a sticky and sweet summer

I literally jumped off my seat after reading about it minutes ago.

Madonna is extending her successful Sticky & Sweet world tour to thrill audiences in 13 first time stops, including Oslo. It would be the Material Girl’s first time to visit the Norwegian capital and she will be performing at the skating stadium Valle Hovin on July 30, 2009 with support act Paul Oakenfold. Tickets go for 800 NOK (standing) and 1,100 NOK (Golden Circle) and will be on sale February 9 at 9:00 am.

I am so lining up! I’ve always wanted to see Madonna in concert live and since I missed on the Drowned World and the Confessions tour, this is the next great thing.

crowing in the year of the ox

Got this off Chuvaness.

ROOSTER
Zodiac’s Nature:
Courageous, generous, entertaining, popular, protective, resourceful, unrealistic, capable and confident with good communication skills. Prone to boast and exaggerate. Dramatic but reputable people who work systematically but does not like routine. Takes good care of their family & can always succeed in the end.

Roosters are compatible with the Oxen, so their luck is pretty good. They will have more confidence in handling their daily work. Money luck is pretty good; it comes from all sources and prosperity in business. Working employees will have the chance to get a promotion. In love affairs, it is time for the single Roosters who have been dating to get married. Married Roosters should spend more time with family. Health-wise, they should keep away from sharp objects, be careful on the road, and avoid all dangerous water activities. They should try to avoid eating too much grilled or deep-fried food.

Thank God I no longer work with knives. Maybe I should reconsider my roadtrip from Steinkjer in mid-Norway to Tromsø all the way up in the north (that’s 650 kilometers of possible road danger!). Cruising to Denmark doesn’t  sound dangerous, or is it? Summer’s five months away but I should stay away from grilled Norwegian sausages when that comes. Or stop buying french fries when the hunger pang attacks on the way home. Like, ehrm, yesterday.

Money and career wise, the year of the mighty Ox is looking good for me. Woohee!

louis vuitton mens fall 2009 backstage bags

Here’s a backstage look at the runway bags from the Louis Vuitton Mens Fall 2009 collection. There seems to be smaller pieces in Graphite which didn’t feature in the show, as well as in Monogram with the black leather trim. And I see a Tadao looking interpretation in the latter, next to the honeycomb Sac Plat and Keepall.

Hallelujah!

Source

louis vuitton mens fall 2009 runway show

I’ve been trolling the net the last few hours for images from the Louis Vuitton Mens Fall 2009 Runway Show which debuted yesterday in Paris and finally I found my way to WWD, which reports:

Brands are playing to their strengths and this was writ large at Louis Vuitton, where Marc Jacobs and Paul Helbers, men’s wear studio director, put accessories and luxury travel front and center. Describing this quiet collection as “the traveling wardrobe of an African King, adapting his taste for a trip to Paris,” Helbers opted for tailoring which was more French than African. Military jackets in antelope leather or alligator were faintly reminiscent of the tribal theme that pulsed through Vuitton’s latest women’s show. “(It’s) much more subtle and I think that’s good in men’s so you don’t have costume party going on,” Jacobs said. Faint prints of flora and fauna crept on to formal satin jackets, which were paired with a generous trouser shape, pleated in the front for a draped effect. A slate blue cashmere coat was elegantly belted at the waist while a double-breasted velvet jacket was worn with vivid red sneakers designed by Kanye West. Hoodies, scarves and knit hats added a sporty edge to many looks. But no European safari is complete without luggage and the Vuitton man won’t be traveling lightly. Bag after bag of every description appeared, from a Keepall built like a soccer ball – a wink to African’s passion for the sport – to a monogrammed trunk that had to be wheeled down the runway.

It looks like the Waterproof Monogram Keepall has found brothers in a briefcase, a Steamer bag, a Sac Plat (and Keepall as mentioned above) built like a soccer ball and several luggage pieces.

        

I spot a Graphite, and is that Damier Geant in several incarnations I see?

     

Probably the piece d’resistance line is the one with the embossed monograms. I see a Keepall (or is that a man Speedy) and a Steamer bag, as well as a President in XL monograms.

    

Guys literally get the glitter in this collection, with these totes in iridescent fabric. One’s even like the Lurex scarf made into a man bag.

      

I like these scarves with the reinterpreted Damier checks in Graphite and additional colors.

      

And these ties.

 

Guys (and girls), digest and discuss. :)

Image sources: WWD and Men Style

prada men’s fall/winter 09/10

             

Prada’s array of bag offerings for Fall/Winter 2009/2010 seems to have been dipped in chocolate and licorice. Classic, rich and tempting.

I like these top handles that come in incarnations of leather and some spiked with the brand’s trademark nylon, as well as the patent leather briefcases particularly the dual zip kind.

Tomorrow, Louis Vuitton premieres its FW 09/10 men’s collection in Paris, 2:30 pm local time.