Will luxury designer bottles turn sky-juice into champagne?

For those who can’t get enough of Christian Lacroix after the National Museum’s exhibition (Christian Lacroix the costumier), try getting your manicured hands on these exquisite Evian bottles designed by Monsieur Lacroix last winter when Evian paid tribute to fashion. One fashion writer very aptly called the fancier one Evian Haute Couture and the other, you know, the plainer one, Evian pret-a-porter. I have seen the latter around, it comes wrapped in a coppiced lace pattern, which gives it a classic frosty-wonderland look, while hinting at the winter flora that are found on the French Alps. The one-to-die-for is the sculptured Ice-Queen bottle, regal and majestic, it’s awe inspiring enough to send chills down one’s spine. On a sober note, it is afterall, just aqua, not much different from the dollar-fifty water you would buy at the store. So what sets it apart? Apparently just the design.

And this spring, Jean-Paul Gaultier too stepped in to design a pret-a-porter edition of the bottle, adorning it with his signature blue sailor-stripes: très-simple, très-chic. His Evian Haute Couture is just eye-popping.

Earlier in April, Evian auctioned off five exclusive limited edition bottles, designed by Gaultier and made by Baccarat in benefit of the RAMSAR convention. Call it the Evian Emperor’s New Clothes. The bottles are kept transparent to bring out the theme of purity. The five bottles–Bubbles Bottle, Drops Bottle, Tray Bottle, Reflection Bottle and Spring Bottle showcase the magnificent savoir-faire of Baccarat artisans. Clearly, it is not longer about the water.

Since we are on a roll here, we can’t neglect Roberto Cavalli, who collaborated with Coke last year to design three “outfits” for Coca-Cola Light. Though light on the calories, the bottles are heavy with Cavalli’s signature animal prints. Very Italian, very cat-woman.

Singapore’s very own London-based couture extraordinaire, Ashley Isham, has recently been invited to design a limited-edition “outfit” to honour the upcoming Audi Fashion Festival. Pipe in Peggy Lee singing: Is that all there is.. Apart from some gems printed on the can and bottle, it looks just like the same old coke-light can! I am sure it has nothing to do with his design talent but, perhaps, more to do with Coke’s budget. I have met Isham and I think he has talent - the can does no justice to his talent. Being cheap ain’t gonna cut it when you’re trying to appeal to fashionistas (even in a recession).