Just so the guys don’t feel left out, I thought I’d share with you what I have been buying for myself and for my male clients so we can look oh so cool as the weather (finally) warms up.

1. The off white blazer. It’s the transformational piece of the summer. It has the formality of a dinner jacket, but it’s made of cotton and, ideally, it’s a bit cropped and tight to the body. Dress it down with jeans and wear it everywhere you want to look “oh so cool.” Think Ashton Kutcher on the cover of Details.

Buy the Gucci one he’s wearing if your budget allows. I bought the version from Philip Lim 3.1 (shown here) for $695 at Jake on Oak Street. It feels amazing on! Banana Republic makes a shawl collared version from their Heritage Collection for $375.

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Could Phoebe Philo be close to signing a deal to take creative control of LVMH brand Celine? Our sources say “yes”. While there have been rumors circulating about Phoebe Philo’s return to fashion for some time now, earlier talks with Paris-based luxury conglomerate LVMH had reportedly broken down over alleged salary demands back in March. If you recall, Philo first came to prominence in the fashion industry during the mid 90’s as Stella McCartney’s right hand “man” so-to-speak when the two were churning out hip ready-to-wear at Chloe (Groupe Richemont). Philo dutifully stepped into McCartney’s design shoes when the latter left Chloe to found her own eponymous brand (PPR/Gucci Group). While Philo’s debut at the helm of Chloe was somewhat shaky, she managed to pull off a near impossible feat - she emerged from McCartney’s shadow to imprint her own aesthetic identity on the fashion house gaining the respect of the fashion press and retail buyers alike. She left the fashion world gobsmacked when at the height of her success at Chloe, she resigned her position as Creative Director to focus on her young daughter. Celine is currently in the hands of Croatian-born Ivana Omazic who studied fashion design in Milan and honed her skills under the tutelage of Miuccia Prada. According to The Luxe Chronicles’ sources, Omazic is (was?) in the midst of designing the Spring/Summer 2009 collection. Omazic had replaced Michael Kors who designed briefly for the brand. Stay tuned for further detail.

Photo by Marcio Madeiras, courtesy of Style.com.

• Founded: in Florence, Italy, as saddlery shop by Guccio Gucci (1881-1953), 1906, after family millinery business failed.
• Company History: Became retailer of accessories, 1923; Gucci shops opened in Florence, 1923; boutiques open in Rome, 1938; firm renamed Societá Anonima Guccio Gucci, 1939; stores opened in Milan, 1951; renamed Guccio Gucci Srl, 1945; New York boutique opened, 1953; opened in Paris, 1963; shop opened in Hong Kong and Gucci Parfums formed, 1975 (renamed Gucci Parfums SpA, 1982); company renamed Guccio Gucci SpA, 1982; appointed Dawn Mello creative director, 1989; Tom Ford joined company, 1990; acquired by Investcorp, 1993; Mello departed and Ford named creative director, 1994; deaths of Mauritzio and Paolo Gucci, 1995; listed on the NYSE, 1995; rival Prada bought stake, 1998; sold stake to LVMH, 1999; Pinault Printemps Redoute acquired major stake and fought off LVMH, 1999; Alexander McQueen defected from LVMH to Gucci, 2000; hired Stella McCartney to create her own line, 2000; designer Nicolas Ghesquiére came to firm with acquisition of Balenciaga, 2001.

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