Angelica Cheung (Editor-in-Chief, Vogue China)

 ‘A red dress my mother made for me when I was a teenager. I haven’t worn it in over 20 years, but I will always keep it.’

Tory Burch (Designer, New York Fashion Week)

 ‘A sunflower pendant my father had made for his mother.’

Sarah Rutson (Vice President, Global Buying at Net-a-Porter)

‘It’s a family signet ring, a very large signet ring which was unusual for a woman, it comes from about 1720, so it was a great great great great grandmother, and she was a very bold dresser’

Anna Dello Russo (creative consultant, Vogue Japan)

‘I collect clothes…it’s not about this piece, another piece…all of them are a treasury. It’s an entire collection…’

Mary Katrantzou (Designer, London fashion week)

‘I’d say my Alaia dress. It has really intricate embroidery in it, and comes out for very very special events. I only wore it to see the Queen and to the British Fashion Awards. And a pair of Miu Miu earring’

Jenna Lyons (Creative Director and President, J Crew)

‘My ten-year-old Okura jeans’

Aerin Lauder (Senior Vice President and Creative Director, Estee Lauder)

‘My Tiffany gold wedding band’

Photo courtesy of businessoffashion.com, Noah Griffel, Vogue

In the throes of Fashion week, we asked our KOTUR Fashion MUSES the most important question any handbag designer must be able to address… What do you never leave home without… Here are our answers, and yes, they all fit into KOTUR

Sarah Rutson (Vice President, Global Buying at Net-a-Porter)

‘Wearing scent. Perfume is very important to me, which is why I’ve got a very large nose – for a reason. I never leave home without wearing my perfume which is one of 3 brands: Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin, the other is Bulgari and Clarins in the red bottle. I never walk out of the house without scent on – I feel naked’

Jenna Lyons (Creative Director and President, J Crew) 

‘My 1969 Gold Rolex’

Cornelia Guest (Handbag designer and Animal Advocate)

‘My Amex Card’

In a collection that played to the brands strengths (luxurious fabrics, mannish tailoring, cool prints and a brilliant take on evening dressing that even the most manic of us would have time to pull of at some point between work and dinner,) there was plenty to put on our shopping lists. First up on ours are their party trousers (officially our favorite nightime look of choice – pair with a pointy pump, and you’re done,) their printed sweaters and their coats (just the right mix of quirky and classic). Click through our gallery above to see our favorite looks from the collection, plus check out our previous interview with the brilliant Jenna Lyons here.

All pictures from www.style.com

Fans of our bags will know that we love a bit of Brocade. On trousers, it’s also great. Cropped to the ankle and slim cut, party pants are made for showing off ankles and keeping legs warm. We rather love them. And J Crew does a rather fabulous line in them – much as with this pale pink pair.

On top, a silk blouse like this by Temperley London is both pretty and party.

Whilst, on our feet, we’ll be wearing knockout sequinned pumps – brought to you again, by J Crew.

The finishing touches are a pair of chandelier earrings by Isharya from net-a-porter, and, of course, a Kotur clutch. To add a bit of contrast, plus plenty of punch, our Levin in green will absolutely do the trick.

Happy New Year!

With best wishes,

All of us at Kotur.

x.

As we embark on summer, we thought we’d highlight three Kotur Muses for you, three women who, when it comes to living life, know a thing or two about doing it with grace, style and a heavy dose of brilliant individuality as shown in our picks from their summer collections in the gallery above.  Stay tuned for more Muses throughout the summer months, but for now we will leave you with Tory Burch, Aerin Lauder and Jenna Lyons: true beacons of style, and women who do it all their very own way, and rather brilliantly. We hope you find as much inspiration both clicking through our current picks from their collections and reading their Kotur Muse questions as we do.

Read all of our Kotur Muses here

Pictures: Jenna Lyons, plus J Crew’s Looks we Love for summer available at www.jcrew.com

Aerin Lauder, small cream jewellery box $790 and Ram’s Murex Shell $340 both available here http://www.aerin.com/Objet/8,default,sc.html

Tory Burch and her Walton Pant and matching Tory tunic, plus her classic grosgrain fedora available at www.toryburch.com

Jenna’s own trademark insouciant style takes a little from the boys, a dab from Grandma and is finessed with a good pinch of chic. Often combining sequins, feathers, cashmere and camouflage in a way only the sartorially blessed can.

Truly statuesque at 6’ in her stockinged feet – not that you would ever know as she is ALWAYS in her heels, elevating even the most downbeat of 10-year-old denims to fashionable new heights.

I met Jenna when, as Creative Director for J.Crew, she asked me to create a range of bags for their Holiday collection. Naturally, I jumped at the chance, and I’m so excited to be launching the collection alongside Jenna at the J.Crew New York flagship store event next week…

KOTUR: What’s in your make-up bag?
Jenna: Red Square – Nars; Blistex; Crème Blush – always; Black Eyeliner

KOTUR: Do you have a favorite purse or bag?
Jenna: Vintage Chanel – Mint Green

KOTUR: Name your desert island essentials?
Jenna: Sunscreen, Beckett, a J.Crew string bikini, and a good book

KOTUR: Do you have a beauty secret?
Jenna: Don’t look too closely into the mirror and be happy

KOTUR: What do you wear on a fat day?
Jenna: Men’s trousers and a white shirt, the highest heels I can find and red lips – smoke & mirrors

KOTUR: How would your female friends describe your style?
Jenna: Boyfriend/granny

KOTUR: What’s the most treasured item in your wardrobe?
Jenna: My ten-year-old Okura jeans.

KOTUR: Is there anything in your wardrobe you should get rid of but can’t?
Jenna: That list is embarrassingly long

KOTUR: What do you never leave home without?
Jenna: My 1969 Gold Rolex

KOTUR: When home alone, what do you wear?
Jenna: My day of the week undies and an oversized t-shirt

KOTUR: You’re the fashion police for a day, what do you ban?
Jenna: French Manicures

KOTUR: How old is too old for a mini?
Jenna: 29 years, 11 months and 20 days

KOTUR: Have you ever worn anything you are now embarrassed by?
Jenna: Have done, will probably do again, am sure I will, forever. Asymmetrical haircut was the worst.

KOTUR: Have you ever worn anything you now regret?
Jenna: I have cried many fashion tears.

KOTUR: How high is too high a heel?
Jenna: When you can’t walk

KOTUR: What is your most recent purchase?
Jenna: Celine plaid pants & coat

KOTUR: What quality do you most admire in a person?
Jenna: Smile, vulnerability and generosity

KOTUR: Can you judge a book by its cover?
Jenna: Terribly

KOTUR: What are your guilty pleasures?
Jenna: Full cartons of ice cream with a tequila chaser

KOTUR: What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
Jenna: Never let people see your stress

KOTUR: What’s your favorite smell?
Jenna: Clean skin

KOTUR: What’s your idea of a great holiday?
Jenna: No phone

KOTUR: What are you most proud of?
Jenna: My beautiful boy

KOTUR: What are you least proud of?
Jenna: My ass

KOTUR: What’s your pure bliss?
Jenna: My son’s belly laugh

KOTUR: If you could meet someone from history who would it be?
Jenna: Betsy Ross

KOTUR: Yes or no to a nip and a tuck?
Jenna: Ask me in 20 years

KOTUR: What would you like to achieve before you die?
Jenna: Balance

KOTUR: Which of the various Kotur bags you have is your favorite?
Jenna: The JB Renna Shagreen clutch makes my heart stop

KOTUR: On a scale of one-to-ten, how good looking are you?
Jenna: Ha. That’s a trap.