Michael Tonello's Blog, page 20

It's ALWAYS About the Birkin Bag!

Model can’t avoid $300,000 lawsuit over rental damage Ordon had argued she wasn’t technically responsible for the damage because her husband's name appeared on the lease. Photo: Patrick McMullan   A Victoria’s Secret model can’t catwalk away from a $300,000 Manhattan lawsuit, a judge has ruled.
Model Julie Ordon tried to dodge the suit filed by her former landlord accusing her and her husband of trashing their $32,000-a-month Soho rental.
Ordon — also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit and Playboy model — had argued she wasn’t technically responsible for the alleged $150,000 in damage because only the name of her husband appeared on the lease.
The model-turned-mom is accused of allowing her dog to soil her landlord’s $18,000 Nepalese hand-loomed rug and gluing child-safety devices to his expensive, antique wooden furniture.
Her hubby — sugar heir and fledgling movie producer David Mimran — was believed to have been busy with his career in California at the time.
Landlord Richard Sabella insisted in his suit that the Swiss-born stunner kept an extensive wardrobe in the tony, fourth-floor condo at 500 Greenwich St., proving she lived there when the damage occurred — and the judge sided with him in a recent ruling.
“We’re very pleased with the decision. We got exactly what we wanted,’’ Sabella’s lawyer, Joshua Price, told The Post.
Sabella said in court papers that in addition to the other damage, the family stained the luxury pad’s maple-wood flooring and wrecked his $45,000 Art Deco-style table, which took six months to fix.
“These damages can only be described as intentional destruction of property under the circumstances,” Sabella huffed in his suit.
Ordon, 29, had griped to The Post back in September that her Hermès Birkin handbags and Louis Vuitton luggage were damaged in a flood at the unit.
But she then claimed in court in March that she wasn’t technically living there. Her lawyer, Louis Biancone, said he believes the case will ultimately be thrown out.

Hermes Kelly Bag: $9,000.

Leather that puckers along the seam: Free

Police identify man accused of stealing £150k worth of designer handbags

Police have identified a man accused of stealing £150,000 worth of designer Chanel, Hermes and Birkin bags.
Christopher Gibbs, 31, of Paddington, is believed to be one of three men who stormed boutique store Designer Exchange, in Knightsbridge, and made off with the designer bags on Saturday, May 24.
Police have described Gibbs as ‘dangerous’ and are advising members of the public to not approach him.
Gibbs is thought to have entered the shop with two accomplices wearing masks but his mask slipped as he left the store, making it possible for police to identify him.
Customers in the boutique said afterwards they were left traumatised by the ordeal.
It follows a similar raid last month of the nearby Chanel store in Brompton Road.
Detective Chief Inspector Rhys Willis, of Kensington and Chelsea Police, said: “Officers executed a number of warrants today searching for property and the suspect Christopher Gibbs who is now wanted for this offence.

The Rise of the superfake!

They can cost thousands - with craftsmanship to rival the real thing. And they're becoming status symbols in their own right These knock offs are so good that even experts can't tell them apartSuper-fakes use the same best quality materials as designer housesFake designer goods are worth £3billion a yearWomen knowingly buy fake goods, despite earning £50,000 a yearSuper-fakes can cost as much as £2000 


