A.P.C. shop offers well-priced contemporary fashion with clean lines

A.P.C. is a French fashion label created by the Tunisian born designer Jean Touitou. A.P.C. stands for‘Atelier de Production et de Création’ and it was founded in 1988 at 39 Rue Madame 75006 Paris. This is also the location of the flagship A.P.C. shop. It sells ready-to wear simple, chic clothing for both men and women. The A.P.C. label, very much like other designer brands, for instance, rick owensdrk shadow or Comme des Garcon Play is worn by both celebrities as well as the fashion-conscious average shopper.

The label is known for its minimalist, clean and simple designs and all the outfits are manufactured keeping in mind the basic essentials of a wardrobe. Certain characteristics of military garments are very much in evidence in Touitou’s label but his distaste for ill-fitting loose clothes is also very evident in the cut and fit of his outfits. Logos are hardly visible on an A.P.C. garment and the most important thing for Touitou is the fit and the simplicity of the outfit. In fact, he is the master of giving a twist to ordinary clothes with just simple touches here and there which lift that garment above the boring and the mundane. As he himself says that boredom comes from repeating things and he does not like to do it.

A.P.C.’s most popular product is its selvage jeans made from raw denim. These come in a variety of washes and each pair has a unique finish to it. Long lasting and versatile, the A.P.C. selvage jeans are fashionable and slim-cut and always contemporary. Touitou keeps pace with urban design trends combining them with subtlety rather than going overboard. The result is a contemporary, fashionable look which is also timeless in its appeal. The label is often referred to as the French ‘Gap’ but it is definitely far superior to the popular chain brand as the A.P.C. shop is the seller of the finest clothing. There is nothing ostentatious about A.P.C. clothing or merchandise and the accessories like belts, necklaces, sunglasses have fun elements in them rather than being weighed down by gaudiness. The A.P.C. shop not only stocks goods for adults but also has a clothing line for young boys and girls.

Although initially Touitou sold his products only through his own A.P.C. shop, he moved onto alliances with exclusive retailers like Bergdorf Goodman in New York and now his label can be found at small high-end retailers across the globe. Besides its flagship A.P.C. shop in Paris, the other placeswhere you can find the label are in Germany, United Kingdom, Tokyo, Belgium, Osaka, Kobe and the United States.

The inspiration behind Touitou’s designs is real people whether young or old and this is the reason why his label is such a hit as it offers clean, well-fitted stylish designs.

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Histoires des Parfums- for sensuous, sophisticated and opulent perfumes!

Perfumes make you feel sensuous, perfumes make you feel calm, perfumes make you feel flirty, perfumes make you feel….. the list can be endless! This is so because our olfactory senses are the strongest amongst all our senses and the smell which we imbibe sends out strong signals to the brain. The association of memory and our olfactory sense is very strong and explains the fact why we associate certain smells with specific incidents which can go right back to our childhood. 

Perfumes have been manufactured and used since eons and history is replete with anecdotes of the favourite perfume of this Queen and that Princess. This is one reason why perfumes have always been considered the privilege of the rich and have been tagged as luxury items. Although in present times this no longer holds true  in very strict terms, as perfumes can be got in a wide range of prices, nevertheless there are plenty of perfumes which come into the category of luxury and are priced very high. Histoires des Parfumsis one such luxury house of perfumes which offers many kinds of fragrances but like exclusive Comme des Garcon Play shirts or the Dries Van Noten shirt or the porter handbag or LGR sunglasses, it is affordable by only a few. 

The fragrances from this luxury brand are named after historical characters along with the year of their births and the images they evoke of the ingredients within the fragrance. Thus, we have (in order), the ‘‘1725 Casanova’, ‘1740 Marquis de Sade’, ‘1804 George Sand’, ‘1826 Eugénie de Montijo’ and the ‘1828 Jules Verne’ comprising the older perfumes from the house of Histoires des Parfums. The newer ones are named ‘Soliloquies’ and are said to have derived their inspiration from the classical notes of perfumes and the ‘Cult Books’. Recent productions include ‘Defile New York’, ‘1889 Moulin Rouge’, ‘Petroleum, Ambrarem and Rosam’ and the ‘Tuberose Trilogy’.

