Swiss designer Albert "I cannot work with cheap fabric" Kriemler has gradually built his family-owned brand, Akris, into a luxury power seller. Now serious competition for longstanding luxury brands Armani and Chanel, Akris often outsells both in that elusive upper echelon of fashion. But you won't see the brand on many a young starlet. Akris is not for the trendy, despite a criticized attempt to change things up for the Spring 08 collection. Favored by women looking to be taken seriously -- Condoleeza Rice is a fan, as is Diane Sawyer -- Akris focuses on quality and timelessness, with the seasonless, highly packable fabric to prove it. Yet highly packable translates to highly priced: a cashmere/silk jersey dress is in the $3-4000 range. Check out selections from Fall at Bergdorf's and also at Neiman's. Then browse the gallery to see some evening pieces, and all those gorgeously cut pants. To see some new shapes and a few perfectly draped dresses, check out the Akris resort collection on Style.com, which isn't out quite yet.

Back in April we commented on the fact that several major fashion houses had chosen to bring back '90s supermodels such as Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell for their spring ad campaigns. We speculated at the time that the revival was no mere flash in the pan and would continue for subsequent seasons; the new crop of fall ad campaigns has now proved our prognostications correct. Top of the heap is Linda Evangelista's new series of ads for Prada shot by Steven Meisel (above), which rates as a major comeback for the ageless beauty.

In addition, both Chanel and Salvatore Ferragamo have kept Schiffer for their new fall campaigns, while Turlington returns for Escada as well. Elsewhere, Naomi Campbell appears for Yves Saint Laurent and Amber Valletta does the honors for DSquared, Iceberg and David Yurman; while as we mentioned previously Eva Herzigova and Kate Moss heat up the new Louis Vuitton and Just Cavalli campaigns respectively. See the gallery for more.

Johnny Depp's gorgeous longtime girlfriend, French model/singer/actress Vanessa Paradis, has been chosen to replace Kirsten Dunst as the face of Miuccia Prada's sporty Miu Miu diffusion line. Paradis will appear in the label's futuristic Fall/Winter ads (right) shot by sought-after fashion photog duo Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot in Los Angeles, Vogue UK reports.

"At once a deconstruction and a pure visual composition, the campaign addresses the exploration of beauty in conjunction with intellect, imagination, and divergence," a Miu Miu rep says. Paradis has previously appeared in several ads for Chanel. She and Depp have been together for 10 years and have two children. Last year my colleague Deirdre Woolard reported that Depp had bought her a vineyard near St. Tropez.

I love vintage Chanel bags, truly timeless, they never go out of style, if anything they seem to get more fabulous with each passing year! However they always sell out at vintage shops so it can be quite hard to get your hands on one, thankfully with the Internet, haute purse collecting has gotten easier. This black shoulder bag in patent leather crocodile print is one of the nicest collectible bags I've seen. Details include two outside pockets and a top zipper closure. It's available online for $4639! Pricey but well worth every penny.

Hotels are fine as far as they go. For a really luxurious vacation however, renting a private house or villa is much the better choice. Of course the prices at the top-end can be astronomical. If money is no object, however, a new book called Luxury Houses: Holiday Escapes is a perfect guide to the best high-end hideaways around the globe. One of the standouts is Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld's former villa in Monaco (pictured here), which can be yours for a mere €30,000 per week. For that you get six bedrooms, panoramic views of the ocean and the mountains from an enormous terrace, a pool, Jacuzzi, game room and a tent on a private beach. The interior is described unironically as "quasi royal."

Also on display is the Birkenhead House in Hermanus, South Africa (about $7,000 per night) with eleven bedrooms and three pools, dominating a steep cliff above Walker Bay where whales frolic; and Villa Indigo in the Caribbean Sea within a protective reef in Anguilla with two pools and a private beach and sandbar, for $16,000 - $38,000 a week depending on the season; as well as dozens more ritzy rentals from ski chalets in Switzerland to modern palaces in China.

On Friday, Women's Wear Daily released a sneak peek of Chanel fall 2008 beauty color collection and I have to wonder if the recent spike in gold prices were an inspiration to Peter Phillips, the new creative director of makeup. The collection will come out in July and will be followed in October by Philips' holiday collection. Phillips tells WWD that he choose gold because of the warm metallic colors used in Coco Chanel's apartment on Rue Cambon.

The collection includes Gold Fiction, the nail polish for $30; Facettes D'Or, a loose powder with a golden glow for $56; Gold Light Glossimer lip gloss, $26; Rouge Hydrabase lipstick shades in copper, plum and coral for $27 each, and a quad eye shadow palette with gold, coffee, ivory and dark green eye colors for $56. In a time of economic turmoil will women want to to wear gold on their fingers and toes? Chanel is hoping the new gold nail polish is the next Vamp or Black Satin but it seems an awfully opulent color for an uncertain time.

Chanel and watchmaker Audemars Piguet have collaborated on a new version of Chanel's popular J12 collection. The J12 calibre 3125 is done in 18K yellow gold and black ceramic. The 42mm case is done in ceramic and 18kt yellow gold and it has a ceramic bracelet with a gold buckle. The watch also has a sapphire crystal and display back. The movement is the automatic Audemars caliber AP3125 with 40 jewels, beating at 21,600 bph and with a 60 hour power reserve.