With its super-soft fabric and chain-link strap, designer Stella McCartney’s Falabella bag is loved by celebrities including Victoria Beckham and Kate Hudson.Nicola Espada loves the one she bought, too. As soon as she saw the tote online, the 34-year-old knew it would make the perfect 60th birthday present for her mother. ‘It’s beautiful,’ says the business project manager from London. ‘I knew Mum liked it, but had been put off by the price: £700.’  +4Bags of style: Nicola Espada and her copy of Stella McCartney's Falabella bag
A generous daughter, you might think. Or maybe not — for the bag Nicola has bought is a fake. She has not been hoodwinked, neither could you consider her a cheapskate. For her counterfeit Falabella cost more than £100, rather than the £10 you might expect to pay for a cheap copy.It’s a so-called ‘super-fake’: knock-off goods that look and feel so like their designer counterparts that even experts find it difficult to distinguish them. And far from feeling ashamed they can’t afford the genuine article, buyers brag they’re carrying a very clever copy.    More... It's time we women stopped being so USELESS with money, says SHIRLEY CONRAN the original superwoman How to take FIVE YEARS off your face, just by changing your parting The most cringe inducing facial ever: The good news - it beats Botox. The bad news - it's made from birds' messIn fact, many see it as one in the eye for design houses that have racked up the prices of It bags beyond the reach of most women. Super-fakes are produced in the Far East, though some come from Greece or Italy, and are made by craftsmen skilled in cutting and stitching. They use the best quality materials: top-grade leather from the same suppliers as the designer houses.Logos are meticulously copied and the sumptuous linings echo the originals. Many have serial numbers or date stamps and some even come with shop labels with the barcode on. And they’re flooding into Britain. The counterfeiting industry, mainly fake designer goods, is worth £3 billion a year. From 2010 to 2011, it’s estimated the market increased by 60 per cent.   In a recent survey, more than half of respondents admitted to knowingly buying fake goods, with  one in five saying they earn more than £50,000 a year.  Can you tell the difference?: A real Hermes Birkin (left) and it's super-fake (right)
Indeed, the demand for super-fakes is being driven by squeezed middle-class women unwilling to give up their designer status symbols. And it is being met by the rapid rise in the number of websites openly offering ‘discount’ luxury goods, which are visited by seven million shoppers a month. The attention to detail on the super-fakes means they often retail for three figures. Some copies of Hermes’ Birkin cost more than £2,000. Expensive, yes, but not when you can pay up to £50,000 for the original. Nicola believes her bag is worth every penny. ‘I don’t feel guilty about it. If anything, my mum will think I’ve been sensible not spending £700 on a bag. ‘I know what a genuine Stella McCartney looks like and I couldn’t believe how real the bag looked. It feels expensive and is the same, heavy weight as the genuine one. Even the “Made in Italy” logo in the pocket is the same.’I know what a genuine Stella McCartney looks like and I couldn’t believe how real the bag looked
Nicola Espada
The fact that fakes are now such high quality is proving a headache for the likes of Hermes, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Burberry, some of the main brands being targeted.Chrissie Florczyk, director general of the Anti-Counterfeiting Group, says: ‘Genuine customers don’t buy bags that have been heavily counterfeited because it doesn’t seem exclusive. Design houses are spending considerable sums to shut down the fake websites, but it’s not easy. ‘Many may have a British web address, but the servers will be in China, where UK law enforcement has no power over them.’It’s incredibly easy to buy super-fakes from the internet. Sellers on websites such as iOffer market their bags on the very fact that they’re high- quality, low-cost copies.Sellers post details of their goods on the site and you can haggle over the price, before paying through a secure channel such as PayPal, meaning your credit card details are protected. A lookalike Mulberry Bayswater can be bought for £179.95 or a Hermes Birkin for £784.  And business is clearly booming, judging from the hundreds of reviews posted on sellers’ pages.  The real deal... almost: 'I know what a genuine Stella McCartney looks like and I couldn't believe how real the bag looked' says Nicola
