Now some of you dedicated See Pretty Thing readers had heard that something special was on the horizon and some of you knew of the interview that I had last week with fashion's handbag icon, Carlos Falchi. Well to answer your questions, last Wednesday, I had the amazing opportunity to sit and talk with Carlos Falchi who was so kind to meet with me after his return from Bloomingdales in San Francisco where he was apart of their opening. I must admit, that I was a little nervous being a fan of his bags over the past few years; however, once we sat and talked about his astounding career and of course the handbags, I felt that I was talking to a guru that definately gave me inspiration as a designer and made me in awe of his as a fashionista at heart. In true keeping with what you have come to love about See Pretty Things, you will enjoy learning about some of his amazing bags and of course for those of us that are designers, you will learn a few pearls of wisdom that will hopefully give you inspiration when you are in the midst of going for that next store or questioning if you should add that additional embellishment or fabric.

Brazilian native, Carlos Falchi has definately made a mark within the industry as a luxury handbag designer. For the past 20 years, he has been known for allowing women to enhance their beauty with exotic leathers that are full of color and a lot of fun to look at and carry as well. But as is the case with many success stories, it is always interesting to know how one makes the transition from individual to icon. Carlos Falchi emerged into the world of color, design and great style via working within the music and film industry. I knew that he had created leather costumes for such artists as Mick Jagger and Cher. But what amazed me the most was that it was Jazz that created the beginnings of a spotlight for this fashion icon. Carlos created leather pants for Miles Davis and through his association with him, he came into contact with Herbie Hancock and others that provided an introduction to Tina Turner! Talk about the power of the connex!

In the beginning of creating such amazing costumes, he continued to hone his skills for his leather craftsmanship by blending colors, shape, textures etc to make the products that we associate with him today! In the early stages, he worked with leathers that were black, brown and wine. Although these are striking colors and very classic in nature, Carlos came upon another idea that would forever identify him as the designer that we know today. Interestingly enough, I learned that in the beginning he dyed the leathers himself to create the fabulous colors that we know him for today in his home in the East Village. In addition, as he made fabulous items for others, he continued to design for himself which of course, anytime that you wear something and people find out that you did it, the buzz grows. Thus, Carlos continued to increase his circle of those wearing his original designs. This sense of design emerged as a personal love and as is the case for many designers, he is self taught and never had formal training. I asked if he ever designed for someone and learned that he designerd stamps for the government - which I thought was very interesting that he won a series of contests that allowed his work to be shown.

For those that may not be so familiar, Carlos' bags are eye catching due to their fun shapes and amazing colors, he describes his bags as "serious function with great form". As I sat in his showroom I was amazed by the overwhelming scent of lush leathers and colors that reminded me of the islands, bright turquoise, lime, orange and more. It was a feast for the eyes looking at bags that came in all shapes and sizes from hobo, clutch, mini hobos and more. In many ways, Carlos' showroom was an opportunity to peek into a closet of bags that one day I can say that he is among a series of select designers that my outfit would not be complete without wearing his mini hobo. Whether I'm wearing my signature jeans and a tank top with flip flops or a beautiful Little Black Dress (both outfots with a large cocktail ring of course) - I see in the very near future that the outfits completion could only occur if I have the option of wearing a Carlos Falchi handbag.

As I continued to look at the purses, I realized that he had belts as well which followed the same concepts that are associated with his bags. In addition to these items, the Carlos Falchi line includes jewelry, shoes and ready to wear clothing. Mixed in with the beautiful display of bags, I enjoyed looking at the press clippings of such magazines as cosmopolitan, Lucky and more. In addition to media recognition, you can't forget that many shows and movies that we have enjoyed watching have included his bags as well. Movies that have an extra glam factor due to Carlos' unique vision and sense of style include: Sex and the City, The Way We Were, The Nanny, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion, as Good as it Gets - just to name a few. In addition, his celeb clients have a range of icons themselves including Ali Macgraw, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Jacqueline Onassis, Sara Jessica Parker, Miles Davis and Jessica Simpson. PS a few months ago we were all blogging or at least commenting on blogs that questioned whether the In Touch magazine picture of Jessica Simpson kneeling on the ground due to tripping, was carrying a Carlos Falchi bag. I can now confirm that this is in fact his bag and that in fact she is a client. In addition, I was able to see a bag that she will be sporting that was in his showroom (ah I love knowing inside secrets).

