Zarah Garde-Wilson's man under pressure, court told

Emily Power and Antonia Magee


THE father of gangland solicitor Zarah Garde-Wilson's unborn baby has been freed on bail after allegedly vandalising $28,000 worth of designer handbags.

Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard Lansley "Lance" Simon, 24, was under pressure because of his relationship with the high-profile lawyer. A magistrate accepted Mr Simon believed he had to fulfil the perceived expectations of his pregnant girlfriend. The court was told Mr Simon and Ms Garde-Wilson are expecting a baby together, but as a condition of bail he must live with his mother in Rosanna.

Mr Simon is accused of spraying nine expensive handbags with paint at the exclusive Versace boutique at Crown casino last Friday, while on bail for other unrelated matters. He faces a criminal damage charge. Lawyer Glenn Thexton told the court his client was not a risk of re-offending, and his arrest had been a wake-up call.

"The defendant has committed this offence while under significant pressure as a consequence of this relationship he's in," Mr Thexton said. Mr Simon's mother, Daniella Perry, gave evidence Ms Garde-Wilson was a "nice girl but heavily in the media".

Ms Perry said her son was afraid of not living up to Ms Garde-Wilson's expectations and was buying expensive gifts for her. "She's gotten pregnant and the crunch time to get a house and move in together has just overwhelmed him," Ms Perry said. "He's reached a crisis point." Ms Perry said the media had hounded the couple because Ms Garde-Wilson had previously wanted a child with her dead lover.

"This offending I see is a cry for help . . . it was over the interview with the girlfriend," she told the court. "They are trying to enjoy their own baby but it has kind have been overshadowed." Magistrate Amanda Chambers agreed with Ms Perry that her son reacted with immaturity to his problems. Ms Chambers said Mr Simon had a history of not turning up to court when he was younger, but she did not believe he was an unacceptable risk of re-offending.

His bail conditions include reporting to police, attending counselling and not going to the Versace boutique. Ms Garde-Wilson, 30, revealed her pregnancy in an interview on Channel Seven on Monday night. Today Tonight host Anna Coren introduced part two of the interview last night by saying that Ms Garde-Wilson had walked away from the father of her child.

Mr Simon will appear again in court at a later date.

The French pipedream come true

Designer handbags - Designer purses - Designer accessories

by Emily Dunn
Exclusive French accessories brand, Longchamp, is celebrating its 60th year of styling the jetset.
Kate Moss could have ended up as the face of a range of French tobacco accessories. Instead, in the latest catalogue from French leathergoods brand Longchamp, the supermodel drapes herself across a patent-leather handbag, staring out across a New York skyline. The images, shot by celebrity fashion photographer Mario Sorrenti, are a long way from the company's beginnings 60 years ago, designing and manufacturing leather-clad smoking pipes.

With tobacco now decidedly out of fashion, Longchamp's chief executive, Jean Cassegrain, is pleased to have traded smoking accessories for arm candy. "I am grateful we evolved from pipes because I am not sure we would still be in business," Cassegrain says from the design showroom above Longchamp's flagship store on Paris's famed fashion strip, Rue St-Honore.

"To start, Longchamp was a very masculine-orientated company but then we made the transition to luggage and now, to fashion."

One of the few French luxury brands still privately owned and in family hands, Longchamp celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

At the head is Philippe Cassegrain, who inherited the company mantle from his father and founder, Jean Cassegrain. Now 70, Cassegrain continues to design for the company but leaves the business to eldest son Jean.

Daughter Sophie de la Fontaine designs the brand's evolving fashion range, while younger son Olivier is based in New York.

It was Philippe who first guided the brand to leather luggage and then, in the 1970s and '80s, to what has now become the company's signature product, the nylon bag.

Made from the same fabric used in the tents of the French armed forces, it was the catalyst for a revolution in luggage dominated by hard cases and leather. Nylon is now de rigueur for luggage.

"Philippe was the first to have the idea to use nylon to make luggage," Jean says of his father. "Using nylon gave us a strong identity. The nylon used to make luggage in the 1970s is the grandfather of today's Pliage handbag."

Longchamp's Le Pliage handbags constitute 70 per cent of the business, selling more than 2 million a year and becoming the brand's most recognisable "ambassador". Its other ambassador is Moss, the first "face" of the company.

Jean Cassegrain hired Moss at the height of the "cocaine Kate" scandal. When the supermodel was caught on camera taking drugs at a London recording studio, she lost contracts with brands such as Burberry. She had been in talks with Longchamp for several months. Three days after the scandal broke, Moss signed with Longchamp.

"If we had been a publicly owned company, it wouldn't have happened," Cassegrain says. "A board would have said it was too high a risk ... we were able to take that risk."

The decision to hire Moss paid off. Twelve months later the supermodel's portfolio had expanded with contracts from cosmetics companies and fashion houses such as Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Burberry.

For Cassegrain, Moss has been instrumental in the company's evolution from luggage brand to fashion label. "Kate Moss was the best person to help us do that job," he says. "Not only because she is a fashion icon but because she is recognised around the world. We needed an ambassador with worldwide recognition and appeal.

