KAMALI IS COOL!

NORMA KAMALILooking for that perfect summer swimsuit?   You are not alone.   Memorial Day came early this year and if it snuck up on you - don't worry - there is an easy way to find that perfect go-to swimsuit.   Norma Kamali has been making swimwear that could double as day-wear for decades!   Click here to see more suits! - Kamali NORMA KAMALI ONE PIECE

AIDEN SHAW IS BRUTAL

AIDEN SHAW The name Aiden Shaw makes millions of women around the world sigh and swoon as they think of the fictional love interest of Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex & The City.   The name Aiden Shaw also makes millions of men around the world sigh for a different reason.   You see, the Aiden Shaw that has a mythical appeal to men is not the fictional character in SATC, but the real life version.  

The real Aiden Shaw is... CLICK -AIDEN to Continue article.

FERRAGAMO FALL PREVIEW -RECAP

JASON WITH COURTNEY & ANNAMARIA IN BEVERLY HILLSI want to thank all my readers who came out to the Ferragamo previews in March & April.   We had some great events around the country and the Fall collection in all categories got everyone excited from San Francisco to NYC!

The Ferragamo legacy is long!  The company has kept the richest women in the world well-heeled for over 80 years!  The pleasant surprise is that while so many fashion companies have raised prices dramatically in the past few years - Ferragamo has maintained quality, design, and value for the items.   This might seem revolutionary - but there can be value in designer merchandise.    When you have the finest raw materials, crafted by artisans - you have a product that is luxurious and timeless - making it valuable.   Granted these are designer price points - but never insulting.STILETTO BOOT & ROSETTE CLUTCH

What is very exciting is to see the developments the company has made in handbags and ready-to-wear.

Never having been all about logos is really a strength that Ferragamo will benefit from in the year to come - as with this current economic environment - who wants to be known for initials?   If you buy a designer item these days - you want to know it will stand the test of time - and make you look and feel good - not have the item wearing you as you showcase a logo.BLUE ALLIGATOR & PURPLE OSTRICH SATCHELS

Ferragamo is one of the few fashion houses that offer a special order program for exotic skin bags.   You can choose a silhouette, choose a skin and make it your own.   The made to order item also comes with a personally engraved nameplate inside.   A custom program like this is a true sign of a house of luxury.

Stand outs from the preview were the clutch bags - still huge for fall! - gorgeous boots - more stiletto than riding going forward for fall 09 - and the colors - especially the deep dark burgundy!!  JASON WITH RACHELLE PRYBER IN SOUTH COAST

Stop by a Ferragamo boutique in your town soon - take a peek at fall items arriving - and pick up something fun for summer now!  There are several sandals in the collection for summer that are just what you need for your sunny weekends.

A special thanks to Ferragamo for providing generous gift bags to those who rsvp'd!  Those famous red gift bags were a pleasant surprise!  

Hope to see even more of you next season & I can't wait to see what the designers at Ferragamo dream up!

SPRING CLEANING WITH THE JOY OF SOAP

Spring has sprung and if you haven't gotten around to spring cleaning yet - start with yourself.  As in - your person. 

We use soap for a very straightforward purpose - to cleanse.   While bathing is a basic, universal experience - it can also be ritualistic and even spiritual at times.  Consider that most cultures and religions have similar expressions - "cleanliness is next to godliness".

This whole concept of cleanliness also has a natural connection to the world of luxury goods.  If something is luxurious, naturally it is clean, refined, and pure.COCO CHANEL CIRCA 1920

Interestingly enough, it is said that Coco Chanel herself was obsessed with cleanliness and personal hygiene, due in large part to the time she spent with nuns in her youth.  (Truth be told- so much of what is the "CHANEL" image came from the nuns.   The use of Black and White, the Long dangling chains, etc.)MERYL STREEP IN DOUBT

I started thinking about the connection when I was recently in San Francisco for a Ferragamo event.   I discovered a new collection of handmade soaps that really made my travel kit feel more like home.

The Joy of Soap is a independent company based in San Francisco that prides itself on small, handmade batches of vegetable based soaps that are gentle on the skin and kind to the environment.  The essential oils are evident the moment you hold a bar up to your nose.  The packaging- like the soaps themselves, is clean and pure.

At a time when the world is rethinking what luxury means, a daily experience of using one of these unique bars can be just that - luxurious.   A luxurious experience that is part of your daily routine and costs well under $10.   That is hard to beat!

Favorites are "Lay Me Down Lavender" & "Rosy Cheeks Rosemary".    One of the coolest is a soap for men appropriately called "Manly Man Bar".   That one has a light scent of orange with the astringent properties of tea tree oil and ground pumice stone to give the bar an exfoliating effect.  how awesome is that?

The company has just revamped their website.  Shop on the site and make this one of your go-to resources for personal items.   Also put it on your gift source list - anyone would love to receive a box of this soap in the mail!   www.TheJoyofSoap.com