WILD HORSES IN LAS VEGAS CRYSTALS

Stella McCartney is the English Rose of the fashion industry.   Originally known as the young British girlSTELLA McCARTNEY - MOTHERHOOD BECOMES HER given the role of revamping the French fashion house Chloe back in 1997, Stella really set the fashion world on fire.  McCartney brought with her a sense of British Tweeds and tailoring to a very French collection that was known for skirt suits and pastel colors.   The results were legendary as Chloe once again became the hottest collection in the fashion world.  (The label was dying a slow death under Karl Lagerfeld's second tenure at the house that had made him internationally known).   Stella's ironic sense of mix and match fabrics  and prints with tweeds was ahead of the curve and set the standard for any collection that was to be deemed young or relevant.STELLA McCARTNEY BLOOMS AT CRYSTALS IN LAS VEGAS

Fast forward 14 years and Stella McCartney, the brand, is a global fashion empire.   Ten years into a partnership with PPR, McCartney has 14 boutiques in major cities from L.A. to Hong Kong.  Wisely, McCartney has grown the company slowly.  Building on items as she found her voice.CRYSTAL CHANDELIER - STELLA McCARTNEY - LAS VEGAS  Projects with Adidas and H&M are just two examples of how Stella built her recognition,  and her reputation for knowing what Women want.    With the addition of fragrance, lingerie, skin care,  and most recently -children's wear to the brand, McCartney now has something for all aspects of the busy life her core customer lives.   The busy life she lives herself, as Stella now has a husband and four children.  Talk about multi-tasking.CITRUS PRINT - FALABELLA

In addition to all this, what Stella the Woman has, is conviction.   A lifelong Vegan, Stella refused to use leather in her collection of shoes and handbags.  This is no small achievement and in fact it is unprecedented in the world of luxury fashion.  Most Italian luxury brands were built on leather goods.  Houses like Gucci and Prada would not exist if it were not for the specialty leather items that Italy is so famous for.   To say that Stella was under pressure to use leather when she started her business would be an understatement.   Stella stuck to her guns.  It took longer to establish the categories, much longer in fact, but now in 2011 they are vibrant and growing collections.  The Falabella bag is a bonified hit and Stella has her first 'it" bag.  The latest version of the bag has the fruit print that was the center of the Summer runway collection.    

For the location of her third U.S. boutique,  Stella chose the hottest spot in sin city by LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT -STELLA McCARTNEY- $195.00opening a beautiful store in the Crystal's at City Center in Las Vegas.  The multi-billion dollar complex is the most luxurious shopping center in the U.S., if not the world. 

The center piece of the 2,900 square foot boutique is "Lucky Spot", a chandelier made from 7,000 Swarovski crystals.   Named for the Appaloosa horse owned by Stella's mother, the chandelier is striking.  The use of the crystals in the Crystals is a chic tribute to the unique shopping center designed by Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell. 

To celebrate the opening, McCartney designed a T-shirt that screams Vegas - literally.   The limited edition shirt is $195, available only in Las Vegas and the perfect gift for any fashion fan on your list.  To contact the store click - VEGAS.

SWAROVSKI DAZZLES BROADWAY IN SOHO

The first name in sparkle opened the first of a new concept store in Soho last week.   The Swarovski Crystallized boutique on Broadway is the first of its kind - but is likely the first of many to be dazzling the world of retail jewelry.  To see more - click- SWAROVSKI