"Now, the market for ladies' leathergoods is so much bigger, and for most customers the quality of the product is a given.

"It is a necessity but it is not what can help you make them choose your handbag over another - you need to have fashion appeal."

Moss may be the brand's most publicised collaborator but she is not the first. In the past decade the company has forged alliances with artists such as Tracey Emin, who in 2003 designed a range of Pliage handbags to celebrate the product's 10th anniversary, launched at the Colette concept store in Paris and championed by Elizabeth Hurley.

Last year the company enlisted kooky US fashion designer Jeremy Scott for a range of limited-edition Pliage bags and French DJ Michel Gaubert designed a range of technology-friendly luggage.

At the opening party for the company's Manhattan store, Gaubert performed for guests and "friends" of the brand, including Susan Sarandon, Uma Thurman and Isabella Rossellini. In London, Kate Middleton, girlfriend of Prince William, is regularly spotted toting the bags.

Olivier Cassegrain - responsible for the two New York stores, as well as stores in Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami - says the brand's French heritage has been central in marketing Longchamp in the US.

When he first moved to New York in 1998, knowledge of the brand was non-existent.

"Now the customers come in and they know more about it than some of the staff."

He also resists the suggestion that the new catalogue, the first to be shot with a foreign city as a backdrop, heralds the arrival of Longchamp as an international player.

"It can seem like it is a step but it is just part of a process, when a company is changing it takes four or five years for the changes to be noticed."

In Paris, his sister, Sophie de la Fontaine, is leading the fashion charge, overseeing the introduction of the do-it-yourself Pliage and the evolving fashion lines.

When Sophie first joined the family business in 1995, from French children's wear label Bonpoint, Longchamp's ladies handbags were "functional and conventional".

Last year she collaborated with Moss on the Legende, a new line of handbags and totes inspired by the visiting bags of Victorian-era doctors. Moss was also granted the first Legende off the production line.

"We wanted to give a face to the Longchamp woman. Someone romantic but someone a bit rock'n'roll," de la Fontaine says. The current springsummer collection includes white and camel Legende bags and patent leather versions of The Rival line, a more relaxed shape, de la Fontaine explains, inspired by the "modern maiden".

Silk scarves, part of the company's collection since the 1970s, continue, alongside fashion accessories such as wide patent leather belts in fuchsia and turquoise and slip-on canvas shoes in floral patterns. Metallic clutches sit alongside more sensible shoulder bags in tan and chocolate.

The new season also includes a small range of ready-to-wear, including colourful knits, loose-fitting shirt dresses and trench coats. Winter 2007 also featured some ready-to-wear, such as pull-on patent leather boots and leather jackets.

Sophie de la Fontaine denies the company's next push will be into runway fashion, however.

"We are not a couture house. We are coming from a handbag-first perspective and this is what sets us apart. Many of the other luxury brands are coming from ready-to-wear first but for us the clothes are only to complement the handbags."

Jean Cassegrain agrees the current obsession with statement handbags will work to Longchamp's advantage.

"Handbags used to be utilitarian ... of secondary importance to ready-to-wear; women would have a black bag and a brown bag," he says.

"Now handbags are more important than ready-to-wear. Women now wear jeans but will carry a designer handbag - it is the handbag that has become the fashion statement."

A history of Longchamp
1948 Jean Cassegrain starts Longchamp, designing leatherclad pipes.

1957 Opens first factory at Segre in the Loire Valley.

1960s and '70s New products are developed, including lambskin travel bags, a line of lightweight bags in nylon and leather and the Xtra foldable travel bag.

1979 Longchamp opens boutiques in Hong Kong and Japan.

1980 Current president Philippe Cassegrain inherits the company leadership.

1988 Longchamp opens its first Paris boutique, on Rue St-Honore.

1993 Longchamp introduces its Le Pliage line.

1998 Celebrates 50th anniversary under the glass pyramid of the Louvre.

2004 Company celebrates 10th anniversary of the Pliage with a collection designed by prominent "Brit artist" Tracey Emin; company signs Emin's close friend, Kate Moss, as its first official "face".

2006 Opens 100th boutique worldwide in New York's SoHo, La Maison Unique Longchamp, designed by Thomas Heatherwick.

2007 Collaborates on a Le Pliage range with New York fashion designer Jeremy Scott and a range of travel bags with Parisian DJ Michel Gaubert.

September 2008 Longchamp will celebrate its 60th anniversary.

Happy birthday to you, too.
Salvatore Ferragamo, 80 The late Italian shoe master's birthday celebrations were held recently in China with an exhibition, Salvatore Ferragamo: Evolving Legend 1928-2008, opening at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai.

Lacoste, 75 French tennis ace Rene Lacoste started making the now-iconic polo shirt in 1933 for himself and other tennis players who wanted an alternative to the long-sleeved, starched white shirts and jumpers common on centre court during that era. The first "crocodile" logo was drawn in 1927, after a journalist nicknamed Lacoste "the alligator" for his tenacity.

