This Gucci heir is not cashing in on her famous surname, well, not directly anyway (And if she did, she’d get sued by the Gucci group. Oh, and her mother is in jail for arranging a hitman to kill her father. The Gucci tale is one of murder and madness!). Alessandra Gucci’s line of handbags, called AG Limited Edition has created quite a stir in the fashion industry because of her name but they will be remembered for their unique designs. I am not a big fan of over embellished bags without much function but I do appreciate the unique design of the one above– it is the perfect bag for Fancy Nancy in her chauffeured Bentley! There will only be 99 AG Limited bags made in three styles and three colors, wholesale price is steep at $6,665 to $10,134 (meaning retail will be a bit more than double that). What do you think? Will the line sink or swim, in other words: Snob or Slob?

Gucci Large Babouska Hobo Even if every-fashion- person tries its heart out to convince everyone and their dog that the IT Bag is long dead, some still dare to promote must have totes.

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Frida Giannini, the designer for Gucci, is different from Milan’s other female designers. There was absolutely no runway fantasia in her show, it was strictly ready to wear on the streets. While I applaud her pragmatic standpoint, I was a bit shocked that she only offered 3 handbag designs in this collection. There was an up-sized, slouchier, hand-stitched “New Jackie” (which is a fantastic handbag), a utilitarian backpack that transforms into a carryall, and a clutch. She did the “New Jackie” in every possible material from the GG logo to exotics like crocodile and snakeskin. One version had the GG logo with snakeskin front pockets. Same thing with the backpack, but the was only one version of the clutch (which I didn’t really care for). The “New Jackie” is a classy and beautiful handbag and would look gorgeous with any outfit, especially a business suit. But with only one out of three designs that I liked from this collection, I thought the handbags were an overall disappointment. Especially after the horrible Fall 2008’s Babouska collection. In Giannini defense she has steered the Gucci label in a more chic business like direction, so the lack of frills and wild color combinations makes sense, but I would have liked to see more variety. And do we really need a backpack?

To celebrate its 70th anniversary, Gucci via Condotti Rome presents its new store concept. Creative Director, Frida Giannini, designed an exclusive environment that boasts light, warmth, luxury and Gucci’s iconic elements, in keeping with the tradition and history of the brand. Gucci inaugurates a new design concept for the 21st century.

The historic store hosts all product categories. Womenswear and menswear are situated in two elegant dedicated areas, whilst jewelry occupies an exclusive space on the first floor.

To underline the exclusivity and refinement of the new design, an area dedicated to the history of the brand has been conceived, to showcase limited editions and precious accessories from the archives.

The store on via Condotti enriches the buying experience with a refined and luxurious atmosphere.

In honor of this anniversary, Gucci is staging its full-scale Cruise 2009 collection fashion show in the Italian capital. The Cruise 2009 collection previewed on this occasion will be available in stores worldwide from November 2008.

Log on to gucci.com on July 8th from 7.30pm CET, for front row seat. Starting at 8.00pm CET, Gucci’s Cruise 2009 collection will be webcasted live from Rome, Italy.