here we go again....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

.....may 2009 bring us all lots more peace, prosperity, joy and most especially LoVe.

the Traveller + Sydney Boxing Day 2008

just got back from the Boxing Day sales in Sydney. we saw lots of wonderful things to be had and there were queues everywhere. which kinda makes one forget all those recession talks we've been hearing for most of the year. the city was still in festive mode and people were generally bright and cheery. even Sydney's signature humid-sticky heat didn't stop people from the mad crush to get some serious bargains. it was actually exciting, everyone gets swallowed in frenzy. but you end up pretty drained - physically and financially - at days' end.

one thing i loved was this large pile of old chairs and stools:

this Chistmas tree at The Rocks precinct was an eyecatcher and had a good message to boot. for someone like me who likes fossicking through junk shops and op-shops for vintage gems this was a treat. maybe i'll do something similar with my Vitra miniature chairs.

of course a trip won't be complete without a visit to the LV Global Store in Castlereagh St. they also had a 20min queue outside just to get in since they didn't want the boutique to overcrowd. which was quite unfortunate for some because im certain half of those who lined up thought LV was having a massive sale too. anyways, i was able to have a good look around but nothing really jumped out at me. except for this:

its the Cruise 2009 Traveller bag in canvas and leather. this bag has been on my Maybe List ever since photos of it appeared on all the other blogs i frequent. i just wasn't 100% about it. its a very generously proportioned tote with a rather slim profile which doesn't make it bulky or clumsy to carry around. the long handles are comfortable on the shoulder and the zip closure is always a plus. but the best part for me is the "new" print they've incorporated which was based on an old advert from the 1920's that's got a very strong Bauhaus look to it:

a couple of weeks ago my blog idol Chuvaness posted photos of her Traveller tote online. one of the photos showed her husband leaning unaware close to it:

which made me go hmmmm...... it looks like it can really work on guys too. so i requested a photo of Mr Chuvaness modeling the bag. which both husband and wife were pretty cool to accommodate:

pretty spiff huh? sadly it just doesn't have the same effect on me. even my entire family vetoed it when we were in Sydney last weekend. so that was that. besides, the AU$3300 price tag made it easier for me to put it back on the shelf.

by the way, here's the other half of this very hip couple:




many thanks again Cecile! =)

LV Origami

the fab manager at the LV Crown Casino boutique was so nice to send me these for Christmas:




this year's holiday greeting card is a stunning photo of the famous Easter Island moai monoliths:



"At any time. in any place, the greatest journeys have a soul."

i also got this box full of origami cranes, boxes and balls in monogrammed paper:




i was told they were all lovingly folded by the staff themselves. very nice, certainly put a smile on my face =)

plus, i finally got a copy of the Vogue Paris '09 Calendar featuring Louis Vuitton lingerie and shoes photographed by Terry Richardson:




a colleague in Paris was so kind to send me one. for more photos of the calendar click HERE.


here's a photo of another rather naughty kitty i just had to share:



its Cascabel, our 10 year old Burmese. the ribbons are just to tempting to ignore. she just couldn't help it. awww...


i hope you have a wonderful day today!

Желаю тебе счастливого Рождества!

to all my fellow space cadets,

i wish you all a very Happy Christmas!!!

i trust that you've been good all year.


as for me.....





*GULP*

i've been thinking...

about this:



...for the past few days. ever since i saw this photo:


from tokishirazu.

his style isn't what im focused on, but it made me "see" this Jeremy Scott for Longchamp Stomp bag in a different light. something that made me go hmmmm...

Jeremy Scott's Gold Card design is pretty cool too, but has since sold out.



which is alright, since i don't carry a gold card anyway ;-)


in other non-LV bag topics, i was finalizing my Xmas shopping the other night when i spotted these in a local dollar shop:

i've been rather ambivalent about eco bags. sure, i have a bunch of the green ones i use whenever im at Woolworth's. but i was never interested enough to want them. these are pretty cool and they were big enough to carry all my shopping. plus the francophile in me just had to have it.

images from Longchamp & tokishirazu.

shine a light

Chag Urim Sameach! חג אורים שמח

menorah by michael levy

we shure do!

the WeLoveSprouse website is finally active!!! lots of wonderful things to see. one of them is this:

pls let it be costume jewellery... pls let it be costume jewellery... pls let it be costume jewellery....

who am i kidding? they probably only made one of each colour.

*le sigh*

save the date!

the Louis Vuitton Men's Fall/Winter 2009/2010 fashion show is on Thursday, 22 January 2009.

i don't know what to expect/think/feel, since im still very much wrapped up in the Graffiti re-issues to be excited about this just yet. but here's a brief review of LV men's runway shows through the years:





i can't believe we should be thinking of Fall 2009 already.


source: Federation Francaise de la Couture.

more Sprouse LoVing...

