| Timelessness is Her Bag
It’s one thing to take a retro style and bring it back into
fashion when a past decade is once again in vogue. Lots of folks
have been doing that with accessories as of late, from ladylike
Victorian clutches to the totally tubular totes introduced in the
80s. The real challenge, however, is to give something “vintage”
a spin that makes it anything but a cheesy retread. Handbag designer
Allison Burns has lived up to that challenge
with her rethinking of 70s and 80s bags, as well as a fun unisex
belt that can be worn 70s style (i.e. draping the hips) or 80s style
(totally waist-ed!).
What makes these bags more than cool enough to turn normally circumspect
fashionistas at both Silver Spoons Hollywood
Buffet and Style Lounge
pre-award show events into Burns’ loyal groupies (myself included…
I am the proud owner of a Faithful bag in silver)? Two very important
things… buttery leather and a palate of sophisticated colors.
You will find a rich and very grown-up spectrum that includes midnight
(blue), army (green), chocolate, fuchsia, citrus (orange), moss,
lilac, eggplant, and of course, great metallics—gold, bronze,
silver—that turn something practical into bonafide arm candy.
These bags are named after some of pop culture’s legendary
divas and deacons including Zeppelin
and Heart (the messenger bags),
Diana and Foxy
(disco inspired shapes), the Faithful
(a deceptively simple hobo), the Twiggy
(a fashionably thin envelope style bag), the Nancy
(a box shape that thinks outside itself), the Cyndi
(a bigger hobo with a touch of avant garde zipper styling), and
the Gig (the overnight bag, naturally!).
Celebrities who have successfully gotten their hands on members
of Burns’ hot group include Debbie
Harry (the namesake behind the “Debbie”
clutch), Cameron Diaz, Perry
Farrell, Julianne Moore,
Jillian Barberie, Cate
Blanchett, Dave Navarro,
Kelly Osbourne, Brody
Armstrong, Lindsay Lohan
and Mandy Moore, among others.
And speaking further of pop culture, some of the best people in
the business will be helping Allison Burns get the word out about
Breast Cancer Awareness and Research via a special celebrity funraiser
on E-Bay. For the entire month of October, Allison Burns will be
auctioning off celebrity-signed pink handbags by way of http://stores.ebay.com/Allison-Burns.
100% of the proceeds will be donated to the charity. Celebrities
participating including Cameron Diaz, Demi
Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Sharon
Stone, Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore,
Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper,
and many, many more.
Given that Burns grew up in the heart of New York City and came
of age in Hollywood in the 70s and 80s, it is no surprise that she
acquired a taste for the rock lifestyle and worked as a respected
make-up artist for 12 years for such music icons as Ann and Nancy
Wilson of Heart, Nancy Sinatra and Cyndi Lauper, who would later
inspire her top selling bags. Once Allison had her fill of life
on the road, she transferred her knack for form and color to the
world of leather goods. Thanks to local trendsetter Jillian
Barberie and her own chutzpah in bringing her own creations
to the set along side her make-up chair, Burns and her bags made
their leap into the big time in 2001.
In just three years, Burns’ bags and belts have been picked
up by more than 250 boutiques in the U.S. and Japan. In Los Angeles,
they can be had through such stockists as Blonde,
Bettina Duncan,
Boulmiche, Diane
Merrick, Gisele Tune, Dari,
Jaqueline Jarrot and Del
Mar’s The Back Room. To keep her creative juices flowing,
Allison lives by the Andy Warhol quote “They always say time
changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
Visit: www.allisonburns.com
This week, 1 reader will have the opportunity
to make a fun change to their late summer or fall look.
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