The amazing Festival of Crafts is scheduled to begin on the west coast at the Bravern in Bellevue, Washington state on February 23 through February 28.

The Festival of Crafts is an exhibition that highlights the incredible art of craft, in addition to its importance in the contemporary world.

The Festival of Crafts is open to the public and will feature the poetic and visionary techniques of Hermès crafts, ranging from silk scarf printing to the emblematic “saddle stitch” at the foundation of the Hermès handbag design.

After the exhibition finishes in Washington state, it will then travel to Chicago, Washington D.C. and then abroad.

During this, festival attendees will experience first-hand the complexity and skill to create an object by hand and why ‘craft’ plays such a contemporary role in today’s world.

Attendees of the Festival of Crafts will have the unique chance to meet the Hermès’ craftsmen and artisans, plus learn a specific technique of his or her highly-skilled trade (see list below) in an interactive environment.

The initial goal of the Festival of Crafts was to create an exhibition to highlight the art of craft, and it allows Hermès to share its history, through the knowledge and passion of its craftsmen and craftswomen.

Several of the key exhibits include:
· Leather making of a bag
· Silk – a printing demonstration
· Saddle maker
· Silk engraver
· Tie maker
· Watchmaker
· Jewelry Diamond Setter
· Men’s made-to-measure shirt maker
· Glove maker

Since 1837, when Hermès opened in Paris as a maker of harnesses and saddles, six generations of enterprising artisans have continued to extend their range and conquer new markets.

The Festival of Crafts will open in Seattle on February 23 through February 28; in Chicago from March 11 to March 16; and in Washington D.C. from March 25 to March 30. The hours are from 11:00a.m to 6:00p.m.

Courtesy of: Hermes

Luxury watchmaker Hermès, has introduced a new timepiece – the Steel Arceau Skeleton.

The Steel Arceau Skeleton is inspired by legendary launch of Hermes in the equestrian world.

The Arceau Skeleton features the Hermes trademark – a single stirrup case design.

The new timepiece utilizes a round, 41mm wide Arceau steel case. The Steel Arceau Skeleton has an AR-coated sapphire crystal and display back. The watch is water resistant down to 30 meters.

The two sapphire crystals vividly reveal the beating heart of the internal mechanism.

The dial features royal blue hands, in addition to a larger seconds hand.

The vintage looking watch features a highly skeletonized and perlage decorated Vaucher H1 automatic movement.

There’s an automatic rotor that smartly portrays the Hermes signature logo.

Around the dial rim (which come in either slate-grey or brown), small, angled arabesque numerals provide an elegant style.

The watch come with a matching colored alligator strap includes a safety folding clasp.

For more information, go to Hermes

Talk about a classic handbag that oozes elegance. One name comes to mind and it’s Hermes.

A Hermes bag is the most coveted, most expensive and most valuable handbag in the world. There is no other, but Hermes that could possibly be crowned with this stellar reputation.

A Hermes handbag offers luxurious beauty and it’s stunning elegance wins your love over at first sight.

The rich material and exquisite craftsmanship of a Hermes handbag makes it difficult for anyone to keep your hands off.

It’s been often said, that a Hermes bag stands prominently above all the other luxury brand bags. Alone, like a divine queen, sitting on a throne, proudly ruling the luxury fashion kingdom.

Anyone who has ever browsed the classy Hermes website, takes notice and quickly marvels at the great creativity of the vivid Hermes world.

Simply put, Hermes is old-fashioned with glorious traditions in terms of using the most luxurious materials, exquisite handicraft, and unchanged aesthetic principle.

But the Hermes brand also presents glamor that has been created by deep tradition and timeless elegance. The respected Hermes brand creates and transcends fashion, but never follows fashion.

Hermes has a long, 170-year-plus record of providing the world of fashion with the most luxurious leather goods anywhere. The Hermès Group was founded in 1837.

Hermes handbags have well earned a reputation as the most sought-after handbags in history. Each unique handmade bag is carefully crafted, one by one, only from the most premium leather available.

The classic Hermes Birkin bag holds the record of the longest waiting list in the history of accessories. The Hermes Birkin bag is the crown jewel of the status bag.

The Hermes Birkin bag was designed back in the 1920s by the historical accessories design house – the Birkin. The Birkin bag is a long-lasting sample of classic beauty, everlasting style, and timeless design.

For as long as I can recall, I have been completely obsessed with designer handbags. I spent the majority of my youth dreaming of the day when I could afford to buy my favorite designer handbags. Here I am, some ten years later, still looking forward to that day. While I have been known to skip out on my bills to buy the latest trendy handbag, I have yet to spend more than $1000.00 on an individual bag. A girl can still dream, can’t she?

I was leafing through some catalogs over the weekend, and I was amazed at how incredibly expensive some of the high-end designer handbags really are. I knew they were expensive, but I had no clue how very expensive. Oh…the innocence of youth! I decided that it would be useful for our legion of faithful readers to have a handy reference of the most expensive designer handbags on the planet.

So here goes… It has been written about countless times in the press and in the blogosphere, but I simply cannot resist this little gem! If I had to name an all-time favorite design house, Fendi would be the one. I don’t know how they manage to do it, but they are consistently able to strike an incredible balance between innovation and classic design in all of their creations. Fendi designs some of the most exciting handbags in the fashion industry, and the “B.Bag” is one of the most sought-after handbags in the world. One might think that the $30,000 price tag might be a deterrent, but not for those with the means to support their addiction!

Another bag that has given me far too many sleepless nights is the Hermes “Birkin” bag! These bags were named after Jane Birkin, the oh-so-fabulous British actress and fashion icon. These bags are often duplicated, but never truly replicated. With a price tag of over $20,000, it is easy to understand why they are a favorite of vendors of cheap, imitation handbags. As you are likely aware, these bags are available by special order only.

Furthermore, the final costs will very much be dependent on the materials and hardware used in their construction. Wow! Do I need a Sugar Daddy, or what? If there was one other bag that creeps into my dreams with any regularity, it would be the “Muse” from Yves Saint Laurent. It is very much like a traditional bowling bag in shape and design. The first time I saw her was at Saks on Fifth Ave in NYC, and from that moment I knew one day she would be mine. If I had my way, I would choose the oh-so-supple white crocodile version. I cannot think of anything I would rather spend $20,000 on…aside from the “Birkin” bag mentioned above. Wouldn’t I make the perfect girlfriend? Wanna go shopping sometime?