Monogramoufugly Part 2

I have to reiterate from an earlier post, but this is one of the most nauseating designs from Louis Vuitton in a long time. And to think, this is from Murakami, who I have been an avid fan of for the last few years!

Rihanna was carrying this Speedy with the new camouflage pattern. While the bag goes with her sharp, edgy look, as a bag on its own, it's just plain fug. It's beyond hideous. The mix of that pattern and the logos, none of it melded well, and it's all so, so wrong.


I hope this style goes away quickly and quietly, as I certainly don't forsee any legs for this trend. I mean, this is certainly one way to kill the brand.

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come here to get your designer bag!

I found this to be an utter riot. Outside of the Murakami exhibit in Brooklyn, they created sets of faux vendor stalls that were selling real LVs. I love the irony of forcing these wealthy people to have to feel like they need to be bartering in the streets in the cold for a $3,ooo bag. While this was an obvious poke at the counterfeited bags that you can buy on Canal St., there is a certain level of poking fun at the rich, too. The fact that they would buy into this marketing concept and will play along only shows what the power of a brand will make people do. It is kitschy rather than low-class to be buying a designer bag from a street vendor. How the times have changed.


I think all that's missing are the Street bags from LV's last spring collection. Those fit the Chinatown theme MUCH better...


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Monogramoufugly

I couldn't make it out to Brooklyn to see the new Takashi Murakami exhibit, but a simple search online and one can see what all the hype was about, as various bloggers have been posting photos, and some on eBay are hawking the limited edition goods as well. I didn't find any info. on any new Murakami characters being introduced this time around (like he'd done for the LA exhibit), but a new monogram/camouflage pattern was introduced, and while some early limited edition bags and accessories were for sale at the exhibit, the rest of us will have access in mid-June for the new line.


Frankly, I really think this is the fugliest Murakami pattern ever. Nothing is very balanced in this print. What the hell does the LV monogram have to do w/ camo? Where is the "art" in this? It's so uninspired and passé (do you know anyone who wears camo these days?) that I'm not even going to write more about this, because as much as I adore LV from time to time, this is just ugly and lame. I would not spend any $$ on this. Even if someone gave it to me, I wouldn't carry it. That's how crappy this new pattern is. So sad.

If I wanted camo (and not of the serious military kind), I would've gone with the Tokidoki/Lesportsac camo print, which is more creative, unique, and inventive. Certainly, Simone Legno had a good time incorporating his cast of characters with a traditional camo print to infuse a new look and feel. This is where the art comes in, really. However, even with this design, I didn't succumb to buying a purse, so there is no way in heck I would even entertain the idea of the Monogramouflage. Blech.


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Murakami exhibit - the sequel

The New York Times had an article today detailing Takashi Murakami's arrival to the Brooklyn Museum for a limited time exhibit, a part two, if you will, of the exhibit that just ended in LA's MOCA. This one promises to be the most comprehensive retrospective of his work to date, and judging from the behind-the-scene photos of the exhibit set-up, I am sure that the art will be very exciting to see in person.


Back in Oct. of last year, I had really played with the idea of flying all the way to LA (since I was going to be in Vegas in early Jan08 anyways) and making a pit stop to check out the exhibit. Really, what was driving me wasn't just the fact that I was a fan of Murakami's art, but the fact that there would be a Louis Vuitton boutique situated in the middle, and that limited edition bags and accessories would be for sale! Any LV purveyor would know by now of the now legendary collaboration between Murakami and Marc Jacobs. Those multi-colored, cherry blossom-infused, cerise-covered bags brought in a lot of dough for the conglomerate, so while the current LV collection is with Richard Prince, it is the Murakami magic that continues to morph and synthesize into other on-going projects. This exhibit promises to be the same. The Brooklyn Museum website makes no mention of the store, but the NYT made plenty of mention of it, and they even list out some delectable goodies that are for sale. (Sadly, no pics.) The prices seemed to have risen considerably compared to the estimates of the last exhibit, which ranged between $875-$920. Inflation, and during a time of recession!

"A leather strap for a cellphone carries a $220 price tag; handbags range from $1,310 to $2,210. He has designed three new patterned-canvas wall hangings just for this exhibition; printed in editions of 100 each, the first 50 will be offered at the shop for $6,000 apiece, and the rest at $10,000 apiece. Other leather goods designed for the show will be for sale too."

Anyhow, now that the exhibit is on my side of the pond, I think I will try to get a weekend down to the fabulous city of Manhattan, and see if I can make it into the exhibit before all the goodies are gone. As I've been very good and haven't purchased a new bag in almost a year (and promised myself no more bags!), this will certainly be a test of wills.


“©Murakami” Exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum (04.05.08 - 07.13.08) - handbags and accessories for $220-$10,000

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