Close up: Experts find it hard to tell super-fakes apart form the their genuine counterparts
‘My bag was wrapped carefully and is amazing quality! Highly recommended, will definitely buy again,’ raves one about her fake Birkin, while another writes ‘Well worth the money, looks like an original’ of her Mulberry Alexa. There are other sites you need to be in the know about to get signed up to their emailing lists. These can put you in touch with suppliers, but close down their websites regularly and then set them up again under a different name to prevent detection. Broadcaster Alley Rose, 39, often buys such bags. ‘You choose the handbag you want: a £300 version that’s spot on, a £200 one that’s slightly less so and the price goes down until you get the obviously fake,’ she says.  ‘You can also go online and say: “Can I have this bag or that bag?” If they don’t already sell it, they’ll make you a bespoke copy.‘But you have to be careful. I bought fake Christian Louboutin shoes from a Chinese website that got stopped at Customs in the UK. I got a letter saying they were going to be destroyed.’ Alley, who lives in West London with her four-year-old daughter, worked in Hong Kong a few years ago and visited the factories that make the bags sold in Britain. ‘They’re trained craftsmen and the more people who work on it, the more expensive it is,’ she says. ‘I bought a beautiful Celine handbag for £110. I’d seen the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley carrying it, but was horrified to find the real thing cost £1,500. Who wouldn’t love the real thing, but who can afford it? Besides, this is just as beautiful and you’d have to be an expert to tell that it isn’t genuine.’ Mum's the word: Nicola bought the super-fake as a birthday present for her mother
Alley feels no guilt at depriving the designers of a sale. ‘Chanel and Louis Vuitton are pricing bags out of the lower end of the market, so super-fakes are replacing them,’ she says.Prices are certainly soaring. In five years, Chanel’s large classic flap bag has increased by 70 per cent to £2,740, while a Mulberry Bayswater that cost £650 in early 2012 now sells for £895. And believe it or not, it’s not illegal to buy fakes, according to Handley Brustad of the Trading Standards Institute. ‘In the UK, it’s only an offence to sell counterfeit goods,’ he says. ‘Though if it’s coming from abroad and Customs seize it, you’ll have to sign it over for destruction. If you don’t, then they can take you to court as an importer of foreign goods.’The counterfeiters use a host of tricks to get them into Britain. ‘They come in piecemeal,’ says Mr Brustad. ‘A handbag and the badge will come in separately and then they are assembled here before being sold.‘I’ve seen bags with an “OO” label — no problem there. But the leather can be snipped away to make the Chanel “CC” logo. ‘I’ve also seen counterfeits come in with cheap labels stitched over a fake Ralph Lauren logo — then they just remove the stitching.’But the brands are fighting back. In September, the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit was set up to protect British companies from online fraud. A raid in Liverpool in March netted a huge number of fake handbags, boots, sunglasses and cosmetics and led to the arrest of two men. Many may feel no sympathy for the luxury brands. But a recent crime report may give them pause for thought. It found that 79 per cent of criminal counterfeiters had links to other forms of organised crime, such as money laundering and drug dealing. So, while you may believe that buying a £135 Louis Vuitton rip-off isn’t hurting anyone but the brand, perhaps it’s doing more harm than you think.
By   

