While a bill to ban the purchasing and selling of counterfeit designer handbags is being proposed here in the States, folks in China are on to a new label-obsessed craze: fake shopping bags. As in, paper bags that carry the logo of a luxury designer, creating the illusion that inside of the bag is an actual designer item purchase, but really the bag is either empty, or contains Radio Shack batteries.

Taking a hint from Mulberry's 480-page history book, both Louis Vuitton and Gucci are releasing new tomes on the stories behind their brands. According to WWD, Louis Vuitton: Architecture & Interiors chronicles "the foundations and structures of its worldwide stores, from opulent window displays to bag bars." Priced at $85, the hefty 304-pager is set to be released on October 1st.

Italian luxury brand Gucci is partnering up with one of the world's largest eyewear manufacturers, Safilo, to produce eyewear made from eco-friendly materials. Set to launch this August, the range will include four styles made with "an innovative acetate which, compared to traditional acetate used for optical frames, contains a much higher percentage of material from natural origins," says the press release. The packaging and catalogs for the line will also be environmentally-sound.

Twenty-two-year-old model Joan Smalls is no stranger to the industry. She landed a prime spot in Tom Ford's hush-hush SS11 womenswear preview, has a bevy of covetable campaigns under her belt, including Gucci and Givenchy, and was an exclusive model for Givenchy's fall haute couture collection (alongside the equally busy Daphne Groeneveld). But the latest notch in her fashionable belt is not only major, it's historic. Smalls has been named the 2011 Global Spokesmodel for Estée Lauder's cosmetics and skincare line—the first Puerto Rican model for the brand.

Assuming you own the hottest tech gadget, you now need a stylish accessory for it too. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, Oscar de la Renta, Salvatore Ferragamo, Yves Saint Laurent, and now Michael Kors are just a few of the luxury labels that have created iPad cases to fulfill your designer needs. These durable cases combine an elegant aesthetic with style, functionality, and ultra-slim design, making them very portable and perfect to slip into your handbag or briefcase. Yes, cases fundamentally protect your technological wonder, but who says you can’t be chic while doing it? And though these cases may actually cost more than your iPad, here are some of my favorites anyway, after the jump.

● Prada (Strip:Central) - Three levels of lusciousness, along with only-in-Vegas limited-edition items. ● Gucci (Strip:Central) - Las Vegas: Where the Gucci store is open until midnight.

A strangely democratizing movement is afoot in fashion: from Paris to New York, livestreaming runway shows is becoming a ubiquitous trend. Acne did it first this season, and Burberry continued to up the ante, streaming its show in 25 of its boutiques around the world. Now Gucci, a more storied, traditional brand, is pulling a little something extra from its finely tailored sleeves. With a newly renovated homepage (18 months in the making), Gucci Connect debuted a livestream event in conjunction with its Milan SS11 fashion show. To ring in the brand's new e-commerce site, Gucci invited fans from across the globe to take part in a revolutionary virtual show presentation.