Pysanka by Gucci

While Gucci's fall '08 collection may have conjured up visions of a hippy-chic revival, the combination of folk textiles, detailed handwork, and "Babushka" tapestries brought to mind Pysanka -- traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs decorated using a wax-resist 'batik' method. The Hutsuls (Ukrainians who live in the Carpathian Mountains of western Ukraine) believe that the fate of the world depends upon the Pysanka. As long as the egg decorating custom continues, the world (and those in it) will exist. A fitting comparison when you consider the number of people who believe that, as long as Gucci continues producing new collections, the world of fashion stands a fighting chance. (Although, one would be hard pressed to place the fate of an entire industry in the hands of a label with a name that rhymes with "coochie.")

(These Psyanka can be purchased from Soloveiko.)