With fall right around the corner and you begin reviewing your closet, the Professional Leather Cleaner's Association has ten tips for the care of your valuable leather apparel and handbags. The Professional Leather Cleaners Association is sure of the increasing popularity of leather on the runways and really wants to make sure your leather garments will last and appear their best.
Leather ages gracefully and may last a lifetime with all the proper care right from the start;
- Always hang leather garments on wide or padded hangers to maintain their shape. Use shoetrees in footwear and stuff empty handbags with tissue to help retain their shape.
- Never store leather goods in plastic or other non-breathable covers. This will cause leather to become dry.
- Allow wet or damp leather to air-dry naturally away from any direct heat source. Leather can be treated with a conditioner to restore flexibility while suede can be brushed with a terry towel to restore its look.
- In winter, promptly remove salt deposits from garments,handbags and footwear by sponging with water; follow with all the above treatment for wet or damp leather.
- Avoid very humid and dry environments as well as direct sunlight.
- Do not use waxes, silicone products or other leather preparations that will impair a garment's ability to breathe.
- Wrinkles should hang out. If ironing is desired, set iron on rayon setting, use heavy brown wrapping paper as a pressing cloth on right side of your garment and a quick hand to prevent overheating and shine.
- Hems may be fixed with a tiny amount of rubber cement. For the best results, see a leather care professional.
Between shooting what seems like the most dramatic Real Housewives season ever and being a mother of four, it's a wonder Kyle Richards has time for everthing else. But oh, she does! Taking a cue from her business-savvy cast mate Adrienne Maloof, Kyle has been hard at the job on her own venture: a handbag line. InStyle swept up with
the stylish reality star to talk about the purses, that will debut next spring. The Richards-original bags sound super fun— and affordable.
The handbags are named after all the special people in Kyle's life— including the Housewives! “There are a lot of bags in the collection, so I get to name each of them after my daughters, my friends, and the Housewives, she says. "The Housewives love it. I'm having them flip through my sample book and so they get to pick their favorite bag and name it after themselves."
Hong Kong-based designer Fiona Kotur has been making waves within the handbag industry ever since she launched her line, KOTUR, almost seven years ago. What started as being a small collection of clutches and minaudieres has turned into a mini-empire of full-blown day and evening bags. She recently announced her collaboration with American retailer J.Crew.
"We chose two silhouettes of minaudiere exclusive to KOTUR for J.Crew, in a dozen or so colors and materials. The price points range from $300-600. The assortment is a perfect mixture of our aesthetics. The silhouettes are classic, and the whimsy and personality come through the texture and colour of the covering material from guava shagreen, miniature sequins and grey flannel," says the American-born designe.
She also created a line for the Home Shopping Network called Fiona Kotur Muses, which will debut on HSN on September 14. "It consists of 12 day bags for fall, priced between $200-450. I am excited about these bags -- they turned out really well, and they have their own distinct style that doesn't look like anything else currently provided by HSN.
The apparel is showcased alongside the brand's new line of accessories, including handbags, shoes, jewellery and sunglasses.
According to Frida Giannini, the brand's creative director, the new collection have been especially designed for chic and confident women. Giannini dressed Gucci woman in a cinematic style with a strong power of seduction. Gucci girl is fascinating as being a performance by Florence Welch and the Machine; intriguing since the footage of Anjelica Huston photographed by Bob Richardson; as a film noir with lots of colour.
Flowing, ethereal dresses give way to see-through effects and tie at the neck with long scarves, while subtle feminine belts are accentuated with leather trim. The
masculine side returns with extra-wide trousers, and the trouser-skirt becomes a signature when combined with over-the-knee boots.