It’s all about the pastel power! Bring out your soft side with the new Spring ‘IT’ color palette. Botkier VALENTINA in Mint and Blush will bring you into Spring. Be powerful AND feminine!

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Above we have a newbie the LEON, all bright and beautiful in bright green against an amazing H&M jacket. Check out the shorts with the zipper detail, amazing!

Above the new EDEN large satchel in lavender lizard on our model who was channeling the south of France on a yacht in our studio. Below we have the EDEN hobo in nude, love the purple flare pants.

One of the highly anticipated bags for us is Valentina continuing with our love of color we are exploring pastels. A HUGE trend for Spring 2012!

Color blocking continues to be a great way to pop details in our bags. Here we have a PHOENIX clutch with leather covered frame. Soft and slouchy day clutch that can be worn anywhere…

One of my favorite shots of the Misha clutch in cobble snake with pastel trim. The model was doing a great job lounging on her faux boat while I did my best not to fall on her while balancing on a ladder high above…

Angie Parker our amazing makeup artist rocking it in her denim jumpsuit. So talented and so damn funny!

Our amazing stylist Daisha and her racks and racks of clothes and jewelry. We tried to throw in some Botkier shoes but in the end decided that barefoot was the way to go for our imaginary spring fling. BTW never under estimate the importance of a steamer, everyone should have one in their closet. Beats an iron any day.

Behind the scenes…

…to finished and retouched photo!

Sometimes it takes more than one outfit change to nail a shot. The shirt below did not make it to the final.

Literally behind my shoulder. That camera is so heavy. I know it sounds old school but I miss film. The instant gratification of digital misses something for me in the process.

More acrobatics to get the shot. The angle has to be just right!!

Check out more coverage on the following: Chicology, New York Mag The Cut, The Sartorialist Blog and The Purseblog

The above trio of EDEN satchels is the best example of color blocking anyone can dream of. Chic and structured with unique hardware and bright clever color combinations to make any outfit pop!

It’s always great for us to see how the cool girls wear our bags. Above here is Natalie Suarez of Natalie Off Duty followed by our girl Aimee Song of Song of Style and Wendy Lam of Nitrolicious out and about in NYC. Their styles are all so different and they each make EDEN their own, a designers dream come true!

These images are from our inspiration board for Holiday Resort 2011. Photographed by Andrew Yee for a colorblocking story in  How to Spend It Magazine. Color blocking is a huge theme this year and continues as a strong trend into 2012. Love the red jacket above!

The photo above is a huge inspiration for me, I have it tacked up in my office. It’s from one of my favorite coffee table books – Hotel Il Pellicano, “Swimmers and Sailors”, Robert Scio (photographer), published by Rizzoli New York. I want to go back in time when I look at it!

More inspiration: vintage chic resort style.Vogue Australia November 2011Fashion Gone Rogue Nicole Bentley (photographer) and Alina Baikova (model).

This is a photograph I took myself while on holiday in Portugal. It was so beautiful there, the brightest blues in all imaginable hues. You can literally feel the sun on the kids backs… The family vacation, moments that pass too quickly.

Speaking of, this is a very personal moment for me on a family vacation at the age of 4 with my aunt in Miami. Talk about on trend, my bathing suit back then was right on! Good memories live in bright color.  xoxo Monica

It was an honor to win this project through the CFDA who partnered with Vogue Eyewear to choose three members for three city inspired frames. “There were dozens of amazing applicants but Monica, Rebecca and Yeohlee’s visions for this project were just exceptional,” said Daniela Policastro, global brand manager at Vogue Eyewear.  “Each pair artfully exemplifies the Vogue Eyewear brand, captures the essence of the inspiration city, and showcases the designer’s unique identity.  The 2011 City Collection provides a new perspective, a new twist on sunglass design.”

Behind the scenes filming in the Botkier studio and…

…on location with the one and only Aimee Song. It was a lot of fun going through the entire process from inspiration board to sketch. Then from finished product to filming Aimee with her amazing style – our sunglasses and EDEN satchel. All that color for October!

“These sunglasses are meant for the woman who is edgy, sexy, fashion forward and likes to explore the city.  They are meant for the fashion art girl who loves the museums, art galleries and always the parties during Art Basil Miami. A bold persona who can mix within the different worlds of Miami, whether it be a Cuban coffee shop, gallery opening or pool side party at The Raleigh.” – Monica Botkier

Monica Botkier and Aimee Song from Song of Style

Goodies donated by Swarovski Elements…

Botkier Babe No. 1

Nadia of FrouFrouu with her cool and minimalist DIY design, love!

Great example of the iron-on details we had. This one is inspired by the Flint group for Fall.

Beautiful work ladies!

The scene at Botkier, Aimee and Nadia gettin’ their DIY on!

Lindsay from NY Busy Girl and her lovely creation.

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Rosa and Misha Botkier pictured below

Botkier was born in 2003 and grew organically as I had developed an absolute love affair with hand bags that bordered on an obsession…I guess one can see now that this natural gravitation to all things leather but purses in particular was actually in the blood.

The fact that my father didn’t tell me this before doesn’t surprise me as we see him as an absentminded professor of sorts and made the coincidence that much sweeter.

Going through the archives of old family photos while the only surviving bag made by my grandfather Misha hung on the wall of my office gave me all the inspiration I needed. To create is to live. The experience made me feel close to him again. I missed him.

To add to the romance I was already feeling, the bag in question was made for my grandmother specifically. Such a beautiful and crafted piece with an amazing metal frame. Elegant with an edge, everything Botkier is today. So for Fall 2011 we launch the Misha Collection, Botkier’s very own heritage statement with a clutch, shoulder, satchel and even backpack!

My grandmother Rosa Botkier recently celebrated her 88th birthday and when I presented her with a Misha shoulder bag – the same that I have been addicted to wearing for the past month – we all wept. It was a really proud and profound moment.

The original bag below…

xoxo Monica

The Botkier Clyde above, the Kardashian Knock-off below

“Design piracy, the blatant copying of another’s designs, is akin to counterfeiting without affixing the fake designer label. Sadly, because of a lack of adequate legal protection, design piracy has become a way of life in the fashion industry in the U.S.

Design piracy is unfair to designers and is detrimental to competition within the fashion industry. It effectively allows others to plagiarize the original designer’s creative ideas and reap the benefits of the creator’s labor and assumption of risk.” – CFDA website

Botkier “You Can’t Fake Fashion” Tote