I Want That: Ilariamai Comme L'oiseau

I think some of the best fashion designers come from other industries. Ilaria Pavone, an industrial and interior designer by training, is no exception. Her Comme L'oiseau handbag line is lust worthy. I will own one. Soon. A little more info on the collection.



"The collection comme l'oiseau started in 2009. The name was inspired by a line of the poet Paul Valery "Il faut etre léger comme l'oiseau, et non comme la plume." Ilaria's idea of a perfect bag? A bag that can be other bags at the same time. In fact, you can choose a handle - in dark, light leather or transparent PVC - and a central part which represents the bag. You can choose also for this part between different materials, colors and patterns. Some are double-faced which means that turning them around you'll have a new bag ready for new stylings. Ilaria's bags are all hand made by her, each piece is unique and will be made especially for you. If you're interested, contact Ilaria at ilariamai@ilariamai.it she'll give you all the infos you need and will answer all your questions." Blue is in Fashion This Year



I want that.

When playing sports, one should be properly accessorized.

On my quest to find a suitable tennis racquet bag, I discovered there is, how shall we say, a bit of a gap between what is available and what is desired in the way of racquet bags. I don't know about you, but a black nylon bag with the words, "Prince" or "Wilson" sprawled out in the same silver font they have been since 1976 isn't my idea of cute. Kate Spade made a cute racquet bag at one point, but it is discontinued and was $400. I love Kate Spade, but at this point in my life, $400 for a racquet bag might not fall into the "necessity" column.

My search continued. And guess what I found? Fabulous. Reasonble. Fabulous. Did I say fabulous? Tennis racquet bags! And not just that, but golf accessories, dog collars, and affordable handbags that don't make me want to gag. (I have a bit of a problem finding handbags under $400 that are adequate, so I find myself scouring off-price websites whenever I am in need.) These are acutally cute AND don't cost a month's salary. I am over the moon. We will soon be carrying the cutest golf club headcovers:



Affordable handbags in cute prints:



And dog collars for walking your furry friend in style:



All made in the USA and under $100. Are you jumping on your bed with excitement yet? Preorders are welcome. Because these are going to go like hot cakes.

*** JPK Paris Handbag Giveaway ***

We love contests. If you haven't picked up on that, you haven't been paying attention. We love giving things away! So... we are having another contest. And it is a big one!

Here's the deal. When we hit 1,000 friends, we will give away a JPK Paris Large Sasha Handbag to the first person who writes, "WHEN LIFE GIVES ME LEMONS... I PUT ON SOMETHING SPARKLY." It's that easy. And we are talking about a $250 handbag from a line carried at Nordstrom and all of the top boutiques. (Obvi. Bon Lemon carries it :) Come on people! Get excited!

We have 448 friends right now, so we have some work to do. Get the word out, watch the friend count, and then get posting! Good luck to you all!

Mexican Winter Collection

I have always loved travelling and finding treasures in unexpected places. One of the best things about Bon Lemon is my ability to pass those finds onto you! After a week in Mexico, I determined I could buy higher quality, less expensive sterling from Thailand, but I was very impressed with the local bead work. So, I found a good sample of bracelets, belts, clutches, and coin purses to bring home to you. All are handmade in a village outside Puerto Vallarta, providing sustainable jobs for local residents. There were a handful of other modern pieces I was drooling over, but they just weren't a good enough value to make the Bon Lemon cut. Sexy and fabulous, but a bit overpriced. The exception were the layered, silk earrings I found. Although, they aren't inexpensive, they are reasonably priced, high quality, and super chic! Bon Lemon in a nutshell :) Here's a little video preview of what we will have for you in January. Come by the shoppe, check us out at a trunk show, or call us to reserve your favorite piece (or pieces :).

Technical difficulties... Video won't load. More pics coming soon!

JPK Paris Large Sasha Handbag

Well people, we've got it. The JPK Paris Large Sasha Handbag in army and steel. We have more JPK bags coming, but we have so many people interested, I don't know how long they are going to last. They are durable, chic, have substantial hardware and come in perfect fall colors.

Get 'em while they are hot.

The Furry Friend Contest

What is more fun than giving things away? (I think I was meant to be a philanthropist. Give Bon Lemon a couple of years.)

We are having another contest: The Furry Friend Contest. Like most of our contests, this one relates to our mantra,

"when life gives you lemons... make lemonade."

The Furry Friend Contest will run from Wednesday, September 22 through Wednesday, September 29. All you have to do is tell us how your furry friend (dog, ferret, rabbit, horse... overly hairy men do not count) has helped you make lemonade. It could be anything from saving your life to licking your feet. Post it on our Facebook page for all the world to see. (Actually, we have less than 300 friends, so you will only be exposing yourself to the equivalent of a high school graduating class. Or the number of people in the US who still own a Hypercolor shirt. Those were so cool!)

An example of The Furry Friend Contest entry:
When I am having a bad day, and I take Dolce Vita Evans for a walk, I get great pleasure seeing the joy he experiences from running around outside. I watch him as he devises the perfect position to pee on the exact leaf of a bush he has his eye on. I envy the enjoyment he feels from breathing air. I learn from his enthusiasm for everything he encounters. Although, sometimes it takes a dog peeing on a bush to remind me, no matter how many lemons come my way, there is always lemonade to be had.

So share your story with us. Tell us how your furry friend has helped you make lemonade. The sappier the better. The winner, as determined by Dolce Vita Evans, the Bon Lemon proprietress, and our board of directors (so really just me), will receive this bunny friendly scarf made from buttery soft angora valued at $48! You can pick black, white or caramel.

Give your furry friend a scratch from Bon Lemon.

P.S. we are on the hunt for Bon Lemon dog collars, but haven't found the right ones. If you have suggestions, we would love to hear them.

Clutch

Isn't this brown patina alligator clutch fab? I think it would look great with denim or a dress. We are still trying to figure out how we plan to offer our products online, but if there is something you can't live without, shoot me an email. With Paypal and USPS, the sky is the limit :)

$48
Available for purchase below in the Bon Lemon Store