The mega rich: Yachts, private planes and crystal-studded baths...

The dream of winning a million is an every-day fantasy of most people, but experts suggest that we would find it difficult to live among the world's super rich< Ten Lifestyle also do billionaires’ personal shopping, with staff liaising with stores like Liberty, Selfridges and Harrods to source the latest designer gear for demanding customers. Their most requested item is the Hermes Birkin bag, costing up to £10,000. >





Mega rich: (Left to right) Kirsty Bartarelli, Phillip Green, Petra and Tamara Ecclestone  The dream of winning a million and joining the jet set has long been a fantasy of ordinary mortals.But these days a million pounds wouldn’t even get you into the VIP departure lounge in the weird world of the mega rich – let alone on the plane sipping champagne.
They are the one per cent of the global population to whom the word ‘millionaire’ means someone with small change.
Enough, maybe, to buy you a swanky apartment in London – but what about the yacht, the Picasso, and the crystal-studded bath, darling?
And then there’s the private plane, the ski chalet in Courcheval, and the ­superstar-studded birthday party. A mere million won’t get you that.
Even in our wildest lottery dreams, we’d find it hard to imagine life among the super rich, say the experts who keep an eye on their world.
According to a report, the average billionaire spends £13million on yachts, £9.5million on private planes and £8.2million on art.
Author Stewart Lansley has written extensively about Britain’s super rich, including Topshop boss Philip Green, 62.
Stewart says there two types of billionaire – the ones who prefer to be discreet and those who like to splash the cash.
He says: “Philip Green is an extrovert, he loves to throw a party so he’s always lavishing money on guests. They spend money like water.”
Green blew £6.5million on his 60th birthday bash, flying out Michael Bublé, Stevie Wonder and Robbie Williams to entertain guests at a resort in Mexico.
Included was a £150,000 fireworks display and guests drank Cos d’Estournel 2001 at £120 a bottle and Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 2009 at £80.
Green’s daughter Chloe, 23, has taken up her father’s lifestyle. When she’s not in Barbados with ex Marc Anthony, Ibiza with Kate Moss, or Miami with her brother Brandon, Chloe skis in elite French resort Courcheval or hangs out on the Greens’ £20million yacht at Monte Carlo.
For her 18th birthday pressie she got a flat in London’s Belgravia and she claims to own 70 pairs of Louboutin heels.
The daughters of billionaire Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, 83, are no strangers to spending. In 2010 Tamara, 29, hit the headlines when she paid £1million for a bath tub studded with rare Amazon crystals, saying: “I spend a lot of time in the bath.”
And younger sister Petra thought nothing of splashing £91million on a 57,000 sq ft hilltop LA mansion.
These days you don’t have to be aristocracy to live the life of Riley. The UK’s richest woman is neither an heiress nor a Lady.
Kirsty Bertarelli, 42, is a former Miss UK who came third in the 1988 Miss World contest and wrote songs for the ’90s band All Saints.
She is worth £7.4billion and enjoys holidays with her Swiss husband on board their £100million yacht.
Josh Spero, editor of Spear’s magazine for the ultra-rich, says the real bragging-rights trophies among the super rich are, inevitably, yachts and supercars – but also art.
“With the cars, we’re not talking about stuff you see on Top Gear,” he says. “These are models you’ve never even heard of because they’re so expensive and produced in such limited numbers.
“When it comes to art, paintings by Picasso and Francis Bacon go for tens of millions. Jeff Koons’ work has sold for just shy of $58million.
" People who can afford it see it as a huge investment and can get very competitive about it too.”
Roman Abramovich's yacht, which is worth around £300million
But there are also the rare billionaires who prefer to stay out of the limelight. The best-known is Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, 47.
Stewart says: “He has a lot of properties and yachts but in person he’s a very quiet man. He’s shy and doesn’t like to socialise.”
Eclipse, the super yacht owned by the Russian, is said to be worth around £300million. It boasts two helicopter pads, 24 guest cabins, two pools, several hot tubs, three launch boats, a mini-submarine and around 70 crew members.

Another man happy to spend his fortune sailing the seas is truly mega-rich Brit James Dyson, inventor and founder of Dyson vacuum cleaners.
He recently spent £25million refitting the Nahlin, a luxury steam yacht built in 1929 and once used by King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.
Then there are the anonymous billionaires.
Josh says: “You will always get a few fame-seekers, but what most very wealthy people want is to be left alone. Some even employ reputation managers to keep them out of the rich list.
"They don’t want people writing to them begging for money. They don’t want to be at risk of kidnapping.”
But whatever type they are, the mega rich expect their money to talk for them and to get what they want – as the ‘lifestyle concierges’ who help plan their daily lives know only too well.
Alex Cheatly, boss of concierge firm Ten Lifestyle, says: “I had a female client call to say her daughter really wanted to go and see Justin Bieber but it was sold out.
“So we sorted front row seats and the daughter got to go backstage to meet Justin after the show.”
Earlier this month Alex arranged for a British client living in Singapore to fly to London with his teenage son for 48 hours to see the FA Cup Final.
They requested a box at Wembley plus dinner, hotel and hospitality, costing the client tens of thousands of pounds. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
One employee at a top concierge service told us of the Saudi prince who had portraits of his face made from chocolate to give to guests at his birthday party.
She also recalled a client who phoned them while on the toilet in his Dubai hotel to say he’d run out of loo roll. He asked them to call the hotel thousands of miles away to demand they send up more. 