- Stephen Sprouse

a major tome imaginatively entitled "The Stephen Sprouse Book" by Roger and Mauricio Padilha will be released in conjunction with his retrospective at the Deitch Gallery and the sale of the Day-Glo Monogram Graffiti bags by Louis Vuitton. all three - show, bags and book - will be launched on the 9th of January 2009. but the book will have two releases. the one on the 9th will be have a special limited edition Louis Vuitton Graffiti cover and will only be sold at LV boutiques and at the gallery:

while the regular version will be released in amazon.com a few days later on 13 Jan:



with the LV version priced at US$65 each, they're certainly not to be missed!


images were taken from the Stephen Sprouse Book website.

a sign of the times?

The International Herald Tribune has just reported that the Louis Vuitton mega structure planned for Tokyo has been scrapped. this 10-story building desinged after the company's monogram pattern by Dutch company UNStudio was to overshadow all the other top luxury and designer brand buildings in the Ginza shopping district of the city. although they are riding out the current economic situation better than most, the company has been rather mum about the withdrawal explaining that the plans just fell through. i assume they are just being terribly cautious. you can read the entire IHT article HERE. and for the architecture and design nuts out there, more info about the proposed building can be found HERE.

we LoVe Sprouse!!!

Style.Com has just posted a video of Marc Jacobs talking about the new Louis Vuitton Sprouse Graffiti Redux collection. here's a few screen caps:















i think i've got to have one of those pins too.

you can watch the entire video HERE.

also, don't forget to check out www.welovesprouse.com tomorrow!



source: style.com.

bedside reading I

here's something i picked up today:



its about the stuff that surrounds us. how they influence and inspire, what they say to us and what they say of us.

"A chair, a watch, a work of art, a spacecraft. Everything tells a story."


speaking of things, the Bagaholic Boy has asked me to list down my 10 Essential Items to feature in his blog.





though it was rather challenging to come up with a list, it was a fun little exercise nonetheless. thanks Alvin!

my Graffiti shortlist

all i've been waiting for is to see a photo of the new Day-Glo Graffiti Neverfull GM to make my final decision. and here it is:



many thanks to Chuvaness.

since someone confirmed that Louis Vuitton would be releasing the Neverfull in the GM size, it has been a toss-up between this bag in green or the Keepall 50 in orange. although a green one might still look different in normal light than orange and i do love the mini graffiti pattern lining the inside, i think the Keepall is the one for me:

i know i just couldn't carry a Graffiti Neverfull quite convincingly. no matter how hard i try to swing it, it just ain't happening.

the only other Graffiti items im interested in so far are these:

i heard the bandana comes in a set of three and are priced quite reasonably. while the keychain i want in green to hang on my Monogramouflage Treillis. if they're also making a cashmere scarf similar to the popular Leopard and Mono'flage stoles, im in on that too.

what's on your Graffiti hit list?


other LV Graffiti photos from Harper's Bazaar & WWD.

LV Boy's Club

the Louis Vuitton megalith in Omotesando Ave. Tokyo has just gone through renovations. one of its new star attractions is the newly refurbished men's department which was relocated from the lower ground up to the 5th floor:

its an entire new floor dedicated to all things Louis Vuitton for men:

this follows the success of their first men's only boutique inside the Hankyu Department Store in Osaka. sure, some might wonder what is so special about this since other LV boutiques also cater to the male clientele. well its all about the special items exclusive to this one boutique. such as a customized LV Foosball table:

with Nomade leather covered handles and instead of numbers, each of the players have the LV quatrefoil engraved on their "jerseys":

named the "11", this top-of-the-line Foosball table is an original design concept by GRO Design and Tim Modelmakers. the shape of the table reminds me of something Karim Rashid would make. it is prob part of the boutique's furnishing and isn't actually for sale. simply something to keep their most valued male clientele amused. more information about the 11 can be found HERE.

other exclusive stuff found up at 5F Omotesando are Nomade leather boxing gloves and Nomade footballs hanging from what looks like a Nomade leather trimmed exercise bike:

they also have the stunning DJ Bag in Damier embossed patent python skin on show too:



*drools* this is prob a one-off that came straight from the Fall/Winter '08 runway:

i also spy the highly desirable Monogramouflage reversible bomber jacket on the far right. this boutique was also the first to launch the Spring 2009 Pre-Collection bags in beige suede and navy blue Siwa leather i have mentioned in a previous entry:

im sure they have a few more exclusive goodies on offer at the Omotesando Maison. definitely on my list of things to do the next time im in Tokyo. although there are times that i feel LV has forgotten us boys when it seems that all the special and limited stuff go to the girls. but not this time. this is heaven for me.

*le sigh*


source: louis vuitton, honeyee, men.style.com.