Brand in October: Givenchy and Bags, Bags, Bags

As I have done in previous months, I also owe you a description of the October edition of Taiwan's Brand magazine. The top two themes are bags, a hundred of them, and Givenchy, which paid for a booklet insert to present its history and its full range of products.
First, the fashion profiles: Brand comes up with yes, Givenchy, and their two designers, Ozwald Boateng for men and Riccardo Tisci for women. The extra booklet goes mainly for the bags, but also features wallets and belts. Even though I am not crazy about loud logos, my favorite here is the gray logo design, four black G's on a gray background.
The main magazine also features Antonio Marras and his flowery work at Kenzo, Jimmy Choo with main designer Sandra Choi who's British-Hong Kong, and jewelry Mauboussin, which has taken Taiwanese star Shu Qi as its Asian face.
After reading the designers' profiles, I went for a report on the outlet town of Bicester in Britain's Oxforshire.
And then there are the bags. There's a description of the Chanel 2.55, its history which started in February 1955 - whence the name - and its present reincarnation. There's a list of new items, with the metallic bags taking the place of honor. My prize for the most outrageous bag goes to an Anya Hindmarch creation, a turquoise item with the text 'Women and Chocolate - Dr. Harold Praline' and the picture of a woman's hand reaching out for chocolates. No, I'm not kidding, the bag really looks like that.
My favorite bags in this month's issue include the black Prada one with the red flowers and the Chinese knit knot (yes) stuck on top. Giorgio Armani, not precisely known for its bags, has a luxurious item: black, with two white embroidered flowers, and a black horse tail dangling from each end. No price mentioned. Snake and crocodile skins are widely featured, and there are the usual logos, and a black-on-white version of Loewe's Amazona.
Giorgio Armani by the way, also has one of the more extravagant bags. A number that looks like it just fell into a vat of raspberry jam. Also red, but a lot more tasteful, a small bag to put your change in from Miu Miu, with a brown flower and green leaves reducing the effect of the red. The report also has four pages of metallic bags, the big new wave this autumn.
The magazine is not heavy on real news, but it has this short item: Taiwan's designer duo of Stephane Dou and Changlee Yugin are going to launch a series of glasses in December. In the meantime, you're welcome to check out their boutique Wu:m in the alley off Chungshan North Road Section 2 next to the Spot Film House, the old U.S. embassy.
This weekend is National Day weekend in Taiwan, and October is sales month, so the department stores are certain to be packed. I'll pass by over the next few days, though I also have a food project going, preparing European desserts at home, but that's story that belongs on a future blog.