Sunday, February 13, 2011

Kimora's Kollection - A Fashion Archive


Many of you know Kimora Lee Simmons for various reasons. She was the creative force behind the Baby Phat brand which she developed and grew for over 10 years. While there she diversified herself into fragrances, cosmetics, KLS collection, Kouture By Kimora, Fabulosity Jr. Line, Hello Kitty Jewelry, Books and still continues her evolution. She is now living a PHAT free life and is focused on the KLS brand and all it's fabulous products; "Onward and Upward" as she put's it. A new skin care line to come this spring as well as the launch of her new fragrance "Love Me" (which is her 6th). This blog was inspired by the re-launch of her website www.KLS.com. It got me thinking about her evolution within the world of fashion and her celebration of fashion as an art form.

I have read that there are people who feel much of her success can be attributed to her ex husband Hip Hop Mogul Russell Simmons. From where I sit he has been a great mentor, friend, creative partner and inspiration for her but NOT the reason for her continues success or her break into the fashion industry. She was part of the high fashion business as a model long before she became Mrs. Simmons.


Kimora started her career in fashion at the tender age of 13, in true Kimora style. She did not start in a catalogue, or doing local modelling jobs in her home town of St. Louis, Missouri - she went straight to the runways of Paris courtesy of fashion designer and creative genius Karl Lagerfeld. Right out of the gate the biggest honor a model can receive was bestowed on her by the house of CHANEL, she was the finale bride in the 1989 Haute Couture show in Paris. She went on to model for Valentino, Yves St. Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld (his own label), Fendi, Mary McFadden, Susan Lazar, Anna Sui and others.



Fashion has always been part of Kimora's life and over the years she has collected an amazing archive of clothing, accessories and treasures that would make The Metropolitan Museum of Art's costume institute consider an exhibit!

My favorite and in my opinion one of the most impressive fashion treasures is the late Gianni Versace's BED. Not a bed and linens from his home signature collection but HIS bed from the master bedroom from his Miami home (Casa Casuarina). I could not even imagine the energy this piece would bring into one's home. To lay your head where one of histories GREATEST fashion designers slept, worked and possibly cultivated some of his designs is AMAZING.

She also has the largest private collection of Louis Vuitton purses, bags and luggage second only to the house of Louis Vuitton. Not all of it is contemporary either.


She has a large collection of Vintage items such as steamer trunks and the BEST piece: A LV hat box that belonged to the late Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis, complete with hair strands left behind; if that box could talk.


I think her signature bag has to be the Hermes Birkin!


Kimora pictured with a small fraction of her Hermes Birkin bag collection - YES she has one in MAUVE (I LOVE IT) ... and yellow, white, pink, black, orange, green, blue and various shades of brown/tan. It is my personal belief that Hermes should create a custom Birkin named "Kimora": in bright LIME!



I am also aware that her collection of Chanel clothing and accessories is vast, spanning the decades. She has vintage pieces, pieces given to her by Karl Lagerfeld personally and those she has accumulated through purchase. I love the patchwork head band from the Fall 1990/1991 show (As seen on Kimora on the runway). It reminds me of my youth spend watching fashion.

She also loves her classic patchwork bags. She even has a bag that she says “Chanel didn’t even know they had”

(Photo posted by Kimora via Twitter of her closet recently)

She has expressed to me via Twitter her love for Vintage clothing and the history of fashion. Her closet is full of both contemporary and Vintage designer pieces. Her collection is so vast she houses it in two seperate locations, in 2 states! Her "satellite closet" as she calls it is in her house in LA and I suppose the mother ship resides in her New Jersey boudoir.

Then there is her love of shoes! She has 2 closets stuffed with the most sought after, designer shoes. The majority being 4", another not so subtle expression of her "go big or go home" attitude! BRAVO KLS! My favorite item: Custom made and Custom designed pairs Manolo Blahnik's

Can you imagine having a closet like this?

NJ


LA

The 'mother ship' Closet in NJ (shot for InStyle Feature 2007, Life and Home



The 'satellite' closet LA (from her Bluefly Closet Confession)

See Kimora's Closet Confession Here:



Next time Kimora take the camera's to the mother ship and call LisaG when you feel like purging, we wear the same size shoe!

15 comments:

  1. Wow, I loved this post. Learned alot about her I never knew! I love the photos of her at Chanel, she was so young too. What an empire she has grown! Neat about the bed, VERY cool piece to own!
    Her closets are mesmerizing. I love the pics you chose ;-)
    Brande
    http://stores.ebay.com/Victory-Vintage-Boutique
    http://victoryvintageb.blogspot.com/

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  2. Thanks Brande! I think Kimora does not get the credit she deserves for her place in Fashion and her history in the business. I love the vintage runway photos of her as well. She was 14 on the runway and I was 10 at home video taping the shows on VHS and reading my sisters VOGUE! ha ha ha I love her attitude about female empowerment, pride, hard work and giving back. She is a great example for women (especially mothers). XO

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  3. What a beautiful beautiful photo at the beginning of the blog, is that the blogger. I am so drawn to it, it is perfect.

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  4. Thanks Claire! I made the graphic. The photos used were 2 from red carpets and the center one was an ad for KLS Cosmetics and I placed the effect on it! XO Thank you for taking the time to chack out my BLOG xo

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  5. Nice blog ! I like your article and i will really read it again..and also waiting for next post too
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  6. Thanks for reading the BLOG! Much more to come .. Stay Tuned XO

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  7. omg that girl has it all. wow. must be nice!

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