Petra Ecclestone's £91million hilltop mansion in Los Angeles    Then there was the rich philanderer who would regularly send flowers to several different women at once, with the same message, while keeping a note on his account warning staff not to tell his wife.Alex says this kind of thing is par for the course when your net worth comes with nine zeros.
He says: “A client will express an interest in a new Jag and we will arrange to have one sent to their home with a couple of alternative models to test drive.”
Ten Lifestyle also do billionaires’ personal shopping, with staff liaising with stores like Liberty, Selfridges and Harrods to source the latest designer gear for demanding customers. Their most requested item is the Hermes Birkin bag, costing up to £10,000.
And having mega bucks means billionaires also don’t have to deal with the day-to-day annoyances of household chores.
Clients will send over a to-do list detailing a stain on the carpet, wonky shelf, broken doorbell and dripping tap and the team will book the handymen.
And requests can be as sublime or ridiculous as the client’s whim.
Alex says: “We once had a mother contact to ask if we could source a child’s fancy dress outfit for a party the next day.”
But Spear’s editor Josh says billionaires’ children are rarely brought up spoilt. “Most rich parents I know want their kids to grow up appreciating the value of money,” he says. “A lot of them are big philanthropists too. They give a lot of their money away to charities.”
But ultimately the question we all want the answer to is this: Does all their money make them happier than us?
Josh doesn’t think so. “Rich people still suffer from all the same problems as us. They fall ill, relationships fail, they just have a better cushion for dealing with it.
“And of course they have problems specific to their lifestyle such as ‘Oh God, is there a problem with my private jet?’”
So forget that worrying noise coming from under your old banger’s bonnet, and spare a thought for the billionaire hearing the same sound at 40,000ft.
By Francesca Cookney
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/...

Martha Stewart, Anna Wintour Party It Up at Hermes Bash

The French fashion house brought its popular luxe wares to a magical event on New York's Wall Street Tuesday night. Courtesy of Hermes
Where does a luxury label that continues to post record sales growth host one of its splashiest events of the year? On Wall Street, of course.
In the shadow of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday night, Hermes presented "All About Women," a spotlight on the craft of the storied French label. Previous incarnations have taken place in Paris and Shanghai -- so why New York this year? "We just felt the timing was right to do something in May right before the Memorial Day holiday, and to create an evening all about theatre, discovery, magic and fun," explained Robert Chavez, president of Hermes of Paris, the label's U.S. arm. "Hermes is uncompromising in terms of quality and craftsmanship, but we also want to do it with that element of magic and surprise, and that's what you're seeing here tonight. All of the products relate to women, but are presented here in a whimsical, fun, yet very committed way."

Chavez co-hosted the evening with Hermes CEO Axel Dumas (a sixth-generation descendent of founder Thierry Hermes); together they welcomed a client-heavy audience of more than 700, including Jodie Foster, Martha Stewart, Glenda Bailey, Anna Wintour and Scout Willis. The night kicked off with an encore presentation of the Hermes fall-winter collection, which debuted in Paris on March 5, thus allowing those who didn't catch its premiere to enjoy an up-close chance to ogle Christophe Lemaire's sumptuous take on the season, seen in some exquisite oversize coats in leather or cashmere, menswear-inspired suits and dresses that artfully employed one of the house's most iconic elements, its scarf prints.
Once Lemaire took his bow, it was off to the carnival downstairs. The "magic and fun" Chavez referred to took on a variety of forms, though each circled back to the Hermes wares women find so lustworthy. A duet of female guitarists performed "songs of silk" in a tent crafted in a kaleidoscope of silk carres, while next door, hula dancers undulated in Hermes swimwear. Across from dancing girls executing their routines in the house's sandals -- with each carrying a different handbag -- guests were served Champagne at the Bangle Bar from women whose faces were obscured by the circular structure so you could more easily notice the enamel bracelets each wore from wrist to elbow. And near a display of equestrian-themed leather goods, Stewart gamely took part in the fun by having her photo taken on a carousel horse.

Following these and other temptations, it was back upstairs, where a nightclub had replaced the runway. Wintour and Bailey had ducked out by then, but Chavez was last seen on the dance floor, dancing with a carefree spirit to Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin'." And why not? Hermes has likely sold an abundance of those as well.

