Goldilocks- was that the little girl who had to have everything just right??

Today I came accross a person who I showed everything I have to, she wanted a brown bag but not too brown....and so begins one of the funniest interactions of my whole carreer.

So the vintage Louis Vuitton was too brown and she didnt like that the designer had put his initials on everything...."I mean really who does this guy Louis think he is? "
I had a very hard time keeping a straight face after that comment!! The next bag she picked up was my beautiful brown snake skin...."Err....thats not for sale....I made it and...." I stated to say when she interuppted to say that "This one is too scaly..."
Next I decided to show her a Bally...you cant go wrong with buttery soft kid...I thought...I have two in stock...a beautiful tan tote bag and a cheerful messenger bag...
"No No NO NO!!!- Your not listening you stupid man!! All these bags are too Brown..."

"Well perhaps Madam would like to see something in a fawn , beige or cream?" - (That's right Michael !! Think Mrs. Slocombe....only I will talk incessently about my Puppy rather than my Pussy!) She seemed happy with my suggestion of my fawn, beige or cream....so I showed the lady a fawn colored Valentino bag with rose gold hardware...it is so pretty yet plain. It has a little bit of rouching on the side pocket and the only other adornment is the leather strapping used to hold the bag together.

"Oh - it's SO soft. What is it made of? " ...."It's made of slink..." I chimed not wanting to offer any further explanation... "What is slink? "  Now I am in trouble I thought!!
"Slink madam is the tanned hide of a very young animal usually a calf , pig or kid."
  "How young are these Animals? " ...." Slink is usually made from the still born of such animals...and was highly prized for producing  luxurously soft pelts....There is quite often only enough leather to produce a pair of gloves...."

"That's disgusting...."  she said.....I was at a complete loss as to what to show her next. After hesitating for a moment my inner shop assistant promted me to show her a black bag...I pointed out that it went beautifully with the outfit she was wearing...the black and white and that it would go equally well with jeans as it would with her work clothes...she nodded and looked at another black bag and then said "No- I will take that one you just showed me. "

And so ended the story of Goldilocks- Who wanted a brown bag, not too brown but left the store with a black bag that was just right. 

The Ultimate Luxury.

What is the ultimate luxury? For me the untimate in luxury is 1000 count sheets or amazing Towels. For others it might be an imported car. Luxury is hard to define and means different things for different people. The dictionary provideds us with the following definition:

lux·u·ry  (lgzh-r, lksh-)

n. pl. lux·u·ries

1. Something inessential but conducive to pleasure and comfort.

2. Something expensive or hard to obtain.

3. Sumptuous living or surroundings: lives in luxury.

adj.

Providing luxury: a luxury car.

---

[Middle English luxurie, lust, from Old French, from Latin luxuria, excess, luxury, from luxus.]

Synonyms: luxury, extravagance, frill
These nouns denote something desirable that is not a necessity: the real luxury of riding in a limousine; a simple wedding without any extravagances; caviar and other culinary frills.

Today - I found the ultimate in luxury ! Many of my clients will say I dont need it.. This has nothing to do with need this is purely and simply a luxury. It is made of the softest lambskin and is made to CHANEL's exacting standards.

The inside is lined with CHANEL's signature burgandy leather. The outer shell is buttery soft lambskin and it has been created with no imperfections. As always the stitch lines on the diamond quilting line up perfectly. The Gilt on the chain handle is 24ct Rolled gold and has stood up well to the passing of time. 

This Cosmetic box is the ultimate in luxury and has plenty of room to stash all of your beaute needs. No one else need ever see it. It would be your little luxury that you do not need to share with anyone. This is the ultimate gift for the woman who has everything.  

Chanel 2.55 Classic flap bag.

This classic bag was created by Cocco Chanel in February 1955 and was reissued to celebrate 50 years of the company. The Chanel flap bag has been the go to bag for celebrities and Royalty alike. It has been re released in a variety of colors & finishes.