It is astonishing that compared to other luxury perfume houses, the brand of Histoires des Parfumsis pretty recent having been established only in 2000 and yet it has become one of the most coveted luxury brands and an exclusive one to boot! Established by Gerald Ghislain, the perfume house maintains very high standards of production and only the best ingredients are sourced and used in the manufacture of the perfumes. With a high concentration of 15%, it is no wonder that these perfumes are so highly priced. They are most available in limited editions thus retaining their exclusivity further and are much beloved by the true connoisseurs. Sophisticated and sensuous, the perfumes are luxurious and the cut-glass crystal bottles are lovely to behold. 

Histoires des Parfumsis a name to reckon with in the world of fragrancesand rightly so as the superior quality and luxurious feeling is evident in the products.

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Porter bags speak, live and breathe luxury!

An immense pleasure or satisfaction that can be derived from the purchase of an object is called luxury. Luxury, is not only the purchase of materialistic things, it is also a state of being. However, in the list of materialistic luxury, designer clothes top the charts. As more and more people are being able to afford luxury clothing, the newer and comparatively younger designers or designer houses are also gaining prominence. Brands like Silent DamirDomma, A.P. C. Man or Commes des GarconsPlay and others have a huge fan following. Luxury clothing usually stands for the best quality, amazing craftsmanship, great style and exclusivity. This is not true just for clothes. Bags, shoes and accessories take up a lot of space in designer showrooms and have a great demand. 

The best example of a brand that speaks, lives and breathes luxury in bags is porter a brand that has the largest following in Japan. The brand was established in 1962 by Yoshida & co. and was nominated as a member of the NYDC or New York Designers Collection in 1982. It was the first Japanese brand to be given such an honour and this honour has played a large role in helping the brand make a name for itself in the fashion industry. Presently, the brand has 130 lines, 900 references and is showcased in over 45 stores in japan. 

The brand is most famous for its handbags, wallets and backpacks. It is a brand for the youth and keeping this in mind, it enters into collaborations with different fashion houses as well as electronic brands to produce and sell limited merchandise. The brand house believes that the customer is king and therefore tries to put itself in the shoes of its customers and come up with bags that satisfy clients in the best possible manner. This attitude has been the reason the brand has done so well, and it serves as the philosophy of the company as well. 

The production of the products of this brand is based entirely in Japan, including designing, manufacturing and retailing. A lot of time and care goes into the production of each porter bag as the company wants each bag to spell luxury to its clients. The materials, threads and colours are combined in a unique manner to give you the best deal of exclusivity. 

One of the main features of a porter bag is its durability and sturdiness. A porter bag can be used regularly for years without any sign of breakage. Natural wear and tear can be avoided or minimized by taking care of the bag occasionally. After sales services is a special service offered by the company. Repair and cleaning services are offered for bags sold as late as ten years ago and the bags are returned looking as good as new. You have to pay a price for luxury, but when the luxury on offer is such value for money; it’s almost a necessity.

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Philip Lim shop- provides effortlessly chic clothing to the fashion cognoscenti

Philip Lim, the renowned fashion designer is of Chinese ancestry and he is known to turn ordinary clothes on its head by simply tacking on a few embellishments tastefully. He launched 3:1, his label in 2005 and hasn’t looked back since then. He was awarded the Emerging Talent by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in 2007 for 3:1 but Philip Lim has not been resting on his laurels. Every season brings a fresh perspective of his fashion ideas and thus sometimes it is street elegance which dominates his collection and sometimes it is an amalgamation of clothes which do not try too hard to look fashionable. At times he shows a distinct flair for combining the dressy with the casual while at other times, the chic and the youthful make a playful appearance at the Philip Lim shop. 

