I started decorating today for the Holidays because Jeff and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year for the very first time. I was so happy when I received this e-mail containing a pic of the amazing Louis Vuitton Christmas Chest. Crafted out of materials that are used in a regular trunk, it is made extra special because it contains an array of hand blown ornaments. No doubt they would become family keepsakes to those who would own such a treasure since there are only five of them that were made by the LV Asnieres workshop. I wonder if the workshops in the North Pole would be able to make me one for me. Hmmm...I guess that's not a good idea since LV might sue Santa. Oh well. Let the Holidays begin! Merry Christmas!!! LVoe it!!!

"One small step for man, one giant leap for leather goods", says the press kit. July 20 marks the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s first lunar landing, and to commemorate, Louis Vuitton has created an out of this world “Malle Mars” Trunk designed for a trip to guess where?...Mars! The aerodynamic trunk, which LVooks like a large egg worthy of Spock, opens up to unveil compartments for our necessities in outer space...drawers galore and shelves for our dishes plus a fold-out chair so we could sit back and relax as we take in the views of Mother Earth from the stars.

The trunk, as well as other NASA photographs, space toys, sculptures and astronomy photos, will be on view this Monday, when Louis Vuitton is celebrating the lunar landing’s anniversary with a party at the Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History. Vuitton North America president and chief executive officer Daniel Lalonde is playing host with Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Sally Ride — the history-making astronauts who star in the company’s new core values campaign. For the occasion, Vuitton is donating an undisclosed sum to Al Gore’s Climate Project, and sales of the travel collection at the Fifth Avenue flagship from July 13 to 20 will benefit the organization. I think this is when they would be releasing the Speedy Miroir 35 that I was talking about several days ago.


Hmmm...I wonder if Marc could design a spacesuit just pour moi. Special thanks to my Source! LVoe it!!!

Wow, Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz starts early this morning because I received this antique photo from my friend, Eiza. It looks like this was a publicity photo of craftsmen from the late 1800's or, it could very well be just a personal pic. As some of you may know, Asnieres, France is where Louis Vuitton manufactures its hard-sided and special order trunks to this day. And, I believe where my ostrich card case was also made. Hmmm...I wonder if this photo was lifted from "Birth of Modern Luxury". I'll have to check on that later. Also, take note of the man seated on the carriage. I think that's Monsieur Louis himself! Thanks, E for brightening up my day this morning! LVoe it!!!

This is truly a Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz day. I thought the Cake Trunk was cool enough. Apparently, a Chinese gentleman has commissioned from Asnieres, which will produce anything within reason, a "Breakfast in the Desert" Trunk . The client "wanted to be able to watch television and offer coffee to his friends wherever he traveled in the world, including the remotest desert," LV's Patrick-Louis Vuitton recounts. "We agreed to put two solar panels linked to a battery for the flat-screen TV and DVD player, two-way radio, tuner and coffee machine." The trunk is covered in Damier Ebene with the usual red lining.


Interestingly enough, at last night's Met Costume Institute Gala, Marc Jacobs was quoted as saying that luxurious trunks are not likely to make a comeback. "I don't think there's anything practical about travelling with a trunk," Jacobs said. "Luxury travel is traveling with a toothbrush. That's it, end of story. The people who really live luxurious lives don't need to pack. They've got stuff wherever they go." Well said, MJ. Source: luxist.com

As part of the birthday celebrations for Britain's Selfridges and Co., Louis Vuitton has sent them a cake with its very own trunk. You read it right! ITS VERY OWN TRUNK. Check it out!








Designed in the factory of Asnieres, the trunk is used to transport a birthday cake, a set of 4 dessert forks, 4 dessert spoons and a cake server. It is lined in yellow which is the iconic color of Selfridges.
It will be on display until the 15th of May in Selfridges' Personal Shopping section, Ground Floor in Oxford Street. Best of all, a replica is being auctioned online to raise funds for CLIC Sargent, UK's leading cancer charity for children. For more info, click here. My birthday is coming up soon too. LVoe it!!!

Karl Lagerfeld really LVoes his iPods! Aside from the Fendi Juke Box that he designed to supposedly hold his 40 iPod collection (it only holds 12), he has now commissioned the Vuitton atelier to construct a Taiga trunk that will hold 20 iPods, a set of JBL iPod speakers, subwoofer, and iPod docks. I guess I won't be seeing this in store unless I happen to be there when Tito Karl picks up his special order.

Zac Efron, High Musical's dreamy heartthrob has reportedly purchased his 'long-time' girlfriend, Vanessa Hudgens, an antique $50,000 Vuitton trunk as a housewarming present for her $2.5 million house. Phew, a lot of figures there! Vanessa, who has been photographed with several LV's will surely LVoe it. I wonder what are the specifics of this expensive piece and if it was owned previously by somebody famous. It would be the perfect entry for my Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz! Here's hoping that pics would show up soon.

It has been ages since I posted in my Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz. For some reason, I decided to do so tonight by featuring this classic Damier Trunk. As most of you know, the Damier or checkered (in English) pattern pre-dates the Monogram and was created in 1888.
It then faded in the background as the Monogram became more of a hit at the turn of the century. In 1996, Vuitton decided to re-launch the forgotten design by creating a slew of pieces which became an instant success. Today, the Damier takes one-third of the core collection and was recently reinvented with the extremely masculine Graphite line. The trunk featured here comes straight from France and is claimed to be a hundred years old.
Nowadays, it's quite impractical to travel with a trunk, especially with the time consumed in airport security. But it is an impressive conversation piece and point of interest in any LVoer's home. To view the auction, click here.