RIDE ON: Martha Stewart on a horse.
  May 22, 2014 by Laurie BrookinsThe Hollywood Reporter  

Hermès Spins Castoffs Into Quirky Line

Petit h Turns Discarded Materials Into Pricey Tchotchkes Hermes is turning the company's waste stream--flawed silk scarves, broken glassware, discontinued-color leather and crocodile skinss--into whimsical new products, called "Petit H." 
It is an awfully strange recycling program. Here in this working-class Paris suburb, rejected leather pelts, broken bits of porcelain, decapitated crystal goblets and strips of silk scarves are being assembled into pricey objets d'art.Each shard, strip and skin comes from an Hermès product that failed to make it through the company's famously persnickety design scrutiny. A felt-and-leather file folder came from the handles of a never-finished Birkin bag. A horse sculpture is covered in purple crocodile in a discontinued shade. Cockamamie candleholders are assembled from porcelain Fil d'Argent-pattern tea cups and coffee mugs that have been attached to crystal wine stems.The concept is the brainchild of Pascale Mussard, a member of the often eccentric Hermès clan. A bit of a magpie with a distaste for waste, the 57-year-old collected flotsam and jetsam while working at her family's factories in various jobs, including co-creative director. She started Petit h, a collection of artful objects made from castoffs, four years ago.At the factory in March, Ms. Mussard—great-great-great-granddaughter of company founder Thierry Hermès—grasped a soft brown-dyed mink skin produced for the company's ready-to-wear clothing line. "This didn't do well and they took it out of the collection," she said. "But it's beautiful."Behind her hung dozens of crocodile skins and leathers in a rainbow of colors. A nearby storage room was filled with boxes of belt buckles, zippers, luggage tags, rope and other materials that would no longer be used as originally intended. A tub of lace, labeled "Gaultier," came from the first clothing collection that Jean Paul Gaultier designed for Hermès in 2003. Artists are set loose amid this waste stream to conceive of ideas for the small atelier to develop. "This is a laboratory," Ms. Mussard said. Nearby, a half-dozen artisans clustered around a work table discussing how to assemble a new design for Petit h. (The "h" is pronounced "ahsh," the way the French say the letter.) The designs can be kooky, but to anyone familiar with Hermès designs, they feel oddly familiar. For instance, a large orange bookcase, shaped like an angular squirrel from one angle, is made of steel encased in Togo calfskin once destined for Hermès leather goods. Petit h objects are as expensive as they are rare. Each item is either unique or produced in very limited quantities. The bookcase, titled "Origami Squirrel Sculpture," is priced at $112,400. An alligator and calfskin tablet case costs $8,250. A buffalo leather sailboat whose sail was once a "Petit Duc" silk scarf is $10,200. A calfskin elephant is $58,200, while a crystal bowl is a relative bargain at $1,925.Unlike regular Hermès goods, Petit h items aren't widely distributed. They are sold regularly only at the Hermès store in Paris's St. Germain neighborhood, though there are traveling exhibits. In the second half of June, the Hermès store at South Coast Plaza in Southern California will display and sell Petit h objects. A few will be sold at hermes.com as well.The quirkiness of Petit h might seem jarring to people who think of Hermès as a maker of Kelly bags and pricey scarves. Hermès's profit margins are among the highest in luxury goods, and the company—whose customers tend to be among the world's wealthiest—has been more insulated against economic downturns than rivals such as LVMH. Its sales rose 7.8% last year to 3.75 billion euros ($5.13 billion). Though publicly traded, the company is controlled and operated by the family.But the broader ethos of the company is apparent in its flagship stores. They are stuffed to the brim, like peculiar department stores, with beach towels, jewelry boxes, sports equipment, sculpture and even equestrian saddles and bridles, all finished with a penchant for artisanal perfection that borders on pathological. The Petit h boutique within the Paris flagship amplifies that reverence for craftsmanship with gallery-like displays of objets d'art. Petit h "expresses the values most dear to Hermès," says Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès's artistic director and Ms. Mussard's cousin. He adds that it remains "faithful to the artisan spirit of the house using exceptional discarded materials to create and reinvent beautiful objects full of fantasy which are unusual."Petit h also allows Hermès to boast—as the company does on its website—"We don't throw anything away." (The company does have other re-use efforts. For instance, scarves with very tiny defects are shredded and used to stuff pillows.) The recycling message reverberates today, but Ms. Mussard attributes the concept of frugality to her mother, who grew up during World War II. "We saved everything," she says. Her mother insisted the family finish yesterday's bread before starting on a fresh loaf. "By that time the (new) loaf was no longer fresh," says Ms. Mussard.Years later, Ms. Mussard would wince as she witnessed defective Hermès products being destroyed so that they couldn't be sold as seconds or on the black market. Ms. Mussard ferreted boxes of useful detritus out of Hermès factories for years. Then she met Gilles Jonemann, a jewelry designer working under his own name who held no reverence for Kelly bags or silk scarves. "I knew nothing about Hermès," Mr. Jonemann says, "except for things I didn't like."When she asked him to work secretly for a year, without pay, he helped her squirrel more rejects out of Hermès factories in the trunk of his car. Together, they created 100 prototypes, many of them whimsical. With a broken teapot, Mr. Jonemann said, "We'll make a lamp." He added wings and hung it so the pot would seem to fly. They made a tall leather-covered camel and named it "Raul."When she took the concept of selling Petit h goods to her family, Ms. Mussard read her written proposal verbatim because she was so nervous to stray from the paper. "I said, I have a project and you cannot say no. I know you all think I'm crazy," she says. The family agreed to test the concept, though she had to find legal means to re-use the previously copyrighted products. (Artists hired by Hermès own the copyright to their designs.) "The lawyers said, "Impossible!" she recalls. She met with artists to seek their permission.These days, there is no more sneaking around. "Now," she says, "the factories save leftovers for me."The artisans were selected by Ms. Mussard to join the Petit h atelier after proving themselves at Hermès's larger factories. One spent 20 years making prototypes for leather collections, another made suitcases, and yet another came from the repair department, where he learned to identify design flaws. There are silversmiths, and a seamstress who is learning leather work. The objects created at Petit h must be made to Hermès's standards. When asked if a thin leather shelf was wrapped around cardboard, Ms. Mussard replied, "No, it's Hermès. We never use cardboard."
Christina Binkley, Wall Street Journal 
Photo: Hermes. Pantin, France

