Nothing says new season like a fresh new bag. In honor of the start of May — and carefree warm-weather days — here are 50 of Spring 2012's most drool-worthy, highly covetable bags. Camera styles from Proenza Schouler and Lanvin, clean-lined totes from Celine and Phillip Lim, wild-hued satchels from Givenchy and Mulberry — they're all right here, they're all super chic, and they're all just perfect for starting the Summer off in style.
Photo: Greg Kessler
It's been four years since Lanvin released a fragrance, but that will change this Summer when it debuts its newest perfume, Jeanne Couture.
The fragrance is billed as a more mature and womanly version to its predecessor Jeanne — and both are named for the house's founder Jeanne Lanvin. Like the original, the Couture edition has fruity elements like raspberry, but that's where the similarities end. Jeanne Couture has notes of rose, violet leaves, cedarwood, musks, peonies, and magnolias.
Jeanne Couture's ad campaign (left) stars Juju Ivanyuk in a photo shot by Sofia Sanchez and Mauro Mongiello. Bottles will debut in Northern Europe in May, and most other countries will have the fragrance by July. Some Asian countries will start selling Jeanne Couture as late as September. Currently, there are no plans to sell the fragrance in the United States, but in France the 100 ml. bottle will cost €76, or $100.55, and the 50 ml. version is to cost €53, or $70.15 at current exchange.
Azealia Banks announced today that she'll be performing at this year's Met Gala on May 7, and she'll walk the ball's red carpet on the arm of Alexander Wang.
Banks made the announcement via Twitter Monday, writing, "I've Been invited to Perform for PRADA next week in NYC! Gonna b so lush !! Let's see what new songs I debut there!#metball2012." Last Friday, Banks tweeted, "I can't wait for the MET ball! I'm going as Alexander Wang's date. He custom made my outfit and shoes ! !!!! It's soooo hot !" Both tweets have since been removed from her Twitter profile.
That Banks was tapped to perform at the gala shouldn't be surprising. Since her self-released music video for her single "212" debuted in September, Banks has performed for Karl Lagerfeld and Nicola Formichetti. She's also appeared in Elle's April 2012 feature on women in music.
Banks joins a short list of high-profile women who will accompany designers to the annual gala, which takes place next Monday. Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler will be taking Australian actress Isabel Lucas, and Joseph Altuzarra will dress singer Lana Del Rey.
This year's Met Gala celebrates the Costume Institute's exhibit Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. The exhibit opens to the public on May 8.
Photo: Azealia Banks performing at Coachella earlier this month.
>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.
Photo: Kirsten Dunst at the London premiere of Melancholia
>> Raf Simons has been the artistic director of the women's division of Dior for a few weeks now but hasn't spent much of that time with his menswear counterpart Kris Van Assche.
Van Assche, seen above, hosted a party at the Dior men's pop-up store in New York this weekend and told WWD that he and Simons have "never been in the same place at the same time so we never got close. But I hugely admire his work."
Both men are Belgian designers who got famous for their innovative menswear, but Van Assche says that just because he and Simons come from common backgrounds doesn't mean that they have a similar aesthetic.
"I think it’s a bit of a cliché, no?" he said of that idea. He added that Simons's appointment is "great news. Let's just wait and see how he decides to express himself."
Simons was named as John Galliano's successor at Dior in early April. He'd been creative director of Jil Sander since 2005 but was ousted when Sander herself returned as the brand's designer. Van Assche was Hedi Slimane's first assistant at Dior Homme and left to present his first menswear collection in 2005. He was named design director at Dior Homme in 2007.
Photo: Kris Van Assche takes a bow at the Fall 2012 show for his eponymous menswear label.
>> Jenna Lyons says she's going through a "confusing" time in her life — but her colleagues at J.Crew are making her transition a little easier.
In a recent interview with The Guardian, Lyons says she's been able to get through leaving her husband, artist Vincent Mazeau, and selling their home in Brooklyn largely because of the support of her friends and co-workers. Her boss Mickey Drexler's in-office announcement system — which she calls "hilarious" — is probably pretty divertive, too. Read on for more from the interview.
On Drexler's announcements: "When he was installing the system, I was like: are you kidding me with this?" she says. "He even checks in from holiday — he's like: 'Hey, I'm in St.-Tropez; it's gorgeous here! Anyway, I'm having lunch at Club 55 and you should see all these people wearing white! We should do more white; it's Summer, do we have enough white?' It's hilarious — I love it."
On her divorce: "I'm adjusting," she says. "It has been hard, you know?" she continues gingerly, "but I will say, through everything, I realize how incredibly fortunate I am. Everyone has been so supportive and understanding; my friends and colleagues have all been amazing. It's certainly been one of the more confusing times of my life, but I'm getting through it."
On curating J.Crew's stores: "I don't want to put a load of pictures of J.Crew models up; people can look at the catalogue for that," she reasons. "You know where you are, hopefully: there's a label on everything. We don't need to tell you about ourselves over and over again; we'd rather share how we feel about art, a movie poster or an installation. It's about trying to make customers feel like they're getting more."
Photo: Jenna Lyons at J.Crew's Fall 2012 presentation.