Of late, I have been lazy in writing my Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz. It seemed that every e-bay auction dealt with the same ol' boring steamer. Not today! As of this writing with only two hours to go for the auction, I found this wonderful trunk designed by Manolo Blahnik. In 1996, for the celebration of the company's centennial, pillars of the fashion industry were invited to create their own interpretations of Vuitton's
long history particularly that which concerns travel. Blahnik's contribution of course was meant to house his world-renowned forte -- shoes. Lined in a luxurious fuschia fabric that is to die for, my only problem would be what pair from my vast collection would have the honor to be contained in it. I wonder if the Philippines' former First Lady, Imelda Marcos has this in her collection. Maybe she doesn't and will have the ocassion to place a bid. But then again, with 2,000 pair of shoes, she would need a thousand trunks and I don't think Vuitton made that many. For actual auction, click here.

I chose this gorgeous steamer trunk for TTT because it has two things that are going for me. First I LVoe the idea that it was sold in Washington, D.C. Even though I live in Virginia now, I still consider myself a Washingtonian because it was the first American city that I called home. Secondly, the Star of Davids reflect my partner's Jewish Heritage. It is truly a remarkable piece that has survived two wars in its lifetime. For the auction, please refer to ebay.

Up for auction this week is a magnificent Antique Vanity Train Case. This was probably in vogue when trains were the primary means for travel. Imagine a young lady who was about to embark for the journey of a lifetime. She is one of a handful of women who was accepted in the State University.
Leaving her family behind and the love of her youth, her mother weeping at her feet, she clutches her acceptance letter, the words clearly etched in her mind. For the first time in history women were considered as equals to men. She is excited but at the same time fearful for what lies ahead. She must pack her most precious essentials: a comb, a powder puff, rouge and lip ointments, a locket given to her by Roger with a picture of his handsome face and several bottles filled to the brim with liquids that have been concocted by her Pharmacist father. Where else can this all fit but in a Louis Vuitton Vanity Train Case?! Auction is on ebay. Ended at $2100.

Presenting my fourth in the series of Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz is this wonderful Steamer in Damier Canvas.
The Damier was invented by Louis Vuitton himself in 1888 and was the first to be patented. Well, into it's second century the Damier has retained its freshness and continues to delight Vuitton Lovers everywhere. It was resurrected to celebrate the centennial anniversary of the company in 1996 and has become a standard staple since then. In November 2006 a new interpretation of the canvas was introduced, the Damier Azur. The rectangular steamer featured here contains three interior trays and has the previous owner's initials stenciled into the canvas. A band of white and blue winds its way around the whole piece. Truly, a wonderful Vuitton trunk. See auction at ebay. Ended at $6500.00

What a wonderful find from Saks and Company Fifth Avenue! An antique trunk dating from the 1920's. I can only imagine
lugging this beauty around at the turn of the century. A mysterious initial "R" is embossed on the piece which makes one wonder who was the original owner and what station did he or she held in society. I think by that time Louis Vuitton had already established its name as a leading trunk maker,
and this piece must've been expensive even at that time. Beautiful detailing of the LV monogram surrounds its border making the piece quite similar to what they have done to the my Vaslav's leather trim. The hardware is breathtaking and has that beautiful old world patina. I hope you enjoyed seeing this piece as much as I have and if you choose to place a bid, here's the auction on e-bay. LVoe it!!! Ended for $1,224.73

This is the second trunk that I am featuring in my Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz. The seller claims that it comes from the estate of Hildegarde Loretta Sell, a very popular singer of her time.
Her life reads like a who's who of the the recording industry. Born in Adell, Wisconsin, she grew up in Milwaukee and was discovered by Irving Berlin. She was the first singer in the
business who had a female manager, Anna Sosenko. Through her manager's guidance and influence, Hildegarde started from a simple farm girl into a one-name, designer gown-wearing, continental chanteuse. I guess she was the precursor of the likes of Madonna and Cher. She is considered as the very first international artist, lending her voice to performances in Paris and London, and even had King Gustov of Sweden fall in LV oe with her. She is considered as the first TV star of the 20th century. Eleanor Roosevelt dubbed her as the "First Lady of Supper Clubs and George and Ira Gershwin wrote songs about her. ("My Cousin from Milwaukee"). Her circle of friends included Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein and Liberace to name a few. She wrote her autobiography: Over 50...So What! in the 1960's. She died at the age of 99 in a hospital in New York in 2005. Truly, a colorful lady who is considered by many as the 4th most prolific recording artist of our time. To sample her music, visit amazon.com and click here to know more about the auction. Ended at $3050.00

I am so in LVoe with antique Vuitton trunks!!! They probably stink and are falling apart, but there is something about them that just beckons to be noticed. I decided to feature every Tuesday an antique trunk that is out there waiting to be purchased and LVoed
by one us who are old souls and true LVoers of the brand. I'm calling it the Tuesday Trunk Tidbitz. Here's a wonderful dresser trunk to start my series with.
I won't go into details about the bells and whistles of these LVoely pieces. I just want to point out what I think is the highlight of each. Take for example the hand painted detailing of the monogram pattern of this trunk. Truly remarkable!!! I think the photos speak for themselves. Enjoy and have a good nite. Click here to watch the auction. Ended at $13,000.00