Today's Bargain: Hermes Jewelry Box $36,200 (jewelry not included)

$36,200

Second Time Tyler Shields Has Lied - He Uses Counterfeit Birkin's

It's too bad this guy is, as Dina Eastwood has referred to him, a "pathological liar."  Last time he made the news by destroying (setting fire to and slicing it with a chain saw) a red "Birkin" bag, but we later learned the bag was a fake. Now he's at it again, this time even going so far as to say "that it took him seven months to get a hold of the bag".  (Note to Tyler, I can get you one in Chinatown in seven minutes.)
This blue bag is clearly made of plastic or "faux croc" (as the lingo goes).
Here's the article as it appears in the Daily Mail:

Anything to get a good snap! Tyler Shields photographs an alligator and actress gnawing on $100,000 crocodile skin Hermes Birkin bagBy
He’s made a name for himself thanks to his controversial photo shoots, and Tyler Shields’ latest offering is up there with the most shocking.This time, the celebrity photographer has fed a Hermes Birkin bag worth around $100,000 to an alive and deadly alligator.Tyler snapped pictures of the reptile and actress Ana Mulvoy-Ten sinking their teeth into the hugely expensive and highly-coveted handbag, which poignantly was blue crocodile skin.
A photo shoot with bite: Tyler Shield has taken pictures of an alligator and actress Ana Mulvoy-Ten sinking their teeth into a Hermes Birkin bag
The 32-year-old told MailOnline that it took him seven months to get hold of the bag – the second he has destroyed in the name of art – due to a waiting list, but just four days to find an alligator.The shocking images show Ana, 22, just separated from the animal with the tote, while lying on the ground in a black leotard and matching heels.In some of the shots they are both gnawing on the handbag, while others see Ana feeding it to the alligator and in one he is left to get stuck into it himself.Tyler, who most recently photographed Rumer Willis, said they were ‘inches from death at any moment’.
A hole lot of money: The celebrity photographer says the highly-coveted crocodile skin bag, worth $100,000, has been destroyed