While his first few seasons comprised of collections dedicated exclusively to women since that is what he knew best, menswear had always been in the anvil for Philip Lim. His men’s collection has opened to stupendous response and is extremely interesting. The men’s jackets and suits are roomy and with unexpected proportions. But, the tailoring is as impeccable as in his women’s collection and the drapes are fluid without being slouchy. The fabrics are cotton, poplins and blends of wool and polyester. These are used for making the suits and canvas coats which can be machine washed.  The colour palette is sombre and includes camel, indigo, gray and stone. His menswear is chic, easy and effortless. The secret behind Philip Lim’s success is that he keeps his products at a very contemporary price point. The Philip Lim shop provides the full package of superior quality clothes which are not boring and are very well-priced. His clothes are designer stuff but at competitive rates very much like the decently priced rick owensdrk shadow range of jeans. 

The menswear segment of Philip Lim has garnered tremendous respect from the fashion industry and like the older establishments of A.P.C. Man or Comme de garcon shirt shop or the Dries Van Noten shirt, his menswear is a hit with the consumers. The easy and non-fussy style has consumers coming in for more at Philip Lim stores and the brand has steadily built itself as a force to reckon with. The 3:1 label of Philip Lim has become a respected business model and the clothes are available in almost 50 countries in nearly 400 stores. There is a flagship Philip Lim shop in New York, Los Angeles as well as in Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo and Hong Kong. 

In Philip Lim’s own words, his clothes are meant to refine instead of define and are classical but with a definite individual style which is effortless.

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LGR sunglasses- coveted by many but worn by few

Sunglasses automatically evoke images of sun kissed beaches and luxurious resorts with the sunglasses perched on glamorous looking women and men sipping their aperitifs! They somehow exude glamour although that is not the sole reason for sporting these stylish eyeglasses. Although sunglasses are available in a wide price range, for those whom money is not the criteria, there is nothing to beat LGR sunglasses. Like other luxury brands, for instance, porter accessories or a Dries Van Noten shirt, LGR sunglasses are much coveted and hankered after. All would love to wear them but only a few can afford them. The high price range is not due to some misguided sense of snobbery but because of the fact that these sunglasses are handmade and hand polished.

The founder of LGR sunglasses is an Italian, Luca GnecchiRuscone who stumbled upon his grandfather’s colonial style sunglasses frames and drew inspiration from their designs. Not only that, he set out to revive the hand crafted tradition and engaged artisans who had worked for his grandfather. He relied on the old methods and techniques for his production line and the end result was the very artisanal range of sunglasses. Lucca did this not only to preserve the heritage but also to introduce to the world the richness of handcrafted items. The artisans working on these sunglasses have reached that strata of excellence which cannot be duplicated by machines and each and every step is given meticulous attention. Years of experience and highly honed skills have given these artisans an eye for details and their craftsmanship is proof of the passion which they inject in their work.

The quiet confidence which Lucca has in his production is evident in the fact that his sunglasses unlike many contemporary luxury brands do not bear any external logo. The look, feel, touch and comfort of LGR sunglasses are enough for buyers to know that they are purchasing an exclusive piece. Ultra- resistant crystal makes up the lenses of the sunglasses and is also coated with an anti-reflex coating for total protection from UV rays. No paints, solvents are used in the hand polishing and these results in non-allergenic frames and a smooth finish. The frames are made of cellulose acetate which has the advantage of being manipulated without getting heated and this ensures that the wearer has a very comfortable experience with these sunglasses.

The way many luxury products like Histoire de Parfums, Silent DamirDomma or rick owensdrk shadow are stocked only in exclusive stores across the world, LGR sunglasses too are not to be found in any and every shop. Only very select stores have the privilege of stocking LGR sunglasses and rightly so, since these are the best which money can buy and they are the last word in elegance and style.

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