Claudia Hapeman Venetian Masks on GILT.com

Much to my dismay, I slept in yesterday morning and woke up to find that the majority of the masks on the "Masked Crusader" sale on GILTman.com were already sold out just ONE HOUR into the sale. Boo-hoo-hoooo...

All week long, I had been anticipating what exactly would be offered on this sale. Yesterday, I learned the Venetian-style masks are designed by Claudia Hapeman. Her pieces are exquisitely detailed works of art, and some much more ostentatious than others. It would have been nice to settle on one of the styles I've posted here...they're the more pared down styles that were offered on the sale, but they're elaborate enough and flashy enough for me. Check out the detail on the up-close shots...that's definitely something worth appreciating. I hope Gilt Groupe brings back this offering...Gilt, if you're reading this, please sell these again!

In the meantime, similarly-styled masks by Ms. Hapeman can be found and bought exclusively on SoCal Design Company. Even if I missed out on the sale, the one good thing is -- and I love that Gilt is always introducing me to new names and labels -- I now know where to go for quality festive masks.