'Inches from death': It took a lot of time and patience to set up the shot, and bravery from the Nickelodeon alum, who stars in Tyler's new movie Outlaw
‘At one point during the shoot when Ana and the gator were both biting the bag it closed one of its eyes as if it was going to attack her, but did not,’ he revealed to MailOnline. ‘It was one of the most insane moments I have ever photographed.’As for how they set up the shot in the first place, Tyler explained that it involved a lot of time and patience.‘It was a game of inches,’ he said. ‘When we started the day it was feet, and slowly as the day progressed we got closer and closer to the gator until Ana was inches away.’He added: ‘I have been wanting to do this for over a year and finally made it happen.’
Shock factor: Ana can be seen biting the bottom of the tote while dressed in a leotard, as the reptile chomps on the handle

Coming soon: The images are part of Tyler's latest art series Indulgence, which will be shown at the Guy Hepner gallery in Los Angeles and Imitate Modern gallery in LondonTyler took the pictures of the Nickelodeon alum and star of his new movie Outlaw, and their scaly friend in downtown Los Angeles, and reveals that the Birkin is now ‘full of gator teeth holes and is destroyed.’He made headlines in May 2012 when he set another Hermes Birkin bag, this time in red crocodile skin, on fire and then sliced it with a chainsaw.The alligator images are each an edition of three and part of Tyler’s latest art series Indulgence.Indulgence will be shown at the Guy Hepner gallery in Los Angeles and Imitate Modern gallery in London.
Money to burn: Tyler made headlines in 2012 when he set another Hermes Birkin on fire, then sliced it with a chainsaw
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Luxury Boutique or Melrose Place Pied a Terre?

The Row's New L.A. Flagship Is Much More Ridiculous Than Your Typical BoutiqueIf you thought Bergdorf’s and Hermes on Madison were the height of luxury, The Row’s new L.A. flagship may change your mind. Gone are the days when Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were known for teeny bopper hits like Passport to Paris and Holiday in the Sun, because the design duo’s flagship is just about the most chic, grown-up storefront I can possibly imagine. Complete with a Melrose Place address, we’d say the Olsen twins’ flagship is destined for great things.
1. The Flagship Is Less Like a Store and More Like an EstateThe midcentury modern-style real estate is all streamlined glass, sliding doors, and minimalist architecture.
2. Being a Hollywood Home, The Store Has a Glass Courtyard (Because Why Not?)The Row’s new space has an airy, open feel thanks to a glass-enclosed courtyard which is visible from all corners of the store.
3. The Space Used to Be The Most Beautiful Hair Salon Imaginable…John Freida and Sally Hershberger each set up shop in the home before it became property of The Row.
4. …As Well as One of Neil Diamond’s HauntsAs if two legendary hair stylist occupants weren’t enough, performer Neil Diamond owned the property as well.
4. The Store Has a Swimming PoolBecause shopping gets exhausting, and customers really need a way to unwind after their strenuous stroll around the boutique.

Pin itImage: WWD/Donato Sardella
5. The Store Houses MK and A’s Expanding Collection of CuriosA little know fact: Mary Kate and Ashley are collectors of art and various objets, which are on display for customers.
6. Each Dressing Room is Outfitted in Pink Limestone…ReallyPerhaps I should rethink my own closet, because a carpeted, pink limestone dressing rooms sounds like perfection.
7. The “Library” of The Flagship is Devoted to Formal Wear (and Manolo Blahnik’s)A library with a fireplace and armchairs should also have an unlimited supply of designer heels and evening gowns.
8. The Store is Split Into East and West “Galleries” Which Actually Resemble Art GalleriesThe light-filled halls of the East and West Galleries include glass cases full of beautiful accessories and jewelry, interspersed with utilitarian sitting areas and racks of clothing.
9. Beware Entering The Row’s Flagship, Because You May Want to Move InThe Row’s new space may be one of the most beautiful designer storefronts to date, so I wouldn’t be surprised if one plucky customer showed up, suitcase in hand, and decided to stay for a mini vacation. Want to see more pics? WWD has a grand slideshow of all the amazingness that is The Row’s flagship store.

http://www.bustle.com/articles/24193-...