I have obsessed about the Hermès Collier de Chien for years. Introduced in the 1940s, it became an instant hit and a forever classic, simply called a CDC by its loyal fans. "Collier de Chien" literally translates to "Dog Collar". After all, the true essence of chic is about having a sense of humor and just a touch of bad taste.

Until this week, I never even summed up the courage to ask to try one on, mostly just pressing my nose to the glass in admiration. The CDC is available in a dizzying array of skins and colors, from calf to crocodile, in either Palladium or Gold plated hardware. Madison Avenue always seems to have new stock to unveil.

First, I tried Fauve (golden tan) matte alligator with Palladium hardware and it felt a bit too "Preppy Goes on Safari"--Not so good. Next, I tried Black calf with Palladium hardware and it looked classic yet Punk or S&M--Good. But, when I saw this Ombre Lizard version, I literally gasped. It is totally over the top in this relatively new and unique exotic skin to the Luxury brand, yet somehow the natural ring lizard tones of Grey and Cream blend with the Palladium hardware making it pop less, than say with contrasting Black--Perfection.

I will wear it in lieu of a watch on weekends or to parties. I may even wear it with a watch as Jean Paul Gaultier recently showed on the Spring/Summer 2010 Hermès runway.

On this beautiful Fall day, I wore a Dries Van Noten Grey wool tweed blazer, +J Dark Brown cotton stretch button down shirt, Uniqlo dark denim skinny jeans, Dries Van Noten Black faux crocodile belt, JM Weston Black shoes, Hermès Grey/Black cashmere Losange scarf, and a Bottega Veneta Ash Fume soft crocodile tote.

I discovered this interesting video of Robert Chavez, CEO of Hermès USA, discussing how Hermès will survive the recession. Found on luxaddict blog here.

Pharrell loves Hermès and has debuted his luscious Fog Grey Matte Crocodile Hoodie from the ultimate Luxury House's Fall/Winter 2008 Collection on his blog. I remember seeing this piece at the Madison Avenue Hermès flagship about a year ago. I wondered who would be fortunate and daring enough to wear a $75,000 USD hoodie (price approximate). Well, I finally have my answer. Just promise to keep it out of the rain! Ironically, though the reptiles spend most of their lives in water, after being tanned, crocodile skin (particularly matte) is permanently marked by water exposure.

Original blog post here.

I suppose it is an odd time of year to purchase an Eau de Cologne, which I usually associate with the hot days of Summer or the breezy afternoons of Spring. But, I think I just needed a little lift. Jean-Claude Ellena, the exclusive in-house nose of Hermès since 2004, has created in Eau de Pamplemousse Rose, the most gorgeous olfactory hallucination of sparkling pink grapefruit. One spray and you can't help but smile. As effervescent and intoxicating as a cold glass of Champagne.

From the press release:

WHY is the result of the joint-venture signed in June 2008 between Hermès and Wally, to develop a new type of motor yacht redefining the art of living on the sea. The iconic Parisian house and the iconic Monaco yacht brand formed an equal partnership whereby each company is fully involved in all aspects of the conception and design of each project. Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Artistic Director of Hermès says : “When we met, in autumn 2007, Luca Bassani Antivari, President of Wally had thought about asking Hermès to accessorise the interior of one of his boats. I was impressed by the daring of his projects. My instinct was to get on board with him and go and seek out new territories in yacht design, but I had no interest in speed.” Luca Bassani Antivari explains: “What I’ve always liked about Hermès, aside from its intrinsic quality, is its audacity and radicalism; its desire to go beyond trends, to make no compromises and to maintain the authenticity of the house. Wally shares the same values, ‘Hermès-on-Land’, ‘Wally-on-Sea’: inevitably our paths had to cross.”

The common values of the two brands have led to a first yacht that offers an unparalleled living space at sea. WHY was developed to give life to this concept assembling a team of dedicated talents in design, engineering, and naval architecture. Then the tried and tested Norwegian Ramform hull characterised by exceptional and unprecedented stability and volume and spottedby Luca Bassani Antivari, revealed itself as the ideal choice to be adapted to the WHY 58x38 project. Following this unique adaptation, the decks and the interiors were developed in accordance with the fundamental credo of WHY, 'form-equals-function'. Thus were born other innovations in the world of mega yachts: patios generously flooding the interior with natural light, photovoltaic panels on the glass hull sides, as well as on the roof opening, like Venetian blinds, a 25 metre-long forward end swimming pool, and a 36-metre aftdeck beach. WHY 58x38 offers comfort, privacy, stability, space, independence and sustainability.

