This year marks the seventieth anniversary of the much-loved House of Gucci, and the exuberant celebrations kicked off with Gucci’s Resort show on July 8th. Unlike most of the other Resort collections which were shown in New York, Creative Director, Frida Giannini, chose to premiere the collection in Rome with a gorgeous show and a very glamorous after party to fete the Italian luxury brand.
Ms. Giannini even gave a small gift to fans and lovers of the label who could not make it to Rome for the show; she streamed the show live over the Internet. Although runway shows become almost instantly available on sites such as Youtube, and very often on the sites of designers themselves, no other designer has quite literally invited the whole world to participate in a show in such a way. The end of exclusivity? Perhaps not, but certainly a step in a more egalitarian direction. If you missed the live video, check out the gucci site for a look at the show and glamorous after party.
The celebration continues at the Gucci flagship store in Rome in the Via Condotti. The store itself has been given a full face lift and features all Gucci products from mens and womens wear to accessories and a separate jewelry boutique. Exclusive items have also been commissioned for the legendary store including a beautiful printed bag with a ‘1950’s Postcard’ scene of Rome (pictured above) as well as dazzling new jewelry inspired by the iconic Gucci horse bit. But if you can’t make it to Rome anytime soon to celebrate the brand yourself, you can always just spritz a bit of your favorite Gucci scent and be instantly transported to the magical peninsula.
Dubbed the “It Bag of Spring 2008″ the Burberry Warrior has created quite the hype. Seen on the arms of countless celebrities (and all over the set of the hit show Gossip Girl), this bag has taken the handbag world by storm. The bag started its journey on the Burberry runway in beige. Christopher Bailey, the Creative Director of Burberry, cited the Luxury Warrior as his inspiration for spring and this can be seen with his metal stud design used on this bag. The Burberry Warrior implements dark silver stud details on top of black leather. The top features a wide panel with drawstring pulls that go through eyelets to secure. The bag will fit snug on your shoulder. I saw this bag and loved it. It is so refreshing to see something different and eclectic from a brand that you begin to know what to expect. This bag was a great addition to a brand that at times has been predictable
For this year, Gucciannounced a special limited 8-8-2008 collection of just 8 fashion accessories that will be available exclusively through Gucci Hong Kong and China stores. The special edition pays homage to competitive sports and is supposed to epitomize sporty luxury, according to Gucci creative director Frida Giannini. Cornerstone of the campaign is the 
The 8-8-2008 collection also features an unlikely accessory in form of a bicycle. The bike is built for leisure and sports bold red double GG leather details such as the seat and the handle bar grips. On a personal note: Being somewhat of a bike fetishist myself, I feel like the Holland-style bike defies the whole concept of the campaign. If the collection is conveying a sporty spirit, why not collaborate with a real competitive race bike maker such as 
Moving on from an athlete’s rant, the limited collection also features two pieces of luggage in the bold red “La Pelle Guccissima”. The first is a study leather duffel bag and the other a soft-leather messenger bag with Gucci’s Green-Red-Green web on its shoulder strap. You can view the full limited edition 