Emanuel Ungaro, 40 It was in 1968 that Ungaro founded his ready-to-wear line. Four decades later, the fashion house will celebrate with new designer Esteban Cortazar

Calvin Klein, 35 It's 25 years of CK underwear and 35 years since the American designer launched his sportswear line. Francisco Costa, creative director of Calvin Klein, recently won the Council of Fashion Designers of America's 2008 Womenswear Designer of the Year award.

Women’s Bag Fashion Trends 2008 - What the Best Dressed Women are Carrying This Year

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From Women's Accesories by Gill Hart

2008 sees a trend for stronger, larger, designer bags that can cope with women who carry the equivalent of 2.5 kilos over their shoulders.

It’s official: women now carry everything in their handbag but the kitchen sink. British newspaper The Daily Mail claims in its Femail section that the average British woman’s handbag “weighs the same as five bags of sugar” (Nick McDermott, 12/13/07). That’s 5 pounds or nearly 2.5 kilos of stuff, “equivalent to a hod carrier on a building site.”

According to The Daily Mail, "the burden on a woman's shoulder has increased by 38% in the past five years." With this in mind, handbags and purses for 2008 are bigger and stronger. Sue Braddick, assistant handbag buyer at John Lewis, a British department store chain says, “We’re seeing a trend for bigger bags.”

Not surprising, when our love of all things electronic means that today’s best dressed women are also shouldering their laptops, mobile phone chargers, ipods and other gadgetry; which are just as important as cosmetics and purses.

The weight carried in our handbags has grown to such an extent that UK major retailers like Asda are requesting their suppliers toughen straps and stitching to make bags more durable. Consequently we need to make sure that any bag we purchase will last.

Big Bags and Back Pain
However, this is not good news for Britain’s chiropractors who state, “We are considering issuing a warning”. Carrying around five pounds of bag regularly is not conducive to good health. Whilst such a heavy weight may not have instant repercussions, it can have a cumulative effect on body posture and may cause back strain.

Says Daily Mail reader Judith from Paris, France: “In Paris you often see women carrying two big bags. One has their personal stuff and the other has work stuff. Or college/uni stuff if they're a student. It's true we have more junk to carry round and you have to wonder what all of this is doing to our backs. We'll all be bent over double in old age.”

Bag Fashion Trends 2008
Along with the reinvention of the maxi dress, 2008 sees a trend for larger tote-style or shoulder bags. Increased weight and bulk means that the humble clutch purse is relegated to evening wear, as the majority of bags are now carried over the shoulder rather than in the hand.

Designer compartment-style bags are a "must have" for the modern woman, with pockets in different shapes and sizes to help organize the clutter inside. Modern women need lots of tailor-made spaces to house their new toys.

Natasha Shamdasani, Handbagdesigner101.com, refers to the current trend as Homes for Hi Tech, stating that “there is a big trend for men’s bags …..with specialized pockets for gadgets and electronics such as ipods, laptops, blackberrys, flash keys and more.”

So what does this mean for fashionistas in 2008? Tote bags (open-top with straps or handles) are selling well, along with the Messenger, a large soft, long-strapped shoulder bag worn across the body, dispersing the weight. These cross-body straps are reminiscent of '80s fashion trends. Many bags for Spring 2008 follow the floral spring-like color trend, with golden olive, diaquiri green, and pinkish reds.

In particular Radley Tote bags are proving popular, and according to Sue Braddick, John Lewis, “sales of Mulberry bags are up by 10%”

For those who prefer hand-held bags or balancing them in the crook of the elbow, the antique doctor-style is proving popular, in particular Dolce & Gabbana’s Large Leather Framed bag, a snip at around $1300.

If you want the real thing, be wary of fake designer bags. Counterfeit bags are getting harder to spot these days. If your bargain sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Match Your Bag With Your Body Shape
As bags are bigger and bolder this year, it is important to find one that flatters your body shape.

With shoulder bags making a come back, consider their length in relation to your height and frame. Remember that wherever the bag ends, it will draw attention to that particular part of your body. For those conscious of a spare tire, then go for a bag which ends at the hips and not at the waist.

If you are short and curvy, juxtapose your assets by choosing a long and sleek, rectangular or square style. In a soft fabric and good quality leather, this can knock off the pounds. If you are tall and slim then a slouchy, rounded hobo-style will compliment your frame. Elfin British model, Kate Moss is rarely seen separated from her oversized Chloe Betty and Cameron Diaz regularly totes her Burberry Knight Studded Bag

Overweight and Oversized Bags Command Respect
This season men will need to beware. With the average woman sporting a five-pound handbag, she can cause some serious damage should she choose to aim one their way! As one Daily Mail reader, Bob, from Nottingham, puts it “Time to show more respect or risk getting clobbered seriously.”

With the weight of women's handbags expected to increase a further 20% within the next decade, it gives a new meaning to the phrase "it' s in the bag!"