More incredible renderings, a video tour and the full story here.

Black and tan is perfect for early Fall transitional weather. I wore my Martin Margiela tan cotton cardigan all Summer with white jeans and I thought it looked great with my American Apparel black cotton v-neck, Uniqlo black skinny jeans, Dries Van Noten black belt and Paul Smith black dip-dyed brogues. Now that it is Fall, I'll be carrying black bags again. Here is my Hermès HAC in Black Fjord with Palladium hardware.

One rarely sees a Birkin in the Madison Avenue Hermès flagship, so I couldn't resist taking this shot of what appears to be a 40cm Togo Birkin in the new Fall shade of "Sienne" or "Terre" with Palladium Hardware.

On this beautiful sunny day I wore a Dries Van Noten blue silk/cotton blazer, J.Crew plaid cotton button down shirt, Uniqlo straight raw denim jeans, Prada brown belt, Hermès brown wingtips and an Hermès dark brown bag.

The weather has suddenly shifted to Fall, even before Labor Day. I wore a Lanvin navy blazer, Martin Margiela grey cotton button down, Uniqlo dark skinny jeans, Dries Van Noten black belt, J.M. Weston black shoes and Hermès dark brown bag.

The Martin Margiela shirt is part of the REPLICA collection: from time to time, the Maison reproduces vintage garments to exacting detail. This tab collared shirt is based on an English shirt from 1961.

The weather is gorgeous today. No rain in sight. I wore my Dries Van Noten pink and blue checked cotton shirt, Uniqlo white jeans, Ted Baker for Tricker's tan brogues, Hermès naturel belt and Hermès naturel bag.

Today is bright and sunny with no threat of rain. I wore my Uniqlo navy linen/cotton short sleeved shirt, Lova khaki cotton shorts, Paul Smith tan brogues, Hermès gold Togo belt with silver Touareg H buckle and Hermès Vache Naturelle bag.

We are finally feeling Summer here in NYC and it was really hot, leaving very little room for self-expression. Brooks Brothers Black Fleece by Thom Browne navy/white gingham short sleeved shirt, Uniqlo skinny dark jeans, Prada taupe belt, Prada taupe shoes and dark brown Hermès bag.

We arrived yesterday to find a beautiful sunny day here in East Hampton. I brought along my Travel Birkin, which looked so good catching the light beneath the window of our room.

The weather was willing and I had The Met Event to attend, so I wore my new Lanvin jacket, white cotton button down J. Crew shirt, Uniqlo skinny jeas, Black Paul Smith brogues and a black Hermès belt.

I decided to wear my new Junya Watanabe grey pinstripe vest, J. Crew cobalt blue gingham button down shirt, Uniqlo dark denim skinny jeans, Paul Smith dark brown tassel loafers, Prada brown belt and a dark brown Hermès bag.

We visited our friends Julian and Walter this weekend in Rhinebeck. They have a beautiful rustic home that made me feel like we were far away in Montana, not just a couple of hours from NYC. I took my Hermès HAC in Barenia. Doesn't it look at home in the country?

This video is not new, but I wanted to make sure all of you had seen it. It is a rare guided tour of the Hermès Pantin Atelier with views of craftspeople working on the most coveted bags in the world.

I'm on a roll documenting my outfits. Yesterday, not realizing how hot it was going to be, I wore a blazer. In any event, I'm wearing a Miu Miu stone colored cotton/polyamide blazer, J. Crew navy blue cotton button down, Uniqlo white jeans, Ted Baker for Tricker's tan brogues, Hermès Etriviere belt in Vache Bridle, and an Hermès silk losange scarf.

Today, I wore my Comme des Garcons Homme Plus navy blue with white trim blazer, J. Crew lavender and white striped button down shirt, Uniqlo dark skinny jeans, Dries Van Noten silver brogues, Prada taupe belt, Hermès pocket square and Balenciaga Galet Weekender.