Prices in CHANEL boutiques are increased by as much as $500 AUD per year. At present the prices for a Medium bag is $4200- AUD . It is for this reason that that CHANEL bags continue to command  higer resale prices on the vintage market.

When I first started selling vintage CHANEL 15 years ago - I sold them for no more than than $500- each these days I sell them for $1500 to $2500. In fact prices have gone up by 35% in the last 2 years alone.

AVOIR has a number of CHANEL bags in the showroom at 8 Byres St , Newstead Q 4006  

Enamel jewellery

Today like so many of my days I am confined by this broken leg...while trawling through emails I came across an interesting one from a client I met years ago in Japan. She has returned to the states and was recently given the task of cleaning out her grand mothers home.

Her grand mother she explained was a hoarder and had a ton of junk jewellery - she was hoping to find diamonds and gold and was sorely disappointed to be told it was costume jewellery . I guess by the time she got around to writing to me she was so convinced that there was nothing that I would be interested but boy...am I excited to be able to present a few of these pieces to you. 

My clients grand mother clearly had a very eclectic taste....the items here are amazing pieces , rare and very collectible above all they are pieces that will always come back into fashion..

Plique-a Jour

While going through the thousands of photographs I get every week I came accross a pair of extremely beautiful ear rings. They are exquisit. and extremely delicate and I found they were made using the centuries old Plique -a Jour technique.

Plique - a Jour is an enamel technique first developed in the 6th centuary AD in the Byzantine Empire. It is described as a vitreous enamel technique and is smilar to cloisonne, but with no metal backing. The final product is in effect a miniture stained glass. It is an extremely difficult technique with a high failure rate. Some items may take the artisan up to four months to produce. The process requires cells to be created using sheets of pecious metal and the overall design to be cut out or it may be created by using gold or silver wires, that are soldered together to create the cells. Each cell is then filled with powdered glass and fired to create the glass (enamel)  film this process is repeated until all cells have been filled.

Kievian Russia made extensive use of the technique and despite the difficulty in producing Plique-a Jour the Russian aristocracy used Plique-a Jour tableware. As a result of the Mongul invasion most of the workshops producing this work were lost and only a few examples of Russian Plique a Jour survive to this day. The technique disappeared in Russia after this.

In Western Europe however the technique survived. In 1295, an inventry of Pope  Boniface the VIII items include mention of several items of 'smalta clara' or clear enamel .. the French term first appears in the 14th centuary.

Benvenuto Cellini wrote a full description of the process treatise on goldsmithing.

Pre 19th centuary examples of Plique a Jour are extremely rare due to their fragile nature. the larger the item the more fragile. I think you will agree these earrings are exquisit, extremely rare and very beautiful!   

My sources are:
Campbell P.38 - 40 ; Ostoia 78 Plique -a Jour- Yesterdays Technique today , Bill Helwig, June 1992 Glass on Metal Magazine

The Art of fine Enameling by Karen L Cohen P. 10

Labarte, Histoire des Arts Industriels iii, Paris 1865.

Recherches sur la peinture en email dans l'antique et au moyen age, Jules Labarte 1865

Marit Guinness Aschan & Rika Smith McNally Enamel Grove Art online. Oxford Art Online 28 July 2010.   

FED UP with everything being the same?

I as a consumer like to assert my individuality. This is one of the main reasons I opened AVOIR.  I Mcould not stand going down to the shopping centers only to find that Myer, David Jones had exactly the same clothing and shoe lines as K mart. The Australian retail landscape has lost its individuality.

I have always favoured classic Jeans that I often found at the local second hand stores and a great T shirt sold by one of the boutique retailers. Not very original I here you say...but I like to spice an outfit with unusual leather goods a vintage watch or vintage belts!!

My favorite vintage finds have come from the most unexpected places. I have an awesome D&G watch that I found in a small second hand store in Kita Urawa in Japan! I have always loved the unexpected find! It's exciting and you never see the same item again. I have learned to follow my instinct and purchase those items because missing out on the item means you missed the oppertunity.

