Los Angeles – Nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her extraordinary performance in “Away from Her,” Julie Christie wore a haute couture $100,000 LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch on the 2008 Academy Awards Red Carpet.

Ms. Christie’s LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch – designed by Lana J. Marks – features burgundy silk in delicate ruffled folds, hand stitched to the frame on a diagonal by her Italian artisans. The LANA MARKS signature contour flap is accented by a fan of pink precious stones, while five droplets – a Princess-cut ruby flanked on both sides by two purple sapphires – float from the front of the handbag, creating a dazzling look.

Designer Lana J. Marks said, “I'm overwhelmed and humbled to have utilized my design skills working for such a talented actress.”

Because the demand for the bespoke LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch is so great, starting in 2004, only one actress has carried the handbag down the Academy Awards Red Carpet. Each Cleopatra Clutch designed for the Red Carpet is an original, with exacting production taking place in three separate countries. In 2007, Academy Award Winner Helen Mirren wore a $250,000 LANA MARKS “Queen” Cleopatra Clutch; in 2006, Jennifer Aniston; in 2005, Best Actress Nominee Kate Winslet carried a $100,000 LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch; and in 2004, Best Actress Winner Charlize Theron wore a $100,000 LANA MARKS Cleopatra Clutch. Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Oprah Winfrey, Julianne Moore, Reese Witherspoon, Chloe Sevigny, and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, are just a few of her well-known customers.

Setting a new standard for luxury accessories, Lana J. Marks is the CEO and sole designer of the LANA MARKS Brand. The LANA MARKS Collections now consist of over 150 designs available in 100 colours of alligator, ostrich, and lizard and customized leathers and satins. LANA MARKS designs are available at her stores in New York, Palm Beach, Beverly Hills, and at LANA MARKS boutiques at The Bellagio – Las Vegas and Harvey Nichols – Dubai, UAE; Visit LANA MARKS on the web at www.lanamarks.com.