H&M celebrates its new designer

It\'s not every day you see Halle Berry, Sharon Stone and Leonardo DiCaprio\'s girlfriend Bar Rafaeli in one room, but such is the power of Italian designer Roberto Cavalli, who this week presented his collection for H&M at a glamorous party in Rome.

The designer, famous for his revealing dresses favoured by Victoria Beckham, follows in the footsteps of Stella McCartney, Karl Lagerfeld, and Viktor & Rolf, all of whom have designed successful lines for the high street brand in the past.

Jessica Stam and Erin Wasson were among the supermodels parading the pieces, which included chiffon animal-print dresses and tuxedo style jackets and trousers.

Halle Berry, no stranger to a glamorous frock,  said, "Roberto Cavalli is one of my personal favourites... I think the collaboration with H&M is great because now all women can wear his designs."

Sharon Stone added, "The clothes look great and the ads are beautiful. Roberto Cavalli is a wonderful designer who knows how to make clothes which are both chic and sexy."

The collection will be in stores from 8 November

Click here for more pictures of the party 

A limited edition Hilfiger handbag

Carla Bruni is one of Europe\'s most glamorous and talented ex-supermodels. Apart from having hundreds of magazine covers and catwalk appearances to her name, the Italian bombshell - whose feline eyes and endless legs were rumoured to have contributed to Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall\'s divorce - is also a best-selling singer songwriter. In other words, she\'s a talented gal, and possesses a strong nose for fashion, so when she endorses a product, we sit up and take notice.

The picture shows her at home in her chic Parisien apartment, holding a limited edition bag, which Tommy Hilfiger has designed as part of a limited-edition range benefiting the Breast Health Institute (BHI).

"Our goal is not only to raise awareness of breast cancer among our customers and to support the BHI, but also to contribute to finding a cure," Tommy Hilfiger said in a statement.

The black leather shopper, £140, will be on sale in Tommy Hilfger stores from 1 November, with 50% of proceeds going directly to the BHI.

Surf\'s up for Luella

You\'ve heard about après-ski, now get ready for après-surf. Luella Bartley, who recently opened her first standalone boutique in London, has teamed up with sportswear brand O\'Neill to design a 30-piece line of clothing called Luella for O\'Neill.

Debuting in stores next March, the line will consist of t-shirts, dresses, jeans and swimwear for girls. "As a novice surfer myself, I wanted to get across a different side of the female surf look," Luella, who lives in Cornwall for part of the year, told Women\'s Wear Daily. She went on that she was aiming for a "harder and more iconic" look than current surfwear labels, and had used \'70s skater Peggy Oki and "sun-bleached Venice Beach surfers" as inspiration.

CSS singer Lovefoxxx, left, is featured in the ads, pictured kneeling on a Cornwall-esque beach in a leopard-print top. Maybe not so much après-ski, then, as surf-punk - we can\'t wait!

Exclusive jeans at Start

Here at Handbag, one of our favourite boutiques is Hoxton\'s Start, founded by Philip Start and his wife Brix Smith-Start in 2002. The shop, and its website, www.start-london.com, launched earlier this year, are known among fashion-savvy folk as a first stop on any shopping spree. So we\'re excited to learn that the Earnest Sewn ‘Whiley\' jeans will be stocked exclusively to Start in black.

Earnest Sewn jeans, made famous a few years back when every Hollywood starlet worth her fashion cred was seen in a pair, are known for their dedication to producing the perfect pair of jeans for every wearer. Named after Catherine Whiley, the head of Live Fashion who run the sales/PR for Earnest Sewn, the style came to life on a recent trip to the Earnest Sewn Factory in New York, where, at a fitting, Kate Bosworth asked the team to make her a pair of high-waisted, wide-legged jeans; Catherine saw the jeans once they had been made, and loved them so much that is was decided the style would be named after her.         

Available to buy in-store and online from 15 November, the Earnest Sewn Whiley jeans will retail at £179.50. Only the truly denim-obsessed will understand what all the fuss is about, but we know you\'re out there.

November fashion bargains

So much time is spent shopping for friends and relatives in the run-up to Christmas, it\'s easy to forget to treat the most important person in your life - you! The next few weeks sees a couple of events taking place which should make sure you keep yourself top of your shopping list.

First up, Handbag Heaven at Selfridges stores across the country. Across the weekend of 3 and 4 November, there\'s the chance to win a bunch of amazing prizes, including a trip to Paris and a bag from the new Marc Jacobs collection, as well as a whole lot of other perks for enthusiastic fashionistas. Go to www.selfridges.com for more info.

Next, Los Angeles web fashion network Billion Dollar Babes, returns to London on 10 November with a Christmas extravaganza. Catherine Malandrino, C&C California, and Philip Treacy are among the labels available to buy at sample sale prices. If you\'re not signed up yet, make sure you log on to www.billiondollarbabes.com to get in on the action.