What’s the significance of a snowflake? Hope. Last Wednesday was the lighting of the historic UNICEF Snowflake, an emblem of hope, peace and compassion for children around the world at the Grand Army Plaza in New York. Songstress Rihanna, spokes model for the print campaign for Gucci’s Heart Tattoo Collection, and Frida Giannini, Gucci’s Creative Director, were in attendance at the lighting ceremony, as well as the hosts of the private cocktail party held at Gucci’s 5th Avenue flagship. The Gucci Group will be donating 25 percent of their white Heart Tattoo Collection sales from stores around the world to UNICEF, from November 19, 2008 to January 31, 2009. The double page ad campaign shows Rihanna perched on a large suspended silver ring holding an exotic skin dual-handle satchel tote, and another with her holding an exotic skin messenger bag, striking a beautiful come hither pose. It is a wonderful thing to see someone as young as Rihanna being so charity focused. She also participated earlier this year in the T-shirt campaign for DAA with H&M. The T-shirt campaign had her along with other celebrities, design tees for the store for Designers Against AIDS foundation. Now if we could get the other young songbirds to do the same, think of how much better their lives would be and the world would be for it.

Tom Ford has never been shy about his good looks, his unbridled ambition or his yearning to be part of the Hollywood movie scene. Well, it would seem his Hollywood dreams are coming true in a big, big way. His production company, Fade to Black, formed three years ago at the close of his design duties for Gucci Group, has Tom sitting in the director’s chair for his first feature film, “A Single Man,” an adaptation of Christopher Isherwood’s novel published in 1964. The book tells the story of George, a middle-aged gay man who recently and suddenly lost his longtime lover. The film has quite a star-studded cast with Colin Firth (playing the character George, an English professor), Julianne Moore (plays the friend of the professor) and Matthew Goode (plays, in flashbacks, the deceased lover) signed on to the project, which will be stylized just so with the addition of stylist to the stars, Arianne Phillips, who will be outfitting the cast for the production. Another possible coup is that Mr. Ford is in talks with the set designers from one of Couture's favorite shows, Mad Men. Can you imagine the character Don Draper making an appearance in the movie?

Not sure how well Ford’s designer eye, or collector’s eye will translate to films, but with a solid cast, a notable book and hopefully a well developed script, it will all come together well. If not, Ford can continue branding his Tom Ford brand and opening more Tom Ford stores, no?

Dear Reader, last week we asked you to illuminate us on your
favorite shoe style and why. This week we are delving into the what
the contents of your handbag says about you.

So tell us what's in your handbag and what it says about you.

What do the contents of Couture's handbag say about us? We travel often and like to capture the little moments (hence the notebook and camera), we are always prepared for inclimate weather conditions (the wrap); we understand the essentials - make-up for touch ups, car keys (how else would be get to and from), hair spray for the fly-aways; that we love a little bit of technology - yes the latest iPhone (feel free to wretch now); we like to be seen but more importantly, to see (eyeglasses), smelling good is always important (thank goodness for pocket-sized products); and finally that we love a little bit of couture, hence the handbag (Gucci) itself and the card case (Goyard).

The avid music loving Frida Giannini, Creative Director for Gucci, has tapped Lil' Ms. Sunshine, Rihanna, to be the spokesmodel for their fall advertisement highlighting its collaboration with UNICEF (United Nation’s Children’s Fund).

The ads were shot by the in-demand husband and wife team, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, in Paris, with the ads slated to premiere in December issues of fashion magazines. “So when we decided to dedicate a full ad campaign, more than just creating products, to really come out and show our commitment to UNICEF, we wanted someone with a strong personality,” Giannini said post-photoshoot, during her interview with WWD.

And of course we all know well, unless you have been living somewhere in the universe where fashion does not matter, that Rihanna loves rocking Gucci. She wore the emerald green criss-cross neckline gown with plunging back belted to the “A Night to Benefit Raising Malawi and UNICEF” benefit, a patterned belted mini at the Kids' Choice Awards and has been photographed all over the world carrying countless Gucci handbags styles.

So it would seem that this match, cemented after Rihanna’s rendition of Umbrella at the Malawi fund-raiser, is a match made in heaven, and a very worthy cause will benefit from the union.