All posts filed under: Critiques

LUXURY PRODUCTS AND EXPERIENCES WE LOVE

Luxury brand Valentino has a very big heart

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Can a global luxury company have a heart? Especially in the middle of the holiday shopping season? In the case of Valentino, the answer is an emphatic yes. On a clear balmy Manhattan night, illuminated by a nearly-full moon, hundreds of holiday lights, and brightly-lit store windows, we set out for the Valentino flagship store on Fifth Avenue for an event celebrating the launch of the maison’s holiday collaboration with Christy Turlington Burns to benefit her charity Every Mother Counts. #everymomcounts

What are the Best Pieces in the New Resort Collections?

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

The 2017-18 luxury designer resort collections are now fully delivered, and available online and in-store. Resort (or “cruise,” if you like the old-school moniker) is one of our favorite seasons – the clothes tend to be less trendy and therefore a more sensible investment. The looks are usually polished, optimistic and versatile. Plus they evoke distant lands untouched by snow and ice: the desert, the tropics, the Mediterranean. What better way to dream a little dream than to browse the best of the resort collections? Whether you’re buying because you’ve already got an elegant trip planned, or just “window-shopping” and looking for inspiration, this is a great time of year. Our intrepid team here at Dandelion Chandelier has zeroed in on seven luxury brands we love, to see what’s on offer this resort season. We like to think of them as the “Magnificent Seven:” Gucci, Valentino, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, FENDI and Prada. We’ve assessed apparel, shoes, sneakers and handbags. And we’ve got the one must-buy item of the season. Here’s our Style Editor’s resort …

Luxury Insider Tips on the Best First Trip to Cape Town

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Insider Itinerary is an occasional series here at Dandelion Chandelier that shines a light on the best places to see, stay, and dine in some of the hottest travel destinations worldwide. Our far-flung correspondents are sharing their inside tips about how to best experience their chosen cities, especially if you’re visiting for the first time. Consider it your local luxury GPS. You’re welcome!  First up, our Paris Bureau Chief shares the ideal itinerary for a first trip to Cape Town, South Africa. His (lightly edited) suggestions follow. The coastal city is the second-most populous urban area in South Africa after Johannesburg, and the legislative capital of the country. In 2014, Cape Town was named the best place in the world to visit by both the New York Times and the Daily Telegraph. It made several lists of the best places to go in 2017. Several of our correspondents name it as one of their favorite destinations in the world. After reading this, we’re pretty sure you’ll want to see it for yourself.

Second Chance at the Masters at Louis Vuitton Right Now

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

We told you so! Earlier this year, here at Dandelion Chandelier we shared our experience with the Louis Vuitton Masters collection, designed by artist Jeff Koons. We raved about how inventive it was, and gave kudos to LV for creating the ultimate luxury product: beautiful, scarce, priced just a tiny bit out of reach, but still attainable, and with just enough options to make the shopping experience fun without being overwhelming.  We noted that this is how a luxury brand creates and sells an object of desire, and we urged you, dear reader, to go and see it for yourself. If you happened to buy one of the bags from the original Masters collection, definitely wear it and love it – they are going to be collector’s items. Now comes word that the first Masters collection was so popular that LV and Koons have now released a follow-up: there are 5 new artists now featured on a range of LV leather goods. Don’t miss your chance to see them – as with the first delivery, …

Wardrobe Secrets: This Holiday, Green is the New Red

Published by Pamela Thomas-Graham

Juniper, holly, spruce, fir, evergreen, forest, dark billiard, or climbing ivy – it goes by many names. But the smoky, deep, mysterious, earthy shade of green that is showing up in holiday deliveries for many contemporary brands is delicious. For our money, it should totally displace red as the color of the season this year. We first encountered this shade – which looks great on everyone – when perusing the racks at Neiman Marcus. It’s not a shade that will jump out at you online. Even at retail, it’s quiet and shimmering, which is part of what we love. It feels festive, but not showy. Fun, but not loud. Grownup, but not dull. And it’s not shouting “holiday” in a way that will make you feel that you can’t wear it after New Year’s Eve. This is actually a perfect shade for apres-ski that will take you straight through March. And hey, who cares if you don’t ski? You’ll look as if you do, and that’s totally fine.