Although, I was amazed at so many things he discussed with me, I learned that his first store that picked up his designs, was Henri Bendels. Although Carlos had a boutique at one time, he looks forward to creating one in New York and he is adamant about the importance of meeting his clients and those that are fans of his work. This allows him to guage his approach with his collections and to have the honest opinions of those that utilize his bags everyday.

For those of you that may not know, Carlos Falchi bags are the high end bags; however, Chi by Carlos Falchi (and I am proud to say that I saw him on HSN when he launched this collection), is a bag with a lower price point but with the same love, care and attention that he spends on the higher price point bags. On HSN, Carlos was very intent on sharing his love for his bags, what he creates and how it makes women beautiful. This same passion came through on the interview that I had with him and it is no wonder that he is so successful due to his philosophies.

In fashion whether you manage a store, write for a magazine or are talking with your friends, the question always comes to what is "It this season". Carlos rejects the concept of the "It" handbag and believes that what you wear, how you carry it and love it makes it right for you. It is impossible to believe that someone or a group of people can assume that a series of looks are approprioate and dismiss those that once were. What a brilliant concept - how many times have you questioned buying something simply because you were concerned that you would be sporting something that you were told was going out of fashion? By creating a standard of what is "in and out" you are merely copying and not creating; therefore, there is no personality.

As mentioned earlier, Carlos has been in the business for over 20 years and amazingly he has the same team of people. Many of these beautiful bags are made in the very building where I interviewed him and YES they are made by hand. I had the opportunity to watch various stages of a bag in progress. Beautiful leathers were being sewn on one table, another table had another member assembling straps and laying them out carefully while another team worked on an additional stage. From start to finish I learned that a bag takes about 3 days to create. Just in case you were wondering about his limited edition lines, all bags are considered to be limited. Interestingly enough, I learned that there are only about 100 bags made of each style! It's nice to know that if you are going to pay a large amount, that you will not see yourself over and over again as you leave Madison Ave on your way to 5th Ave.

Carlos does not just design his fabulous items and stay within his own team. He was more than happy to share that he has worked Vera Wang, Michael Kors Donna Karen and many more. Collaborations are essential in my opinion and I always love to know when and if other people are doing them. I believe that is creates a sense of community and allows you to operate slightly beyond your normal parameters. Any many respects, I present this personal ideology thorugh this blog. Many people come to this site to learn about new products, designers and to get inspiration. It was nice to see that Carlos seems to have this same view. In the midst of the tour of the studios, assembly areas and meeting his staff who all commented on what a joy it was to work with Carlos, I wanted to know a few pearls of wisdom that I could take back to those who read this blog, come across this article, etc.

Carlos is successful becasuse he "broke the rules". He wanted to create a line that reflected his love, life and vision. This presented itself via an explosion of color, experimenting, mixing textures and more. This may not have been something that the industry supported; however, this is something that he believed in and he didn't compromise. Regardless of your direction or position, he believes that we are all capable of designing something fabulous and that through this it creates a sense of equal rights to reflect what is true to us.

This interview seemed to fly by so fast and yet, I was glad to learn more about a designer whose items can be found on such sites as Bag Shop Zappo Couture and eLuxury. I was impressed by the morale and energy that floated through the walls at Carlos Falchi Designs. I feel that he is someone that teaches as he works with you; moreover, his design abilities teach women to embrace their passions and sense of style via bags that have handcrafted structure with many details that incorporate all the senses.