Roberto Cavalli Opens First Nightclub in Florence, Italy

Designer Roberto Cavalli opened his first nightclub in the beautiful city of Florence in Italy this past week. Cavalli chose a 15th century deconsecrated church as the location of the club which was in a desperate need for a restoration. The church, and now his nightclub, is near the 13th-century Basilica di Santa Maria del Carmine, and it is adorned with Renaissance masterpieces by artists such as Masaccio and Masolino. “I feel I helped recover a real jewel,” says Cavalli of the recovered church which is now turned into a luxurious nightclub. Cavalli along side with architect Italo Rota took full advantage of the high ceilings of the original building and also added additional level. A lounge bar is located on the ground floor; a stage with a piano is placed in a niche where the altar used to be, and a 50-seat restaurant is on the upper floor. The decor is greatly nature inspired including steel leaves decorating the columns, a huge twisting steel snake on the side of the bar, an aquarium, an oversize shell on one wall, and seats with the designer’s infamous animal prints. Cavalli will open two more nightclubs in the upcoming year, one in Dubai at the end of January 2009, which will have a “a huge stairway” and plenty of glittering Swarovski crystals, and the other in Milan in February 2009. The designer is also working on renovating Milan’s former Just Cavalli Café and turning it into a Club.

Louboutin’s “Barbie” Pumps

Barbie’s 50th Birthday is coming up next year and for her special runway show in 2009, the infamous doll is getting to ready to wear a fabulous pair of Louboutins. Christian Louboutin is designing a pair of pumps in the legendary Barbie Pantone 219 Pink that will make their debut at the Barbie Mattel runway show during New York Fashion Week in February 2009. As of now, 50 designers, unfortunately still undisclosed, will create Barbie inspired outfits for the extravagant show and each of the models will wear the special pink Louboutins. As for Louboutin, whose pumps are by far the most wanted worldwide, he is a longtime fan of Barbie, “I guess I always had a little “girlie side” who liked Barbie. Barbie needs to wear great shoes because every girl needs to wear great shoes.”

Coco Avant Chanel: New On-Set Stills with Audrey Tautou

The new edition of Elle France published new on-set stills from the upcoming film Coco Avant Chanel starring Audrey Tautou. The movie is currently filming in Paris and is said to be released in France in May of 2009 and will be available worldwide following later in the year. The film will center around Coco Chanel’s earlier years. Designer Karl Lagerfeld has collaborated with costumer Catherine Leterrier for the extravagant film costumes which will include classic Chanel designs and will show how Mademoiselle Chanel was “different from the ladies of her time” — “she was poor, but she had her own style.”

Roberto Cavalli House by Italo Rota

Designers create stunning pieces on the runway, but have you ever wondered what their houses must look like? Here is a small preview of Roberto Cavalli’s new house by Italo Rota. The house was especially designed for Cavalli and it is located on the beautiful hills of Florence in Italy. The house’s color can be changed to match the personality of the owner and knowing Cavalli’s love for wild prints and bright palettes, it is only natural that the exterior looks exactly like this. This wildly printed glass house has a modern interior and a breath taking view of the romantic Florence city.

Matthew Williamson to design a Collection for H&M

H&M has revealed their next designer who will create a collection for the much successful brand and it is none other than Matthew Williamson. I have to admit that I haven’t been so excited about anyone else as I am about Matthew as he has become one of my favorite designers. His work at Pucci was admirable and his own collection for Spring 2009 at New York Fashion Week was breath taking. Matthew’s sense of style is stunning and you can always expect beautiful patterns and explosive palette of warm, rich colors.

“It is an incredible opportunity to be working with H&M creating a ‘Matthew Williamson for H&M’ capsule collection. I love the fact that H&M has created a new phenomenon in fashion through the pioneering concept of collaborating with high-end designers to create one-off limited edition capsule collections. I am thrilled that my creations for H&M will be accessible to and hopefully enjoyed by so many people around the world,” says Williamson.

“Matthew has such a good eye and a way for working with prints that he mixes up in a new way. When he combines these things, you get a very contemporary London look,” says H&M’s creative advisor Margareta van den Bosch. “He is fantastic with piling on color - it’s a very stylish collaboration for H&M, and very much in line with the way we’re thinking about fashion for spring/summer.”

The collection is expected to hit stores from April 23 of 2009 and I certainly cannot wait! Below are some of the looks from his Spring 2009 Collection at New York Fashion Week.

Swarovski Christmas Jewels Collection 2008

As Christmas is approaching, what better sparkling companion of this special holiday than Swarovski. Whether you want to decorate with crystals or give someone special something just as special, Swarovski has it all. The Christmas Jewels Collection for 2008 features many jewels inspired by snowflakes and stars, in silver, gold and clear crystal shades.

This beautiful star hair clip has a shimmering design with Black Diamond, Silver Shade and and clear crystal pavé and it is priced at CAD $105. This would not only make a great gift for someone over the holidays but it is also a beautiful accessory that would give some sparkle against the winter cold weather outside. One of the most beautiful pieces in the collection are the set of gold plated necklace, earrings and bracelet with bezel set clear crystal chatons and antique square cut Moonlight and Silver Shade crystals. The necklace is priced at CAD $220, the earrings at CAD $65, and the bracelet at CAD $260.

If instead you wish to have something even more gentler or are looking for something extra loving to give, heart pendants and swan engraved rings are your choice. The Signature Ring is not only appealing because of its classy shape but it offers something dreamy and magical with the Swanflower(TM) motif gleaming in clear crystal pavé. It is priced at $ CAD120. The mini heart and butterfly pendant is an excellent choice for any occasion. The heart is in faceted clear crystal and butterfly in Light Rose crystal and it is priced at CAD $55. You may also like the Emotion Pendant which is Rhodium-plated with open heart in clear crystal pavé and smaller heart-cut crystal. It is priced at CAD $105.

Gucci’s Heart Tattoo Bags for UNICEF

For its fourth annual campaign to benefit UNICEF, fashion brand Gucci launched special white versions bags of its Tattoo Heart Collection. All the bags feature the iconic Gucci heart and rose designs against the winter white beautiful color.

“I love the idea of a heart being tattooed onto the handbags,” says Gucci’s creative director Frida Giannini. “It’s a permanent mark that you can wear with pride that stays with you. I think that represents very well what we are doing here. This is not a one-off program, but rather an ongoing commitment to the incredible work that UNICEF is able to achieve. It’s really our chance to give back.”

The Gucci UNICEF Tattoo Collection is available from November 19th to January 31st in Gucci stores in more than twenty countries. 25% of the sales will be donated to the charity which will assist in providing aid to orphans and children affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa.

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