Danish For Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

I don't quite understand how this happened, but the gist of the story is that months ago, my friend Else went on a brief trip to Denmark, met a stylist, and these beautiful editorial pictures featuring CVIV arrived in our in boxes today...
The iPhone pouch, it's sexy girls, get it!! If I could shout it from a rooftop I would. Here's a little story about the iPhone pouch. The most coveted American chic & cool department store (remaining uncited but its one word name starts with the second letter of the alphabet), meets with young bag designer in Paris and all the buyers love it. They get it. In fact, super chic head buyer covets and purchases from young designer an iPhone pouch for herself. Weeks later, young designer receives an email from said Desirable Store which says, "sorry, although we love your line," it is too "simple" or "unadorned" said designer cannot remember the adjective exactly, but the sting is etched in her brain, "for our customer." Ouch. Maybe one day your customer will catch up to your buyer and to this hotness...!!? (And now I will stop talking in third person. Sorry.)
Foldover clutch in black leather!! Hot.
Silver wrist wrap. Aye caramba!
Black messenger bag. This is soooo cool for me to see my bags in photos like these. I'm in awe. Thanks Denmark. Yai, que igge taylor dansk! (Phonetic for - I don't speak Danish.) But I'm fluent in Scandi-chic!

Mentioning our Mentions

CVIV has been out and about this week on the interwebs and paper press too, so I thought I'd aggregate here. My own private HuffPo, if you will.
There's the tellmewherethisis blog where my photos of the poster Art assignment were on display. Our job was, the 200 of us who were mailed this numbered edition poster (I got number 1 otherwise I wouldn't have done it. jk. kind of), to photograph this poster somewhere in our surroundings and then send it (or them) back to Mr. Edwards for him to publish on his blog. I took pictures of the poster on a beach in Malibu on Labor Day and let the waves wash over it which promptly destroyed the colorful numbered edition like tissue paper. In hindsight, perhaps I shouldn't have ruined it as it may have been the only time I get #1 of any limited print. In any case, Oscar was not amused. Click on link above for story.
Here's the digital postcard of Steven Alan sent out for Fashion's Night out in NYC. Note Clare Vivier written as one word. That's what they call me there. I have to admit it is unclear...Note to self: make that more clear.
Similar postcard for SA's FNO in Los Angeles, but Clare Vivier, although written in two words is written with an "i" ! Ouch. Oh well, I love them anyway and I'll be there on Friday to show it.
Hitting the newsstands this week is the new Lucky magazine where yper-chic, Creative Director Andrea Linett describes the red messenger tote as perhaps her "favorite tote ever - great shape, super light, with an attached inside pouch." Thanks A.L.! There's no way I could have said it better myself.
The rad surfer chicks at Foam like our flat work tote this month! It's true this bag is a real unsung hero of the line!

The ever brilliant Heath Ceramics of Sausalito has invited us to participate in their 2nd Annual Heath Bazaar on September 19, at their store on Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles. I'm so excited about this! Look at the Los Angeles line-up: / Katherine Bentley: handcrafted jewels/ Beatrice Valenzuela: cool leather shoes/ Krank Press: off-beat letterpress designs/ Clare Crespo: sweet, sweet treats/ Jackie Terrell: paintings and paintings/ Cathy Callahan: vintage-inspired crafts/ Clare Vivier: gorgeous, timeless bags/ Modern Kids Photography: fun, free photo booth/ Matteo: glorious linens. I'm soo thrilled to have been invited and can't wait to spend the day with these talented people.

We got an email from Michael Sanderson this morning alerting us that he had featured our iPad case in his new illustrated online fashion mag called Birche. So cool! Look at how cute that case is drawn! And what a great idea for a blog/mag/catalogue! I'm all for a modern day, chic J. Peterman. We had just been talking about how we needed an Elaine working with us here in the office on copy.

FerrolStudio of Seattle included a bit of Trop-i-ness on her lovely-thing-a-day blog on Tuesday.
There was also this piece on Jamila's fash-art blog. Okay, that's all! Man! Thanks to all these nice people who've included us recently. Very Lucky indeed.

Fashion's Night Out - NY and LA!

Steven Alan (the NY store) emailed last week asking if we'd like to do something special for Fashion's Night Out, next Friday, Sept. 10. It was a little last minute, but the proceeds are going to a good charity, so we hustled it to get new items to them in NY by last Friday.
We decided to do a new iPad case - in natural, undyed leather "dipped" in white ink.
Here they are being tried and tested in our iPad size testing laboratory.
Behind the scenes in at the photoshoot.
They look so lovely all together. I wish I could have many iPads just to be able to keep them all in pretty cases.

