Memories of Elizabeth Taylor

I was saddened to learn yesterday that Elizabeth Taylor has passed away. I first met her in Johannesburg prior to and at a Gala at the Carlton Hotel, just after she had married Richard Burton in Botswana. Many years later, when I visited with her at her home in Beverly Hills, she said that those were the happiest days of her life. I reconnected with her later, when my friend Barbara Grant, the last wife of Cary Grant, organised for me to meet with Ms Taylor at her home in Beverly Hills and design for her.

I remember designing a handbag for her in the dazzling blue-purple violet shade of her eyes. Seeing her in person, her eyes were the same dazzling violet colour. She was very funny, with self deprecating humour and very quick wit and had a phenomenal memory, and was very kind.

The Cleopatra Clutch, the iconic handbag of Oscar winners, was inspired by Elizabeth Taylor, and worn by such stars as Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet and Helen Mirren. I later told Ms Taylor that her role as Cleopatra had inspired this handbag – the ultimate in glamour, which she epitomized. She was pleased by that, and I think of her every time the Cleopatra Clutch is worn at the Oscars. There will never be another like her, and I miss her very much.

ELLE France: Lady Di, les femmes de sa vie

From ELLE France‘s “Lady Di, les femmes de sa vie”:

The Queen of Hearts had close friendships with women as well. Ten years after her death, the final secrets of the Princess have been revealed.

Diana was supposed to spend the end of that August in Milan, with her friend, the American designer Lana Marks. Everything was booked: they would go see an opera at La Scala and spend their last evening on Lake Cuomo. The women were very close: the princess called Lana three times a day. But on July 24, Lana’s father dies suddenly. The young woman has to cancel her trip.

Without this twist of fate, Diana would have been back in London on August 30. She wouldn’t have found herself, on the night of August 31, under the Alma bridge, seated in the back of a Mercedes next to Dodi al-Fayed. This was ten years ago.

Source: ELLE France

Lucy Liu wearing the LANA MARKS Pave Clutch.

From Houston Magazine, “Lucy on the Fly with Diamonds”:

And your clutch, a silver exotic skin bag with sparkling, diamond-encrusted closure?

Lana Marks. This is a highly guarded bag. I think these are real diamonds.

Source: Houston Magazine

LANA MARKS featured in the Sunday Express.

From the Sunday Express’ “Priceless? Gifts for those who already have it all”:

Hollywood divas will be delighted on Christmas morning if their significant others visited Lana Marks on Rodeo Drive. Dame Helen Mirren, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Winslet and Charlize Theron are all faithful customers of this accessory designer. Each year, Marks produces a limited edition Cleopatra clutch. The 2009, £62,000 version is made of metallic silver alligator skin and has a clasp encrusted with 1,500 black and white diamonds.

Source: The Sunday Express.

LANA MARKS Opens at Harvey Nichols – London

London, UK – Lana J. Marks, world-renowned American handbag and accessory designer to A-List Hollywood, society, and royalty, continued the international expansion of the LANA MARKS Brand with the opening of LANA MARKS at Harvey Nichols – Knightsbridge, the London flagship of the luxury department store chain. This is the first LANA MARKS presence in the British Market, and is part of a global rollout that includes the Middle East, Russia, Europe and Asia.

Paris Hilton wearing LANA MARKS in Harper’s Bazaar

Source: Harper’s Bazaar

Chloe Sevigny wearing LANA MARKS in People Magazine’s Emmys Best Dressed Stars!

CHLOE SEVIGNY

The Big Love actress may be known for her quirky fashion choices, but she’s perfectly chic in her one-shoulder, dotted Isaac Mizrahi gown with a bold brooch on the hip and a Lana Marks clutch.

Read more about Chloe Sevigny wearing a LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch at the 2009 Emmy Awards in People Magazine.

Source: People.com

Chloe Sevigny wears LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch to 2009 Emmy Awards

…Fashion icon Chloe Sevigny went for a one-shouldered polka dot number and a Lana Marks clutch.

Read more about Chloe Sevigny wearing her LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch at OK! Magazine.

Image source: Examiner.com

Lucy Liu wearing the LANA MARKS Positano Tote.

From the Palm Beach Daily News:

“The bag [...] is a favorite of actress and Marks customer Lucy Liu, who has been photographed often (most recently in L.A. a few weeks back) ‘wearing’ her Positano Tote.”

Read more about Lucy Liu wearing her LANA MARKS Positano Tote.

Source: Palm Beach Daily News

LANA MARKS Bags on RDuJour

Read more about LANA MARKS Bags on RDuJour.com.

Source: RDuJour.com

Helen Mirren’s LANA MARKS Concord Clutch

What do you think about Helen Mirren’s Concord Clutch? Go to BagSnob.com to post your comment.

Source: www.bagsnob.com

LANA MARKS Neptune’s Coral Collection

Enter to Win a Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch at Stylelist.com

Win This $1,500 Purse by Celeb Favorite Bag Designer Lana Marks

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us what the most important item in your purse is.
  
• The comment must be left before 5pm ET on Monday, August 3, 2009.
Source: www.stylelist.com

LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch: The Oscar “It” Bag

The Oscars “It” Bag
There’s just one Oscar bag the stars are lusting after. So just why is the Lana Marks Cleopatra Clutch in such demand?
By Alexandra Shakespeare

“. . . with an understated elegance befitting Hollywood’s own royalty, it encompasses the style needs of women of a certain status.”

Source: Harper’s Bazaar Dubai

Kate Winslet wears LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch to the Academy Awards

From People Magazine‘s “Total Knockouts”:

KATE WINSLET
$100,000 BAG
Winslet carried a 40-carat diamond-and-alligator Lana Marks clutch.

Source: www.people.com