Celebrities

 

Metrosexuals and Men's Bags: Forget fast cars, flashy watches and i-pods, the latest must-have accessory for the young, affluent male is a handbag. Despite years of sniggering over the continental male's fondness for leather clutch accessories, the 'man-bag' - as they have been dubbed - are now so popular that one in four professional young men in Britain bought one last year. The in-demand accessory ranges from satchel-style shoulder bags to tiny across-the-body 'gun-bags', big enough only for a phone and a wallet. The typical buyer is a comfortably off, 25-34-year-old, pre-family male, according to consumer analyst Mintel, which believes there is "significant potential for growth" in the market. As the average price of bags has declined, demand has grown: sales jumped from £44 million ($79.4 million) in 1997 to £62 million in 2002, and continue to soar. UK high street stores such as Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Gap and Topman all stock manbags in bulk. H&M near Oxford Circus in London has a wall covered in manbags of all shapes, sizes and colors; the company has seen "very, very fast" sales, which it expects will accelerate. John Lewis, Debenhams and even Marks & Spencer have got in on the act: the latter reports a 10 per cent increase in sales in two years. Asda has just introduced them to its George clothing range. "We're seeing huge growth," says Eddie Knevett, brand manager for leather, luxury and shoes at House of Fraser. "Men's bags are now established, it is just part of the casualisation in menswear - less suits, less ties, less briefcases.It has almost got like women's bags with cult trends - the current 'it' bag is Eastwood by Mulberry, which retails at £695 ($1876). "We've seen up to 30 per cent growth in men's bags this year, and the market will carry on growing because the generation carrying these bags will continue to do so. They are more comfortable, practical and lighter than a briefcase." Bernard Thomas, menswear buyer for Browns, the upmarket clothing store in London's West End, says that men "are carrying bags more than ever". "Sometimes it's from necessity, but there's also an element of having one for show - an identifiable, or at least identifiably expensive, bag."

  He warns against buying one "much smaller than half of A4".

Tim Nixon, a 23-year-old strategy consultant from Shepherds Bush, west London, owns two man-bags: a small, brown, leather satchel, £130 from Selfridges, for work documents and a laptop; and a 10x10in green canvas pouch, £15 from H&M, for casual use. "I use it like a proper handbag for my wallet, phone, keys, pens and music player," he explains. "It's good for taking shopping, on holiday, to the park and the pub. "They are a metrosexual accessory. A briefcase is too stuffy, but if you don't have a bag you end up wandering around looking like a kangaroo, with all this stuff sticking out of your pocket, which is insecure and uncomfortable." He admits he "could have a more masculine bag", but "would rather have a fashion accessory". "My girlfriend refers to them as my gay bags, but really she likes them. I'm actively looking for my third - something more smart-casual." Fashion experts remain divided on whether man-bags are a desirable marriage of style and function, or just 'posh bum bags' and a passing fad. "They shouldn't be worn without irony," said Wayne Hemingway, founder of Red or Dead label. "If you're going to be ironically cool, then the thing is to go for a German-Swiss look - in winter, wearing one with a pair of slacks, shiny shoes and a tight leather jacket, and in summer, worn with socks and sandals. But it's a bit risky unless you can carry it off. "The fashionistas are wearing them thinking it looks good and it's the height of fashion, just because the likes of Prada are doing it. But Prada have a healthy sense of humour sometimes. "I keep seeing a lot of lads who are not doing it with a healthy sense of humour and need to develop one pretty quickly. They should take a rain check on this."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAURA SAVINI: DIVA OF THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION!    

Yes! Public television can make you a "beloved star". Do people watch public television? You bet, if PT stations networks have personalities like Laura Savini and Charlie Rose. We know who Charlie Rose is, but Laura who? Hold your horses. Laura Savini is a knockout, brilliant, sharp, extremely well respected and above all, she is stunning. But who in heavens is Laura Savini? We asked this question to 15 of our reporters and senior writers. Twelve of them knew who she was. We asked 300 of our readers if they knew anything about Savini, heard of her, and if they did, what did they think of her. Great! To our great astonishment and delight, 210 heard of Savini and 179 of them watch her regularly on her public television network. So, public television is well and kicking. Although, many of our readers who are regular viewers of PT admitted that they get extremely annoyed by the monotonous and continuous appeals and begging of public television announcers and hosts for donations and contributions, the majority of those whom we have surveyed, admitted that they love to see the face of Savini on the small screen. To some viewers, Savini is the prettiest face they have seen on public television networks. To others, Savini is sharp, straight to the point, an effective fund raiser and an "Italian Stallion". WOW! So we decided to check her out. Laura Savini is the VP of marketing and communications for WLIW21 New York Public Television. She controls and manages the whole marketing, communications, fundraising, outreach, graphics and instructional television departments of the station. The whole 9 yards, from concept to realization. Yes, sir, Savini managed to  raise $6 million for her station. And astonishingly, she does it every year. Watching this woman is a pure delight. No doubt, we watched her last week, and yesterday when she appeared on an Italian food segment of a show. Savini was there helping an Italian chef cooking his Spaghetti A La Carbonara. She was a darling, event though, she missed one or twice, grabbing the spaghetti with her fork. No problem, she got it with her fingers and of course with grace and a big smile. To many, Savini is a celebrity. A hot hot celebrity and  a familiar face, for she  hosts the station's on-air fundraising campaigns and ever week, she  interviews new talents on her program, "Metro Guide." This program is extremely informative and entertaining. A large segment  of "Metro Guide" is ethnic, and that is good for Savi. Because it helped her in creating a super duper, quality ethnic programming, with strong and intelligent  emphasis on Italian-American community and vital topics. After all, Savini is  the past president of the National Organization of Italian American Women, and currently, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Italian American Museum. Fascinating woman, de facto. So we decided to learn more about this most unusual woman. Files and Internet data, as well as literature on Savini provided us with the following: "In March 2002 she hosted the acclaimed national PBS special "The Best of Sarah Brightman: Classics" from Europe with Ms. Brightman. In June 2002 she spent two weeks in Italy co-hosting a new series on wine. That month she also interviewed Irish tenor Ronan Tynan in Dublin for PBS. Never one to slow down, in September she was in Guadalajara on a Mariachi project for PBS, then on to San Francisco to interview Tony Bennett under the Golden Gate Bridge. In April 2001 she was one of only seven American women invited to participate in Global Forum: Women and Power, held by the Women's Federation for World Peace, as a guest of Taiwan's Vice President Annette Lu.

Savini's radiating smile, eloquence, savoire faire, human warmth, magnetizing charisma and perfect mastery of "suggestion" and mass communication define the magic of this woman. I do not know if she does research a priori the product she is trying to sell us but, one thing is sure: SHE WILL CONVINCE YOU TO DONATE IN A HEART BEAT AND SHE WILL SEDUCE THE HELL OUT OF YOU. She is perfect in what she does. Savini is a diva. A lovely human being sincerely committed to public television programming and the promotion of ethnic culture and heritage. This woman is a national treasure.