This is what it says on the tag:
In other words, the more rocked and worn, the better.
Finishing touches at the iPad case testing facility...
Packed up and heading for Tribeca, New York City.

P.S. the latest news is that more of these lovely, special edition cases will be at Steven Alan - Abbot Kinney in Venice on Friday night where Jocelyn and I will be hanging out with more CViv wares for FNO-Los Angeles! Come out and see us! XO

Back to School

It's back to school time. Oscar starts second grade tomorrow!! And my older sister's eldest child, Frannie, below, starts college. It's weird how that bluesy, summer's over feeling never really leaves you. I feel it by proxy for Oscar. Summers are the best time for us as kids. As excited as I was to see my friends again, it also meant spending less time at home doing nothing and just generally less time swimming!

As people who've seen the recent movies Toy Story 3 and The Kids Are All Right know, when your first born goes away to college these days it can be pretty emotional. My sister's been feeling it and this is the email she sent to the family after dropping Frannie off at school.

"We got to Madison without anything falling out of the truck. Thom met us there. We walked down State street to dinner, the four of us. Sophia had a tournament in Duluth. Frannie started looking a little grey as we walked and then lost it in the restaurant after dinner. She made it to the bathroom. We put her to bed at the Hilton and went out to hear some live music on the Menona terrace. Thom and Fran woke up early and set out for the long line to move into the dorm. Paddy and I met up with them after a Farmer's market run at the capitol. We set up her room all day which included bunking their beds, laying carpet, setting up a futon complete with matching bedding, pillows, lights and area rugs. It looked adorable when we left at 3. The goodbye was super hard and I am still a little numb that she is gone. Where did the time go? She called me at 8PM and said that she didn't feel well again. I told her that she needs to do one thing and that is to concentrate on taking in enough water and nutrition to get her through this transition. If she did this, she will do fine. I hope she listens. It is a time for growth all around. Thanks for your thoughts and love. Ann"

This is the response our father sent to her:

"Ann: Here are my thoughts. When I went to college in 1953, my coach took me up to South Bend. I packed my clothes in a card board box and do not think that I took anything else. I did not know about suitcases. I don't remember my parents being involved in that momentous event in my life. They were too busy with the other eight children. When I wanted to quit after one month and come home, I called my coach and he came up and talked me out of it. You must recall that I knew no one who had ever gone to college in my family or friends. My parents, as great and wonderful as they were to us, never set foot on a college campus until the day I graduated from college. Nor had I until that day when I went away to college ill-prepared academically and otherwise. Frannie will do well and so will you and Thom. I love you. Dad"

Two very different beginnings of higher education.

Our father stayed in school and went on to become (among other things) a circuit court judge and all around one of the most intelligent, eloquent attorneys and (for the purposes of this blog) one of the most stylish men I know. His life is the sparkling portrait of the American Dream.

Amazing how things have changed in just two generations - from not knowing about suitcases to area rugs and matching bedding...

Specific Standard Time

Last week, on our final day in France, after a long day of walking and walking and shopping, I'd just jumped in a cab on my way back to the apartment in Paris when my iPhone rang. I almost didn't answer it as I didn't recognize the LA number calling me as I'm cruising in the back of a Mercedes taxi (I still love the fact that taxi's are Mercedes, it's like instead of a cab, someone has sent "my car" around to fetch me) down the quai d'Orsay. Deathly scared of the international charges from AT&T, the only reason I had my phone turned on at that point was because I was waiting for a call from le Mari to make a meeting point. But I grabbed it and very happily it was Max Padilla, journalist for the LA Times looking for a quote for a piece he was writing on The new Shop at the Standard hotel downtown LA. "Max!" I said, excitedly, "perfect timing! You're reaching me in Paris!" As if calling a domestic cell phone on foreign soil was akin to mental telepathy. Here's what came of that remarkable, incredible Parisian conversation:

To read complete article click here.

The Shop has been garnering a lot of good press, I'm so honored to be included in the coverage.

RF29 ran this one!

And naag, the coolest of cool blogs, by model Agness Deyn and her friend Fiona Byrne wrote this:

This is what they say:

"And it's about freakin’ time! We love the Standard, and its brand-new-and-improved shop is more incentive to go to LA. It was totally redesigned by the Standard team and Commune (awesome LA-based design firm) so it's got that chic, modern allure (expect bright magenta, high-gloss lacquer cabinetry in contrast with a dark green marble floor.


Design aside, it’s the actual merchandise that had us at hello. They are all produced and made by locally based designers, including jewelry, clothing, accessories and more. Think rad, quirky stuff, too, like Mimobots flash drives, Ksubi Skeleton sunglasses, WOW Yoshimoto Nara artist towels, limited edition clutches by Clare Vivier and fun Kid Robot toys. Loving it, but super-bummed we're going to miss the actual opening date (August 24).

