Last week I wrote how kawaii companies went Louis Vuitton by releasing a bunch of merchandise that heavily reminds shoppers of the iconic LV canvas bags and accessories. This week it’s Louis Vuitton going kawaii (yet again).

I just love Louis Vuitton’s new line. The Purse Blog reports that it’s a fresh collaboration between Marc Jacobs and contemporary Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who was behind the ultra successful Multicolore, and the lovely Cerises, Panda and Cherry Blossoms lines.

Chibi Kinoko is the adorable little mushroom manga character that appears on the new line’s handbags and agendas. By the way, mushrooms with human attributes are Murakami’s signature characters.

According to the Purse Blog, the limited edition bags and accessories collection is available for sale at Takashi’s exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Arts.

Via the Purse Blog. Photos courtesy of the Purse Blog, Gothamist

Check out the awesome Live Journal community foto_decadent (dedicated to avant-garde fashion photography) for a delicious photo shoot by Denise Grunstein.

I just love these whimsical pictures. The color combinations are cute, and the candy cane and gingerbread motifs are yummy!

See larger images and more photos from this editorial at foto_decadent

The New York Post does a roundup of holiday window displays in the Big Apple’s leading department stores, with a bunch of photos, including cute ones, and a video of Bloomingdale’s Window Spectacular.

Here are my personal favorites:

Saks Fifth Avenue 

Barney’s 

Lord and Taylor 

Please visit the New York Post’s website to read reviews of window displays store by store and to see more photos.

The famous Sex and the City stylist and fashion designer Patricia Field has launched her new Barbie-inspired clothing and accessories collection with Mattel, reports Women’s Wear Daily.

According to the newspaper:

The line includes T-shirts and hoodies that use the Barbie logo or Barbie-inspired expressions such as “I want my dream house.” The dresses — in black satin, leopard print and prints used in Barbie clothes from the Seventies dolls — are as much Field as Barbie. Field’s favorite bag is in black patent fake croc with a gold logo of a vintage Barbie profile surrounded by Cadillac-esque laurel leaves.

Barbie by Patricia Field will be available in many stores, including Macy’s and Patricia Field’s own store and online shop.

WWD also reports that “a spunky, red-haired Patricia Field Barbie doll line is in the works for fall 2008.”

Via Women’s Wear Daily and Patricia Field

Strange enough, but it seems that the Louis Vuitton craze has hit leading Japanese kawaii companies like Sanrio and San-X too. They have both released character merchandise that looks like a parody of the world’s most copied fashion brand. See for yourself:

San-X has designed a new Rilakkuma line of accessories reminiscent of Louis Vuitton Monogram Multicolore (created by fellow Japanese artist Takashi Murakami).

Rilakkuma Long Wallet

Louis Vuitton
Monogram Multicolore French Purse

Rilakkuma Card Case

Louis Vuitton
Monogram Multicolore Porte-Monnaie Billets

Sanrio reminded everyone of Louis Vuitton Damier line releasing chequered Badtz-Maru handbags and diaries. The only difference is that the pattern on the items is black and not brown like that of LV.

Badtz-Maru Messenger Bag

Louis Vuitton Damier Canvas Naviglio

Badt-Maru Organizer

Louis Vuitton Small Ring Agenda

Now, this is pretty weird, but I like their sense or humour. And what do you think?

Photos courtesy of Sanrio, San-X and Eluxury

San-X takes a refreshing break from making kawaii characters by presenting it’s new line of merchandise with a kawaii street! The Japanese company’s brand new addition is called Palette’s Sweet Street.

The line features stationery and accessories decorated with cute colorful houses, tiny shops and shop interiors, outdoor cafes and trees: a dream place to live, reminds me of Paris (the capital of France that is, not the “Chi-wa-wa” owner).

Source: San-X

This post was written by Fashionably Cute’s contributing editor Wendy Brandes, an awesome jewelry designer (of Gigi Caron and Wendy Brandes Jewelry), journalist, blogger and fashion warrior on a never ending quest for scary fish shaped shoes.

A million Internet years ago, in 2001, I was addicted to the cuteness that was Hironori Akutagawa’s bunny site. Oolong the bunny had a special talent: the ability to balance things on his head.

(more…)

Russian Livejournal user dkphoto has visited Jeju Teddy Bear Museum in South Korea and took a bunch of photos of the museum’s treasures. Here are the links to his photo stories: 1, 2, 3, you don’t have to know Russian to be able to admire the beauty of the pictures.

The best part of the exhibition is the “Role of Teddy Bears in World Art”, pretty impressive versions of famous masterpieces, or rather a chance to see how they would have looked if teddy bears ruled the world. So kawaii! Here are several most recognizable paintings and sculptures.

Source dkphoto

Please welcome Fashionably Cute’s new contributing editor Wendy Brandes, who is an awesome jewelry designer (of Gigi Caron and Wendy Brandes Jewelry), journalist and blogger with a great sense of humour and a big passion for all things kawaii. This is the first guest post by her for Fashionably Cute, and I really hope our collaboration continues.

Carol of Paris Breakfasts found piggy petit fours in Provence.

Photo by Carol Gillot

Now I must have pigs on the brain, because the first thing I thought of
when I saw these button bobby pins was … pig snouts!

Pig-nose bobby pins from MyDogPepe via Etsy

And what could be cuter than a Pigorian chant?

Sandra Boynton gives good pig

That’s oink, folks!

Fashionably Cute’s friend, tremendous jewelry designer and scary fish shaped shoe lover Wendy Brandes has revealed herself as a huge kawaii fan. She has demonstrated a great ability of finding adorable stuff online, so I’m even going to offer her the ultra-prestigious position of contributing editor at Fashionably Cute! Just look at her recent discoveries:

Hamster pizza

Farm animal shaped cookies

Wendy has also designed a cute baby wolf necklace.

Well, of course, this necklace is supposed to look like a grown-up fang shaped wolf, but due to my kawaii loving nature I’d like to think it’s a tiny puppy swaddled in a blanket, such as this (even though it’s a baby wombat)…

…or this:

Image sources: wallpapers.pn9.net, Istockphoto, Wendy Brandes Jewelry, HamsterTracker, Cute Overload, Eleni’s