If you are anything like me, you may have found yourself completely burned out on perfume. Lately I've found that many fragrances have seemed to be too synthetic and sweet, bubblegum scents that hit the skin and quickly dissipate. It turns out that I am not alone, the Wall Street Journal has a great piece on the changing fragrance world. Many high-end brands who have, in the past few years, been catering to the masstige market by creating fragrances at the lower price point are now taking a different approach because the sales of the perfumes have been dropping off. Instead, companies like Chanel and Prada have launched ultra-exclusive scents that use pricey ingredients and have richer, more evocative fragrance profiles.

A quick sampling:
--Tom Ford created his Private Blend, a line of 12 fragrances that run from the frankly floral to more masculine smells like tobacco and cedar.
--Chanel created their Les Exclusifs line of six signature scents that had perfume lovers raving.
--Hermès has a new line of unique perfumes called Hermessence, like the other designer lines, this one moves into new ground with scents like the lavender-and-licorice-smelling Brin de Réglisse.
--Giorgio Armani's Privé line costs $185 a bottle and lures purchasers not just with ingredients bergamot, neroli and vetiver but with those sexy bottles made of African kotibe wood and caps that look jade, moonstone, amethyst and other gemstones.

These scents aren't exactly making big profits yet but the companies are hopeful that they will have more staying power with consumers than some of the cheaper, more forgettable designer brands. One thing that the WSJ article doesn't mention but which I would guess is also a factor is that each of these lines isn't just one signature fragrance, but a set. And the idea of owning a complete set, especially that looks as pretty as the Armani line shone above, may lure scent lovers to collect the whole line rather than just one bottle.

Who doesn't like to ride in style? Now it doesn't have to be a car but a blinged-out bicycle! This limited edition bike included in the spring/summer 2008 fashion line-up for Chanel was designed in part to celebrate Coco's passion for the sport. The plush, quilted-leather seat, functional saddle bag and smashing double-C logo are also accompanied by an 8-speed gear. Get your exercise and look amazing spending only $12,400 for this one of a kind bike. Just don't wear your sweats with it -- you will have to look snazzy to take this one for a ride!

As the Los Angeles Times recently reported, Chanel has recently opened a new Chanel flagship in Beverly Hills. The 14,700-square-foot Rodeo Drive store has a dramatic storefront of white and black with a cast-bronze canopy. The four-story space is a palace of elegance showcasing not just clothing and acessories but also a wide variety of artistic flourishes in Murano glass, gold leaf, feathers and silk. Taking pride of place in the store is this unique watch, a one-of-a-kind version of their J12 tourbillon ringed in sapphire baguettes with a sapphire cabochon set in the crown. The watch is inscribed Beverly Hills No. 1/1.

Here at Luxist I'm hardly the handbag expert (that's Sandy and Marsha's department) but when I saw this article I couldn't help but chime in. I love a cute purse just as much as the next girl, but some of these are priced upwards of $100,000 and $200,000! Are they really worth that much? Maybe I don't love purses as much as the next girl...

Personal feelings of value aside, several of the creations on this list of the world's most extravagant handbags are truly gorgeous, and many have so many diamonds and so much gold that justifying the price tag definitely gets easier -- it's an investment! My favorite? The Nancy Gonzalez Porousus Bag, which is actually one of the more reasonable bags on the list coming in at number 9 and costing only $30,000. And here are winners 1-5:

• Chanel "Diamond Forever" Classic Bag, $261,000
• Hermes Matte Crocodile Birkin Bag, $120,000
• Lana Marks Cleopatra Bag, $100,000
• Leiber Precious Rose, $92,000
• LV Tribute Patchwork Bag, $42,000

Wow, and I thought the Gucci book was expensive! The new set of Chanel books by luxury publisher Assouline (who has also done collaborations with Coach and Goyard) has it handily beat. The three-book set has a quilted slipcase that holds books on fashion, perfume and jewelry. The books are 80 pages each and the entire set sells for $550.

One of the latest to join the Chanel J12 family, this watch is truly limited edition as only 12 are being made -- if you're lucky enough to get one you're in an very small club. There's not much information out yet, but we do know this Chanel J12 Limited Edition watch comes in a 38mm case of 18k white gold and ceramics. The dial is set with 84 diamonds and 12 rubies, the bezel is set with 36 rubies, and the crown features a cabochon ruby. It will also come in a 33 mm version if you prefer a smaller size, and no word yet on price.

Chanel's unique Lumière d'Artifices Eyeshadow was inspired by the sequins that are featured on so many of the fashion label's hand-detailed couture pieces. The shadow compact contains three colors - cool silver, deep anthracite and warm bronze - all of which are metallic and carry the sequined look even further. The colors can complement any outfits, not just couture, and are a lovely (and affordable) way to incorporate some Chanel into your wardrobe. Price: $75.

[via fabsugar]

The latest luxe cream from Chanel is their new Sublimage cream. The cream uses the essence of the Vanilla Planifolia, the Vanilla orchid grown on Madagascar.The cream also uses a patent-pending polyfractioning technique which is supposed to create work in wrinkles, loss of firmness, dehydration, lack of radiance and inconsistency in pigmentation. The new lush cream was celebrated this summer with an equally lush fete in Los Angeles. You can buy yours for $350 for a 1.7 ounce jar.