Another of my favorite items is a belt I purchased from a small independant retailer in Cairns called Victor Mellick. It's made of strips of red, tan, and blue leather and has a brass buckle. It looks great with my white jeans.

I also love vintage leather bags. Adding these unique items to your outfit adds interest to the outfit and is the best way I know to inject your personality into what would otherwise be a very bland mass produced outfit.

Designer vintage is such a unique area that allows you to really stand out! AVOIR takes the hard work out of shopping for vintage designer all items are inspected for Authenticity and are guarenteed Authentic.  

Each season I check out what the major fashion houses will be offering and then I go and find the vintage piece that inspired the current collection. It is for this reason AVOIR has earned a reputation for being on point and having items that are right on trend. We edit out all the irrelevant items and have made a point of having the "it" item for the season. In addition to our seasonal purchases. We top up the range with smaller drops of new items coming in almost every week.

  My ranges are inspired by what is big in Europe. This means that the items I purchase arrive before those items arrive in the department stores. I encorage my customers to browse often..they begin to see the change in the store on a weekly basis.

There are items that form the basis of my classic ranges these include the stock standard CHANEL 2.55 diamond quilt bags...but because of their popularity they are often not available. But as a rule I look for the one of items that were produced in very limited numbers. The AVOIR range is unique ever changing and the quality is second to none.

CHANEL AUTHENTICITY

Chanel Authentic Chanel handbags from the mid 1980s on come with authenticity cards embossed with a serial number (pictured on right). The serial number matches the serial number appearing on a sticker placed somewhere within the handbag’s interior lining. The serial number sticker has Chanel logos and was protected by a clear tape with hologram security feature from approximately 2000-on. The sticker, Chanel logo, and hologram design varied with the manufacturing date:

Serial Number Year Manufactured Style of Numbers Style of Serial Number Sticker Picture of Serial Number Sticker 14XXXXXX 2011 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Eight digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 13XXXXXX 2009 to 2010 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Eight digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 12XXXXXX 2008 to 2009 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Eight digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 11XXXXXX 2006 to 2008 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Eight digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 10XXXXXX 2005 to 2006 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Eight digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 9XXXXXX 2004 to 2005 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 8XXXXXX 2003 to 2004 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 7XXXXXX 2002 to 2003 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 6XXXXXX 2000 to 2002 0's have strikethroughs. 1's have small serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 5XXXXXX 1997 to 1999 0's have strikethroughs up to 51XXXXX. 0's have no strikethroughs from 52XXXXX to 56XXXXX. 0's have strikethroughs from 57XXXXX on. 1's have small serifs (feet) from 57XXXXX on. Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker covered with clear tape with two Chanel logos from 57XXXXX on."X" cut-lines prevent sticker from being removed without damage. "CHANEL" appears on rightright side of the sticker. Dark line appears on left side of sticker. Gold speckles appear throughout sticker. 4XXXXXX 1996 to 1997 0's have strikethroughs. 1's are sans-serifs (no feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker with Chanel logos. Opaque film covers sticker. 3XXXXXX 1994 to 1996 0's have strikethroughs. 1's are sans-serifs (no feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker with Chanel logos. Opaque film covers sticker.  2XXXXXX 1991 to 1994 0's have no strikethroughs up to 27XXXXXX. 1's have serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker with Chanel logos. Opaque film covers sticker.  1XXXXXX 1989 to 1991 0's have no strikethroughs. 1's have serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker with Chanel logos and left-sided cutout. Opaque film covers sticker.  0XXXXXX 1986 to 1988 0's have no strikethroughs. 1's have serifs (feet). Seven digit serial number printed on white sticker with Chanel logos and left-sided cutout. Opaque film covers sticker.

Note that over time, serial number stickers often become detached from handbags. Authentication cards also often become lost. Therefore, Chanel handbags missing these items may still be authentic.