini Lin. I know I cannot hope to be the great Audrey but here's my humble homage to her. (Monogram Mini Lin Speedy 30, Neiman Marcus June 30, 2007)

This studded tee by Brokedown was worn recently by Jessica Alba while out with her husband and daughter. (Photo credit: GossipGirls.com)


If you love her studded tee and want one for yourself, you can purchase it for $68 (actually you can use the code scs20 for 20% off, making it $54.40) by clicking the photo below (also available in white).

Fotos: Freundts Wohnaccessoires

Vintage-Wäschebänder aus Österreich, Rumänische Siphonflaschen, Lederbälle oder Frühstücksbrettchen der besonderen Art - schaut nach bei Freundts Wohnaccessoires in Hamburg! Dort gibt's witzige und interessante Raritäten! (via StyleSpion.)

Look at Freundts Wohnaccessoires in Hamburg for nice and vintage gift ideas! (via StyleSpion.)



www.freundts.de











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These sandals by Steve Madden come in several different colors and retail for $129.95 at Zappos.


If you love the look of the version above, but don't want to spend quite that much of your summer clothing budget on one pair of sandals...check out these shoes from Alloy. They only are available in ivory, but they retail for a much lower $29.50. Click here to purchase.

Here's a pic of the misaligned seam that I mentioned in the previous blog. There are several posts in the the purse forum about this being noticed by fellow Neverfull owners. Someone mentioned that the France Neverfull does not have this problem. Also, it was mentioned that the fabulous and unique lining of the Neverfull tends to bleed onto the new vachetta thus creating an unsightly stain. Could it be a USA manufacturing flaw or is it possible that we are just being too critical about material things? What say you Ginevra? Would your face become dourer if I returned the Neverfull?

Neverfull playing the piano

After much thought...well, not really...I decided to rush to Neiman Marcus and grab me the Neverfull. It's a wonderful bag and the first of my LV that is made stateside. I met an extremely helpful SA and was very pleased with the transaction. I even had to drive back minutes after I got home since I astutely noticed that the stars and flowers were not aligned on one seam of the bag. She must think I am the customer from hell! Turns out, most of them were not perfectly aligned. I LVOE, LVOE the Neverfull!

The associate in Saks informed me that the Neverfull cannot be reversed on its lining. This pic from www.thebaghag.blogspot.com shows otherwise.

(The Beckoning Portals of Louis Vuitton, Chevy Chase)


It took every ounce of willpower for me to restrain myself not to purchase the Neverfull GM. After work, I found an excuse to have my luggage tag heat stamped with my initials with the secret hope that I would casually bump into one of these new releases. I not only bumped into one, but I fondled, tested, looked for the datecode, ascertained the lining, gauged the vachetta and finally imagined myself walking out with it...I shook myself from this reverie and went home instead empty handed. But then again, tomorrow is yet another day...sadly, I found out today that my favorite SA Sophia has left the company.

I was surfing the Purse Forum and somebody posted this website of LV's that have a lot of discontinued items. Sadly, it is written in Japanese and I tried what I thought was the e-mail link to inquire if they understood English. Unfortunately, an error message came up. Oh well, just wanted to post this interesting piece. I like how the straps are not parallel to each other. http://www.aisai-jp.com/

This black and white blazer by William Rast retails for $297 at Nordstrom.


Although there are slight differences, this blazer by Ralph Lauren Jeans Co. immediately made me think of the William Rast version above when I first saw it. It's a great alternative for less, and is currently available at Dillards for $139.

I was just getting ready to post this when I noticed that In Their Closet made a post about it first, so I feel they should get the credit! Make sure you check out their great blog.

This dress by Alexander McQueen is part of the prefall 2009 collection which hasn't hit the stores just yet (exact retail price unknown). (Photo credit: Style.com)


Want a similar dress for a lot less than Alexander Wang normally runs ($500 and up!), or maybe you just can't wait until it hits stores? This Bebe version is a great alternative for only $59! Click the photo below to purchase.

This dress is a favorite of celebrities such as Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez, and Nicole Richie (picture credit: NY Post). It retails for $265 at Shop Robertson and comes in a variety of colors.


If you love the look of the comfy summer dresses above, but can't quite squeeze it into your budget...check out this version by Velvet Torch at Nordstrom. This similar dress retails for $48 and also comes in pink or navy. Click the photo below to purchase or view the other color options.

The Neverfull line that just came out is garnering mixed reviews from LV fans. Pros are that it is affordable, reversible and quite roomy. Cons are that it is an open bag so security of its contents are an issue and that the lining is acutally bleeding onto the vachetta. Some also say that the thin straps are not at all comfortable and that it slips from the shoulder. Apol said with disdain that it "looks like a basket". I was offered this bag on one of my trips to the boutique. I like the fact that it is reversible and that there is a substantial expanse of the monogram canvas on it, but I am not in LVoe with it...yet...(Photo: The Purse Forum)

Stila Cosmetics Travel Palette; this and next two at apothica.com.
Clinique Color Surge Butter Shine Lipstick.
La Mer The Moisturizing Gel Cream.
Fabulous news, darlings! CC sponsor Apothica and CC are teaming up to give one lucky Couture Carrie reader a $75 Gift Certificate to Apothica.com! Apothica carries tons of makeup including Vincent Longo, Clinique, La Mer, Stila and more! Two Week Contest: To enter, just follow the guidelines below.
Giveaway Entry Possibilities:
- One entry for becoming a fan of Apothica on FaceBook
- One entry for following Apothica on Twitter
- Two entries to retweet or tweet about this giveaway
- Two entries to leave a comment about Apothica in the comments section of this post
- Two entries for opting-in for the Apothica Newsletter (found at the bottom of the website)
- Seven entries for a blog post with a link directed to Apothica (must have a minimum of 100 words and use an anchor text and link to the Apothica page)

Just tell CC which option(s) you chose in the comments section of this post. Good luck, darlings!
xoxox,
CC