The Shop at the Standard, 550 South Flower at Sixth St., Los Angeles tel 212-892-8080 www.standardhotels.com"

Look how cute their collage "about" page is...I'll be checking back with this blog.

Au Revoir, À La Prochaine

Vacation always flies by.

Nary a moment to learn Quickbooks,

return numerous emails or update blogs...

Here's what my vacation was filled with:

Green markets in seaside towns...

Passant le filet sur les courts terre battue...

Swimming, learning about history at various castles, and general frolicking...

Hours spent at table conversing with family and engaging in the best of locavorism...

Hoarding un-necessities at small town flea markets...

This year, I bought an entire collection of vintage matches (??!) off a darling old man, as well as, the requisite linens - to add to my growing collection of vintage French, white linens. What? I use them, I swear! Now the matches...that may have been a moment of "everything-is-so-freaking-cute-in-France" hysteria, I admit. I am not immune.
Goodbye France. See you next year.

That was our vacay wrapped up in a few pics.

I'm back in LA now and on to more and more CViv!

I'm happy to be home and so so happy to be busy.

As they say, idle hands are the devil's tools.

(I don't know who says that, nor how I know that expression.)

Here's what's next:

A party celebrating the opening of The Shop at downtown LA's Standard Hotel for which I've designed a special clutch.

There are so many things I love about this collaboration:

Andre Balazs properties and downtown LA,

to just name a few...

And everyone's invited!

If you want to come RSVP to dtla@thestandardhotel.com

pictures above courtesy of Le Mari.

Un Jour A Paris Avec Ma Sœur

So far, I've had only one day in Paris. I went in to the capital to meet my sister at the airport and then we got to steal away a day and hang out together before returning to the countryside. And look what I found at the first store we went into...
Hasbeens at Claudie Pierlot - on sale, and in MY SIZE! I put them on, paid for them, and deftly put my Chucks in the CP sac en papier, (red clogs were much, much cuter with my black sundress and Marni necklace) and went on my way. My sister took the top picture at the courtyard entrance to the Jardin du Palais Royal on the black and white pillars. And very soon after it was taken, I took the bottom picture as I sat down in the jardin to put my Chucks back on. As far as clogs go it's Dansko - 1, Hasbeens - 0. Owwy badowwey, Swedish shoes!
This is the lovely Parisian living room of my lovely sister-in-law in the 7th arrondisement where they so graciously host us every trip to Paris. But since we mostly come in the summertime, she and her family are most always at their country house and we stay alone in Marie Antoinette splendor.
One of the only things I wanted to do during my day in Paris was visit the 40 year YSL retrospective exhibit at the Petit Palais. When my sister and I arrived there was an hour and half wait to get in! When you only have 1 day in Paris, the last thing you want to do it spend and hour in half in line! We were about to walk away from the Palais as I was telling my sister about the book from the exhibit I'd gotten a month or so ago, online. She said maybe we could just go the giftstore...
I asked the guard if there was one and he told us very sheepishly that, yes, there was a gift shop and we could go to the side door. Turns out the "side door" lands you smack dab in front of the ticket counter. We were in.
We felt a small pang of guilt for all those line-waiting nice people outside and for the first half of our visit we thought we were going to be thrown out at any minute. To add to this paranoia, I had to take pictures which was strictly interdit aussi. Mais bon. We leisurely visited the extensive show and lapped up every last evening dress, 1965 baboushka wedding dress (center) and "smoking" tuxedo.
Parisian street art. Two differen't places. Two different ladies.
Had to stop by Merci again - this time for un petit cafe.
Walking down Rue du Jour, I took this picture of Agnes B and I love the way it looks like St. Eustache is coming out of the top of the store's head. Even when the clothing in the shop is rather boring as it was this time, I'll always love Agnes B. Established in 1975 with a snap cardigan, and she built into a global company with cinema, art, music too. She's pretty punk rock to me.
No good clothes at the boutique this time, but I took a picture of this movie poster with Charlotte Gainsbourg which was hanging at the shop. I couldn't have known that later that night I'd see Charlotte at our restaurant of choice. Even though I know she's painfully shy. I spoke with her. I told her mon mari worked with her a couple of months ago on the video of the song she did with Beck and that we have a great photo of the two of them from that day, and asked her if she'd like a print. She was lovely and gracious. She said, yes, if I would send her a print she'd appreciate it and her address was 40, Rue du Cler (that's not the address she gave me) but I was struck by the fact she gave me her home address so freely as most celebs are so paranoid. Must be different in Paris...